Grants Management Officer

This position is central to securing financial resources for MEP’s conservation programs and ensuring donor expectations are met across the grant lifecycle. The successful candidate will play a key role in grant identification, proposal development, donor compliance, and internal coordination, while maintaining strong relationships with donors and partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Research and identify new funding prospects including foundations, institutional donors, and corporate CSR programs aligned with MEP’s mission.
• Monitor grant opportunity platforms and networks for calls for proposals and requests for concept notes.
• Support the preparation of concept notes, letters of interest, full grant proposals, and ensure submission by deadlines.
• Work with program teams to design project objectives and with finance teams to develop detailed and donor-compliant budgets.
• Ensure proposals meet donor guidelines regarding format, content, and attachments.
• Interpret donor rules, contractual obligations, and communicate them clearly to relevant internal teams
• including finance and procurement.
• Ensure project activities, expenditure, and procurement adhere to donor requirements and MEP’s internal policies.
• Coordinate with departments and finance teams to enforce compliance — including verifying eligible costs, following procurement rules, and meeting donor branding or visibility requirements.
• Track donor communications, disseminate any updates to terms, and support preparation for donor audits or evaluations through proper archiving of compliance records, receipts, and documentation.
• Identify and flag compliance risks early (budget reallocations, procurement delays) and coordinate corrective action with relevant teams.
• Maintain up-to-date grant files including agreements, proposals, budgets, amendments, and key donor correspondence for easy retrieval during audits or reviews.
• Manage a comprehensive calendar of proposal submission and grant reporting deadlines, ensuring timely internal follow-ups and smooth information transition post-award.
• Liaise with program managers, field staff, and finance officers to gather project targets, technical approaches, and cost estimates during proposal development.
• Facilitate internal proposal review and approval processes, incorporating feedback from relevant departments and leadership.
• Monitor grant expenditures in collaboration with finance teams, flag potential budget realignments, and process no-cost extension requests as per donor procedures.
• Support donor cultivation and stewardship, provide additional information during proposal review processes, and draft donor correspondence for grant start-up, compliance, or project scope changes.
• Utilize MEP’s Bloomerang CRM system to log and track all grant-related interactions.
• Collaborate closely with the Grants Officer (M&E and Reporting) by sharing grant agreements, log frames, and donor M&E expectations post-award.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor from time to time.

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in International Development, Communications, Environmental Science, Business Administration, or a related discipline (Master’s degree is an advantage).
• 3–5 years of proven experience in grant writing, fundraising, or resource mobilization for non-profit organizations, with a successful track record in securing funding from institutional donors such as foundations, governments, or multilateral agencies.
• Strong knowledge of major donor requirements, compliance standards, and experience in grant management post-award. Familiarity with conservation or environmental sector donors is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in project budgeting and financial planning for grant proposals, and experience working with finance teams on grant-funded projects.
• Excellent English writing and editing skills, with the ability to develop clear, compelling, and donorready proposals.
• Strong research and analytical skills for identifying funding opportunities and supporting proposals with credible data and evidence.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple proposals and deadlines while maintaining comprehensive documentation.
• A passion for wildlife conservation and understanding of environmental protection and community development is highly preferred.