Senior Contracts & Compliance Advisor at WaterAid Nigeria

WaterAid is an international non-for-profit organization dedicated to helping people break free from poverty and disease, unlock their potential and change their lives for good through improved access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid started its operation in Nigeria in 1995. Since then it has successfully executed several intervention programmes as outlined by its objectives and has made impact in the lives of the very poor. WaterAid with the country office in Abuja currently works in Bauchi, Enugu and Plateau States with funding from various donors and partners.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Contracts & Compliance Advisor

Vacancy no: VN767
Location: Lagos, Nigeria (The role will be based in Sub-Saharan Africa, subject to right to work eligibility in the respective countries)
Employment Type: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours Worked: 35.00
Reports to: Contracts & Compliance Lead
Manages: Funding Process and Systems Officer
Travel: There is an expectation that the role may undertake travel of up to
6/8 weeks per annum

Job Purpose

• Contracts and Compliance function (C&C) has the primary objective of ensuring all WaterAid country teams and regional teams have the capacity, skills, resources and tools to manage a diverse portfolio of programmes made up of complex funding mechanisms including but not limited to commercial contracts. WaterAid’s contract management devolution strategy places responsibility and accountability for project and contract management with country and regional teams.
• Thus, the focus of the C&C team is to provide country & regional teams with the tools, systems and trainings they need to effectively manage their portfolio of contracts in line with the highest standards of contract management and in line with donor compliance requirements.
• The Senior Contracts & Compliance Adviser role exists to support WaterAid in managing restricted programme funding effectively and in compliance with funders’ requirements and in line with WaterAid’s contract management devolution strategy.
• This entails overseeing and improving internal contract management and compliance systems, undertaking bespoke compliance related project work (including embedding of cost recovery best practice and policy) and developing & providing training and guidance on WaterAid’s contract management and donor compliance processes.

Team Description
Institutional Funding and Partnership (IFP), as a custodian of International Programme’s Restricted Programme Funding Strategy, is responsible for supporting WaterAid to secure and manage sustainable restricted funding to deliver on its programme ambition through:

• Cultivating and securing income from WaterAid Institutional Donors
• Supporting the effective design of restricted funded programmes/bids
• Ensuring the enabling environment is in place for the effective management of all restricted income (Institutional, Members and Strategic Partnerships) across WaterAid UK.

The IFP team works across four functional areas:

• Business Development and Partnerships;
• Bid Management;
• Contracts and Compliance; and;
• Priority Projects.

The Senior Contracts & Compliance Adviser role sits within the Contracts and Compliance (C&C) functional area of IFP, and reports to the Contracts and Compliance Lead.

Accountabilities
Contract Management Compliance Technical Support:

• Leading the risk assessment, review and direction for negotiation of complex funding agreements including multi-country and commercial contracts.
• Work with finance colleagues to embed cost recovery policy and best practice across WaterAid UK through targeted and general capacity building and communications.
• Supporting country/regional teams – with a view of capacity building and developing best- practice - in the review and negotiation of contracts.
• Supporting country/regional teams to respond to donor due diligence requests through the development and management of a library of due diligence documents.
• Support country teams to prepare and manage the risk of donor audits and visits

Restricted Funding Risk Reduction:

• Working closely with other teams (e.g. Finance, Legal, Internal Audit) to ensure WaterAid rules maximise compliance with standard terms and conditions in contracts.
• Analysing any new donor compliance requirements among WaterAid’s main donors to determine and flag where donor requirements are stricter than WaterAid rules.
• Developing training and tools for country/regional teams on specific donor compliance requirements.
• Support International Programme Department Senior Management Team with the monitoring and management of high-risk contracts.
• Working closely with colleagues in Bid Management and Country/Regional Teams, assess risk in new funding opportunities / contracts.
• Build strong trust relationships with international management accountants, regional teams and country SMT to enable close and effective working partnerships.
• Lead on managing the high-risk report and quarterly review process working with regional funding managers and supporting senior management to have oversight of restricted funding risk across WaterAid’s portfolio of grants and contracts.
• In coordination with the C&C’s Funding Process and Data Manager, help develop and manage monitoring systems and processes to reflect grant/contract management performance and inform further interventions.

Enabling Grant/Contract Management Devolution:

• Ensure integration of grant/contract management processes, materials and training with Programme, Finance and Internal Audit and promote to colleagues managing restricted funding in country teams.
• Jointly lead on socialization of the restricted funding process with the Funding Process and Data Manager
• Enable contract management devolution by supporting WaterAid departments, Members and Country Programmes to build capacity.
• Lead on developing a federation wide compliance community of practice supporting compliance colleagues to effectively share best practice.

Capacity Strengthening / Troubleshooting:
Organizational capacity strengthening is the common theme throughout the 3 accountability areas listed above. It is a fundamental component of this role, as well as being integrated or ‘mainstreamed’ into the other responsibilities of this role. Specific capacity building activities include:

• Developing and/or adapting training materials on contract management processes (from contract review and negotiations through to contract close-out).
• Delivering trainings to Country/Regional Teams in line with the Contract Management devolution strategy.
• Occasionally working intensively and independently with Country Programme’s to troubleshoot compliance issues and identify and deliver appropriate support to address capacity gaps

Line Management Responsibilities:

• The role will also have responsibility for line managing the Funding Process & Systems Officer who has responsibility for managing the day to day running and data cleaning of our restricted income system (RIS).
• Support the Funding Process and Systems Officer to sense check system data and provide timely exception reports.
• Support the Funding Process and Systems Officer on development of content for funding process communications.
• Support the Funding Process and Systems Officer on refinement and delivery of the regular Restricted Income System (RIS) and Restricted Funding Process group and individual inductions.

Person Specification
Essential Skills:

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent standard, or equivalent work experience.
• Highly numerate, preferably with a financial background.
• Experience of developing and delivering training to diverse audiences.
• Experience of reviewing and negotiating contracts, preferably (but not necessarily) in the field of international development.
• Experience of working with commercial contracts and complex funding modalities such as payment by results.
• Good working knowledge of FCDO, EU and USAID donor rules.
• Experience of managing and maintaining grant / contract management processes.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, and ability to adapt and work within a multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work across institutional boundaries, units, and teams in an effective, empowering, and productive way.
• Experience in supporting country teams in setting up processes in grant/contract management and resolving issues.
• Ability to deliver results through cross-team working (Programme, Finance, Internal Audit) Methodical, thorough, and excellent organisational skills, with ability to work on own initiative to meet deadlines.
• Adopting a strong "customer service" approach when delivering support to other business units within the organisation.
• High standard of written and spoken English.
• Excellent computer and IT skills, including various MS Office applications, internet-based research and navigation, use of databases and/or data entry systems.
• Working style that reflects WaterAid’s values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation.
• High level of soft influencing skills.
• Experience of leading, managing and motivating others to drive change.
• Confident decision maker within agreed boundaries

Desirable Skills:

• Understanding of international development programming, and the contexts in which international development programmes are implemented.
• Strong analytical skills particularly pertaining to risk analysis at the project or organisational level.
• Strong ability to understand organisational needs/ think creatively about problem solving.
• Experience in organisational behaviour change.
• Experience in participatory training techniques.
• French language skills are highly desirable.

Salary
NGN11,510,146 to NGN14,668,076

Application Closing Date
20th March, 2023 at 11:59.

Interview Date
27th March 2023 (Interview availability is required for the week commencing this date)

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here for more information (PDF)

Note

• Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter into one document in either Word Document or PDF format.
• Please indicate your location and the right to work eligibility in your Cover letter.
• Want to use your skills in contracts and compliance to play a vital role in making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere?
• Join WaterAid as a Senior Contracts & Compliance Advisor to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good. On top of that you’ll be joining a 2020 Great Place to Work® award-winning organisation.
• The Contracts & Compliance unit supports management and country teams to make sure we have the right policies, tools and training in place to effectively manage the restricted funding we secure so that WaterAid can effectively deliver on its mission.
• As our diligent and tenacious Senior Contracts & Compliance Advisor you will oversee and improve WaterAid UK’s internal contract management processes as well as developing and delivering training and capacity building across WaterAid country programmes, embedding cost recovery best practice and any other compliance related ad hoc work and projects as necessary.