Grants Officer at Community Engagement & Social Development Initiative (CESDI)

Community Engagement & Social Development Initiative (CESDI) is a non-governmental organization committed to the sustainable livelihood of under privileged women, children and youth. CESDI is duly registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) since 2014. The Organization is involved in community development, capacity building, economic empowerment, social counseling, social mobilization, raising awareness/ education on health and conflict resolution/peace building initiatives.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Grants Officer

Location: Damaturu, Yobe
Job type: Contract
Contract Duration: 23 Months (Fixed Term)
Reports To: Finance Manager / Project Manager
Funding Partner: Action Against Hunger (ACF) / CARE International
Project: Lake Chad Inclusive Economic and Social Recovery Project (RESILAC*2)

Position Summary

• The Grants Officer will oversee the management, compliance, and reporting of all grant-related functions under the RESILAC*2 project.
• The post-holder will ensure that grant management obligations to the consortium partners (ACF and CARE) and donors (AFD and EU) are met, and that sub-grant processes (if applicable) are managed with transparency, accountability, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate the overall grants management cycle for the RESILAC*2 project in line with ACF/CARE and donor requirements.
• Monitor grant compliance including adherence to grant agreements, donor rules, project timelines, and budget utilization.
• Prepare and submit timely, accurate narrative and financial grant reports to ACF/CARE as required.
• Maintain a grants tracker/calendar to monitor key milestones, reporting deadlines, budget burn rates, and compliance obligations.
• Review project budgets, track expenditure against budget lines, and flag under- or over-spending to management.
• Support budget monitoring, budget vs. actual analysis, and prepare budget revisions as needed.
• Liaise with ACF/CARE grants teams to ensure alignment on reporting formats, compliance requirements, and documentation standards.
• Manage sub-grant processes (if applicable), including preparation of sub-grant agreements, monitoring of sub-grantee compliance, and review of sub-grantee reports.
• Support capacity building of sub-grantees or community-level partners on grants management, reporting, and financial compliance.
• Maintain a comprehensive grants filing system (physical and electronic) for all grant documents, reports, and correspondences.
• Coordinate with the MEL team to ensure that programmatic data for reporting is accurate and aligned with grant requirements.
• Support preparation for donor audits, due diligence assessments, and project reviews.
• Flag any grant-related risks, compliance issues, or irregularities to management immediately.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of grants management experience with an NGO, INGO, or development organization.
• Demonstrated experience managing EU, AFD, USAID, or similar donor-funded grants.
• Strong understanding of donor financial compliance, grant rules, eligibility requirements, and audit processes.
• Experience in sub-grants management and partner capacity building is an advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel for budget tracking.
• Knowledge of grants management software or ERP systems is an advantage.

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong financial analysis and budget management skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong written communication and report writing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Integrity, transparency, and commitment to accountability.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send a Cover Letter, detailed CV, and copies of relevant Certificates to: humanresourcesunit@cesdinitiative.org with "Grants Officer – RESILAC*2" as the subject of the email.

Note

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications from women, persons with disabilities, and candidates from Yobe State are strongly encouraged.
• CESDI promotes zero tolerance of fraud, sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. All staff are required to adhere to our organizational Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policies.