Head of Post-Award Grant

Job Title – Head of Post‑Award Grants

Department: Finance / GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation Inc

Team: Finance & Compliance

Location: Atlanta, GA

Position type: Full‑time, Permanent

As the senior post‑award leader, you will safeguard donor compliance, strengthen controls, and coach the Post‑award Financial Grant Managers. You will own the post‑award operating model and serve as the senior accountability point for donor financial reporting, forecasts, and audit readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Oversight
  • Lead and manage the Post‑Award Finance function, including Post‑Award Managers.
  • Allocate portfolios based on donor complexity and workload.
  • Provide technical leadership on donor rules, allowable costs, and compliance requirements.
  • Act as the escalation point for donor‑related financial issues.
• Donor Financial Compliance (High‑Risk Donors)
  • Serve as the internal owner of financial rules for FCDO, SIDA, EU, GIZ, US Government, and other high‑risk donors.
  • Develop and maintain donor‑specific compliance guidance, templates, and checklists.
  • Ensure adherence to cost principles, budget categories, procurement requirements, exchange rate rules, and reporting formats.
  • Manage high‑risk grants.
• Post‑Award Financial Management
  • Oversee the financial management of all active grants from award to closeout.
  • Review and approve donor financial reports before submission.
  • Lead quarterly Budget vs Actual reviews with the Head of Program and Post‑Award managers.
  • Ensure correct grant set‑up in Workday (worktags, budgets, reporting structures).
  • Develop templates and dashboards; ensure staff cost allocation integrity.
  • Coordinate with the Accounting team on general ledger structures, reconciliations, and restricted income recognition.
• Governance, Controls & Audit Readiness
  • Define, implement and maintain strong internal controls for grant financial management.
  • Oversee document retention standards, audit trails, and financial compliance files.
  • Lead preparation for donor audits and coordinate with auditors.
  • Ensure consistent application of GSMA and donor policies across US and Belgium entities.
• Partnership with Subgrant Compliance Team
  • Work closely with the Head of Subgrant Compliance to align subgrant monitoring, expenditure verification, fund disbursement schedules, and subrecipient reporting deadlines.
  • Ensure subgrant financial data is incorporated accurately into donor reports.
  • Support the integration of risk‑based approaches for Innovation Fund partners.
• Capacity‑Building & Continuous Improvement
  • Coach and develop the Post‑award team to achieve donor‑compliance expertise.
  • Lead training for Programme teams on budgeting, reporting, procurement requirements, and cost eligibility.
  • Improve operational efficiency through standard templates, dashboards, and automated workflows.
  • Lead optimization and automation of processes and improvements of Workday.

Key Deliverables (First 12 Months)

• Establish a consistent Post‑Award operating model and workflows.
• Publish a complete donor compliance guide for all active donors.
• Implement standardised financial reporting and reconciliation templates.
• Deliver monthly cross‑functional grant review meetings with action logs.
• Zero late or inaccurate donor financial reports.
• Clean audit results across donor and statutory audits.
• Lead automation projects and tooling improvements for the Foundation.
• Improve Workday configuration to support accurate grant tracking.

Experience and Skills

• Significant experience in post‑award grant finance within an INGO, foundation, or multi‑donor environment.
• Demonstrated expertise with high‑compliance donors (e.g., FCDO, SIDA, EU institutions, GIZ, US Government) and complex reporting requirements.
• Proven people management experience, including coaching and developing Post‑award partners.
• Strong audit management experience (donor and statutory), including preparation of PBC documentation and issue resolution.
• Strong analytic skills, able to translate donor requirements into workable controls and processes.
• Systems‑oriented; experience with Workday financials and grant/worktag configuration is highly desirable.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills across programmes, operations, legal and leadership.

Behaviors

• Proactive, solutions‑focused mindset.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to compliance.
• Ability to coach and develop team members.
• Collaborative approach with high integrity.
• Comfortable working across time zones and geographies.

Employment Details

Contract type: Regular

Worker type: Employee

Benefits: Competitive compensation, architect‑designed offices, learning and development opportunities, generous holiday allowances, and additional days off for professional development.