Director, Donor & Award Compliance

This role was posted on January 22, 2025. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis.

The Role

At Last Mile Health (LMH), we are all stewards of our reputation and resources. Do you have progressive experience working with institutional donors, and are skilled at designing and implementing donor compliance functions? If so, you may be our next Director, Donor & Award Compliance! 

Reporting to the Chief Financial & Operating Officer, the Director of Donor & Award Compliance will oversee the organization’s awards administration and donor compliance function. They will provide subject matter expertise and support in the interpretation and application of donor regulations and related internal policies. The Director will lead the design and implementation of policies, procedures, tools, and other resources to promote accountability, transparency, efficiency, and donor compliance.

As the organization's portfolio grows, the Director will play an essential role in helping formalize our award management function. This includes designing and implementing systems related to award workflows, as well as collaborating closely with program teams, finance, legal, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment with donor expectations, drive compliance initiatives, and mitigate risk.

This role is open to candidates based in Accra, Ghana; the Eastern Seaboard of the United States; or international candidates willing to relocate to Ghana.

What you’ll do

Design and oversight of LMH’s Donor Compliance Function

• Interpret and offer clear organizational guidance on the intricate rules, regulations, and standard terms and conditions applicable to diverse award instruments such as grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. This includes those issued by esteemed entities like the US Government (USAID, DoS, etc.), European agencies (GIZ, FCDO, EU, etc.) foundations (Gates Foundation, etc.), and other international donor agencies (Global Fund, GAVI, UN, etc.).
• Develop and implement systems, processes, and tools to ensure overall compliance with award terms and conditions, regulations, and LMH policies; recommend improvements to award-related workflows. 
• Identify gaps in existing award management systems and capacity and develop standard training, templates, and terms and conditions for sub-awards, contracts, and other types of agreements.
• Remain current on changes within the industry through resource sites, publications, and continuing education, and provide training and refresher sessions on pertinent topics. 
• Maintain high ethical standards of integrity and respect confidentiality in representing LMH.
• Maintain an up-to-date resource library for grants and sub-grants management, procurement/acquisition, and other necessary subjects, based on industry standards.
• Work to identify areas for improving knowledge management, sharing tools, and improving field focus for awards management. 

Grant, Sub-grant, and Contract Administration

• Provide expert support and guidance on donor rules, regulations and policies, LMH policies, management of prime or sub-awards, and other award administration activities as needed.
• Support the contracting lifecycle, including proper start-up and closeout of awards with responsibility for legal and compliance related tasks, including orienting relevant team members to award terms and compliance requirements as needed.
• Lead in addressing contractual disputes, recommending possible courses of action and working with relevant staff to ensure the resolution. 
• Provide remote and on-site award administration support focused on building the capacity of country teams.
• Coordinate with Program staff to develop, analyze, revise, amend, review, and support awards, including via period compliance assessments of active awards and the production of findings, recommendations, and any remedial measures
• Provide guidance on the most appropriate grant/contracting mechanisms to achieve project objectives when issuing awards and sub-awards under donor-funded projects. 
• Identify and support teams/projects that have challenges in issuing and managing contracts and grants.

Proposal Development 

• Work with programs and fundraising teams to review all solicitations and provide guidance on terms and conditions to support the development of compliant, responsive, and competitive proposals.
• Perform necessary due diligence to ensure cost/price reasonableness and compliance with applicable funder regulations. 
• Lead negotiations with donors to represent LMH contractual interests. 
• Ensure all grant and grant-like instruments, sub-grant, and contract agreements (and modifications to such agreements) adhere to LMH policies and applicable donor regulations and that the organization’s comprehensive programmatic, compliance and financial interests are considered and represented in such agreements.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration or Public Administration 
• Extensive experience with USAID and other institutional donors 
  • In-depth knowledge of US Government rules and regulations for assistance funding, including relevant CFRs, Standard Provisions, and ADS guidance. 
  • Knowledge of international/multilateral donor requirements, such as those for the World Bank, UNICEF, Global Fund, FCDO, etc.
• Experience in an international development organization working in contract, grant, and awards management.
• Evidence of self-directed work style both independently and as part of a high-performing team. 
• Ability and track record of successfully working in cross-functional teams that have a shared responsibility for compliance.
• Experience working in INGOs or similar multicultural environments, with the ability to build authentic relationships and provide guidance to people with different cultural backgrounds, training, and experience.
• Skillset to grasp the nuances of complex issues and subsequently develop insightful, practical, equitable, and sustainable solutions to address. 
• Proven ability to take concepts from idea to successful implementation
• Ability to serve as a visionary leader who values diverse perspectives fosters collaborative decision-making and effectively communicates difficult decisions in the organization’s best interest. 
• High sense of ethics, integrity, and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality.
• Cultural competence to be a leader in an organization that values and embraces diversity, equity and inclusion.

Compensation Information

At Last Mile Health, we strive to reward our employees equitably and transparently. This means that we pay our employees based on a clear and consistent methodology and without regard to their identity or personal relationships. We have made this model fully transparent so that everyone has access to all information related to compensation. We hope this helps you better understand Last Mile Health’s values and commitments to our employees. We look forward to answering any questions you may have during the hiring process.

Before applying to this role, please take a moment to learn more about our approach to compensation and how compensation works in each of the countries where we operate. Please find the link to our compensation model and benefits overview below:

OVERVIEW OF LAST MILE HEALTH’S COMPENSATION MODEL

Compensation for this position: 

The Band for this position: SLB-5

The range for this role is $85,452 - $113,018 dependent upon experience doing an equivalent role.

About Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health partners with governments to design, scale, strengthen, and sustain high-quality community health systems, which empower teams of community and frontline health workers to bring life-saving primary healthcare to the world’s most remote communities. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.