The project has allocated a budget for distributing more than 20 grants to actors in the 5 countries targeted. Under the supervision of the Project Leader based in Tbilisi (Georgia) and the Deputy Project Leader, based in Chisinau (Moldova), the EU 4 Innovation East Grant Manager is responsible for overseeing the contracting, execution, and administrative and financial control of the awarded grants.

The Grant Manager is part of the Project Management Unit (PMU) – and is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The role requires a high degree of autonomy and thoroughness, plus interpersonal skills suitable for an international and multicultural environment.

Project description

EU4Innovation East is a EU-funded project aiming to support the Eastern Partner Countries (EaP) startup ecosystems’ growth.

Position Description

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Project Leader and the Deputy Project Leader.

Technical Aspect:

Leadership of the project's Grants Unit and risk control

• Training and supporting the junior grants officer in managing his/her tasks;
• Facilitating the unit's operations (organizing monitoring meetings, managing schedules, and beneficiary meetings, etc.);
• Ensuring monitoring and control over the correct execution of procedures;
• Analyzing risks and implementing actions to mitigate and minimize them (especially the risks of expenditure ineligibility);
• Ensuring the requested reporting of the status of the activities under its supervision to the management team.

Support for tender processes and grant awards

• Leading the formulation of the calls for projects in close collaboration with Expertise France legal department and with the National Coordinators;
• Assisting in disseminating calls for projects in collaboration with the Communication unit of the project and the National Coordinators;
• Organizing informational meetings and training for beneficiaries on responding to calls for projects in the 5 countries targeted;
• Leading the evaluation and selection process of project proponents: secretariat of the evaluation committee, organization of workshops for pre-selected beneficiaries, administrative management, etc.;
• Checking compliance and performing administrative verification according to current procedures;
• Supporting the instruction of selected projects and the assimilation of management procedures by the beneficiaries;
• Preparing contracts and formalizing internal documents.

Monitoring the execution of funded projects

• Assisting beneficiaries in meeting our reporting expectations by developing training materials, templates and documents to facilitate their grant monitoring (financial and narrative) and disseminate them at training sessions and information meetings;
• Controlling the execution of the granted activities and initiatives, follow-up of the grantees’ expenditures validation requests, leading the management of follow-up committees and meetings as well as of field visits;
• Ensuring and controlling the correct use and application of up-to-date procedures related to the grantees’ duties and obligations (purchases and tender processes, justifications, reporting, etc.);
• Following the technical reporting technique and the good delivery of requested deliverables;
• Controlling payment requests, financial reports and audit reports of the grantees;
• Preparing for the EU's and other donors’ periodic audits of grants (documentation, reports).

Project communication

·       Supporting, in close collaboration with the communication team of the project, the relevant communication activities related with the grantees activities, results and impact by consolidating and facilitating the information and related communication material generated by the grantees.

Project monitoring, evaluation and reporting

• Definition of relevant indicators for each granted initiative in collaboration with the MEAL manager of the project;
• Capitalizing and compiling results, and supporting the implementation of monitoring and evaluation of the activities under its responsibility in close collaboration with the MEAL manager of the project;
• Compiling the information to feed the requested project reports, in relation with the activities under it his/her supervision; 

Implementation of technical assistance and capacities reinforcement activities of the innovation ecosystems’ actors

• Definition of the activities and formulation of the terms of reference;
• Mobilisation of experts and management of the implicated partners;
• Leading the organisation of the activities;
• Consolidating the requested reporting and MEAL materials related to the implemented activities.