Assistant Director, Grants & Projects

Ashesi's mission is to propel an African renaissance by educating ethical, entrepreneurial leaders. Located in Ghana, this private, non-profit university combines a rigorous multidisciplinary core with degree programs in Computer Science, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, and Engineering. A student-led honour code, integrated community service, diverse internships, and real-world projects prepare students to develop innovative solutions for the challenges facing their individual communities, countries and the continent at large.

Role Summary
The Assistant Director, Grants & Projects will be a key personnel supporting the Prof. Adei Studio for Research Excellence and reporting to the Provost. The Assistant Director, Grants & Projects will work across all grants & sponsored program areas, from pre to post award and support the Studio’s Assistant Director in managing the grant administration process, including (but not limited to) proposal coordination & project managing applications with researchers; interfacing with administrative departments for non-technical proposal requirements i.e., institutional data, personnel planning, logistics, legal, etc.; systems administration for the University’s grants management cloud database.

Reports to: The Provost

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Assistant Director, Grants & Projects will work in the Prof. Adei Studio for Research Excellence and support Assistant Director - Prof. Adei Studio for Research Excellence & Principal Investigators in the following:

• Proposal development process including confirming licenses/certification needs for grant applications; setting up PI and other necessary staff on grant application portals; confirm eligibility of external collaborators for sub-awards; etc.
• Create and streamline all additional proposal components such as bios/CVs, institutional data and other requirements.
• Provide support during project execution by tracking project expenses, documenting invoices, external collaborator support & liaising, communicating, amendments or modifications, support with sponsor liaising.
• Manage the sub-award process by liaising with sub-awardees and ensuring compliance with Ashesi and project sponsor
• Liaise with finance to generate reporting required for compliance and financial statement audits; HR for project contracting and personnel audits; Facilities & Logistics for project procurement needs; etc.
• Cognizance of regulations & other matters of compliance with all grants including DUNS, EIN, SAM registrations, etc.

The Assistant Director, Grants & Projects will fulfil the following responsibilities as well:

• Work in tandem with the data analyst and share all updates on grants & sponsored program activity for documentation, analysis and reporting
• Monitor all research grants (internal and external) for legal, financial, and program compliance including but not limited to ensuring that grant requirements are correctly documented.
• Monitor and document the grant making workflow processes, develop forms, templates, reports and data to assure full compliance with internal controls and legal requirements
• Manage implementation of grant management systems and other planned technology improvements for grants and sponsored program applications.
• Manage cloud folders to ensure all proposal documentation (pre and post award) are appropriately stored and readily available in the QA repository
• Manage documentation of all grants related data (from pre award to project closure) and provide analytics and suggestions to assist with debriefs and enhance future proposals
  
  
• Provide quarterly updates on all research related data i.e., grants and sponsored program applications (awarded and non-awarded); external research collaborations (including industry)

Minimum Requirements:
a. A Bachelor’s Degree in Nonprofit Management or Project Management or any related field is required. Graduate degree in these areas is of additional value.
b. Previous working experience in research grant administration in a higher education environment is highly preferred.
c. A comfort with ambiguity and competing priorities is vital
d. Adept at managing a project from inception to completion, and have an innate ability to prioritize and synthesize information in an analytical and systematic manner
e. Project management experience, intermediate expense tracking, particularly with large scale projects is required
f. Experience working in teams and negotiating with colleagues

Additional valued qualifications include:

g. Data management experience, familiarity with data systems and business processes
h. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially with Excel
i. Experience setting up and working with complex systems and grant management software
j. Ability to multitask and work independently and collaboratively to meet weekly, monthly, and quarterly deadlines
k. Familiarity with private foundation approaches, requirements and processes
l. Highly-tuned detail orientation, strategic thinking, and a process and system mindset.