Senior Associate, Contracts and Compliance (West & Central Africa)

The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. To achieve our mission, we partner with diverse allies around the world to drive positive change across global supply chains and in many of our most critically important natural landscapes.

Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests   and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.

As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land-use and commodity production.

At the Rainforest Alliance we combat climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve livelihoods. The enormity of the social and environmental challenges we are facing requires working together in a broad alliance. This is why we bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes.

Why

To protect nature and improve lives it’s becoming increasingly urgent that we approach the way we use our land and produce food and other products in more sustainable ways. For this to succeed we need to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate and source, and the choices we all make as consumers.

How

Our growing global alliance aims to transform our relationship with our natural resources and each other, to create a better future for people and nature together.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.

Position summary:

The Senior Associate Contracts and Compliance will provide support with the contractual and compliance oversight management for West & Central Africa by managing contracts, subgrants and other agreements, as well as responsible for providing support to finance and administration staff in the region and the Internal Compliance Manager Africa. The Senior Associate Contracts and Compliance will be responsible for meeting performance measures and for complying with contract and administrative requirements in accordance with RA and donors’ policies and procedures. 

Responsibilities: 

• The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate;

• Ensure that contractual agreements are issued using appropriate templates, in accordance with donor requirements when applicable and according to Rainforest Alliance policies and procedures;

• Support negotiation, drafting, and reviewing of grants, subgrants, NDAs, MOUs, and consultant agreements and associated modifications;

• Support and ensure sub-grantee monitoring by training staff and partners on grants management;

• Produce reports to monitor active consultant agreements and sub-awards, payment schedules; active grants, schedules, reporting dates;

• Provide compliance guidance to project teams on topics related to contracts management and donor requirements and regulations;

• Facilitate contract orientation and training for newly hired staff;

• Monitor for and actively complete mandated donor requirements and regulations;

• Support monitoring RA offices within their portfolio to ensure they align with organizational and national compliance requirements through Internal Compliance Reviews;

• Support in coordination with the legal team as needed to ensure branch/subsidiaries meets all compliance requirements and ensure procurement and national contracts meets all RA and donor requirements;

• Support writing of national and regional policies as necessary;

• Advise Global Internal Compliance Manager on issues related to non-compliance with RA’s Policies and Procedures by country office personnel, as well as anticipate issues that may affect the delivery of Global Internal Compliance services;

• Explain the process, guidelines, and requirements for donor, institutional, and national compliance requirements to staff to strengthen general compliance across the country offices;

• Remain up-to-date on organizational changes, and actively seek engagement with issues that impact compliance management and future assignments;

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional qualification in business administration, project management,  law or related field;

• 3-5 years’ contracts and grants administration experience specifically with grants to non-profits from public agencies (Government or multilateral, i.e., UN, GEF, EU, BMU, USAID,)

• 2 years’ agreement review and writing experience;

• 2 years’ general experience in administration of database management;

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point and Outlook;

• Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently as well as in a team environment, assess priorities and multi-task with strong attention to detail;

• Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills;

• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to interact culturally, linguistically, and diplomatically with diverse internal and external individuals.;

• Ability to handle critical matters with tact, diplomacy and discretion;

• Ability to find pragmatic solutions where resources or capacity limitations exist;

• Initiative, self-motivated, resourceful, meticulous, strong attention to detail, flexible and resilient demeanour;

• Experience in a not-for-profit and international environment is preferred; and

• Proficiency in French or English and solid understanding of the second language.

Job level: 4B

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

Deadline:  07 June 2023

Notes:

Only candidates authorized to work in Cameroon will be considered

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: [email removed - click apply for more details]