Fund Officers - (Lilongwe, Malawi)

Terms of Reference: Fund Officers – two roles (Lilongwe, Malawi)

Vacancy: 2

Programme Background 

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has established a Matching Grant Fund (MGF) to catalyse enhanced productivity and exports of macadamia and mango in terms of volume and value. The MGF is under the Malawi Trade and Investment Programme (MTIP), a five-year FCDO-funded initiative which aims to break Malawi’s cycle of low growth through driving exports. Specifically, the fund is targeted at; i) macadamia and mango mid-sized farms (MSF) with landholding from 3 to 40 ha with existing or planned export partnerships through off-takers; and ii) smallholder farmer (SHF) cooperative organisations involved in macadamia and mango production, with existing or planned export partnerships through off-takers.

Scope of Work

ASI is seeking to engage two Fund Officers to support the implementation of the MGF. Reporting directly to the Fund Manager and ultimately to the Technical Advisor, the Fund Officer will:

Marketing of the Fund

• Support the finalisation of subsequent rounds of the MGF and the criteria for bid assessment for each new window of the MGF. This will be determined from diagnostic work which the Fund Officer would help the MGF team to complete.

• Assist the MGF team to generate a pipeline of projects sufficient to ensure real competition for the funds and the opportunity for all funds to be disbursed to deserving projects.

• Provide assistance in the review of concept notes and full proposals against the MGF’s objectives and eligibility criteria, and present results to the investment panel who will decide which bidders should be invited to submit a full project proposal and ultimately receive the grant.

Support to Contracting

• Provide feedback, support, and carry out due diligence assessments on the companies and consortia that are short-listed to develop full proposals.

• Support to the contracting phase, including development of logic models (theories of how the intervention is supposed to work), a framework for monitoring individual projects, and discussion of milestones and budgets with successful MGF applicants. Support to implementation.

• Monitor the progress of individual projects against the fund plan, including support in undertaking baseline surveys for each individual project within the MGF portfolio.

• Working with ASI’s Finance Team in collaboration and through the guidance of the MGF Finance & Grant Manager to support the processing of financial claims and providing support in exercising financial control over the expenditure of MGF grants.

• Identify potential areas of problems in both technical and financial issues surrounding the MGF projects that the Project Officer is allocated to and alert the Fund Manager to them. In the event that the project departs from the original contract or other difficulties arise, work with the grantee to address and resolve shortcomings.

• Working with the grantees to complete milestone reports. This includes undertaking an independent assessment of milestone verification including site visits, interviews and critical evaluation and analysis of documentary evidence provided

• Provide assistance to the Fund Manager to distill the key learning from each project within the MGF portfolio at close of each individual project.

• Support in dissemination of lessons learnt at the completion of each individual project and provide assistance in submitting a project completion document for each MGF project.

• Undertake any other duties as directed by the MGF Fund Manager.

Support to Reporting

• Ensuring reports are submitted on time and reviewing reports submitted by the MGF grantees.

• Providing inputs into quarterly and annual reports of the MGF. Providing ad hoc inputs to periodic queries by FCDO or ASI.

• Work with the Fund Manager to provide a quarterly aggregated risk profile of the entire MGF portfolio to facilitate monitoring to be share with ASI and FCDO.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as: Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration, Public Administration or Nonprofit Management, International Development, Economics, or Social Sciences

• A master’s degree in a related field is a plus.

• 2–5 years of experience in grants management, project management, or finance.

• Experience working with donor-funded programs, NGOs, government agencies, or international organisations.

• Familiarity with grant writing, budgeting, and compliance monitoring.

ASI operates an inclusive approach to employment, with all candidates fairly considered. Malawi-based candidates are strongly preferred and women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Timing and Duration

The position is full time and is intended to start on 1st April 2025, with an initial duration of 12 months.   

Ready to Apply?

To apply, submit your CV and a covering letter by 28th February 2025.