About This Role
This is a donor-facing accountability role at a national NGO that runs humanitarian and development programming in Ethiopia's most operationally difficult regions. Nexus Ethiopia works across the humanitarian-development-peace spectrum, which means the grants portfolio likely mixes emergency response funding with longer-term resilience grants — each with different reporting rules, timelines, and audit expectations. The officer sits between program teams in the field and the Finance Manager, translating field realities into donor-compliant reporting. It suits someone who understands both the paperwork and the pressure of implementing in Afar's drought- and displacement-affected woredas.
What the Requirements Say About This Role
The five-to-eight-year seniority band signals this is not a training role — the employer needs someone who has already managed donor compliance cycles end to end and can work without hand-holding. Expect the profile being sought to combine grants management experience with direct exposure to institutional donors (such as USAID, ECHO, or UN agencies), since inconsistent donor rules are the core complexity of the job. The emphasis on regular field travel implies they want someone who verifies rather than assumes — a compliance officer who has seen how field spending actually happens, not just how it is reported in Addis. Experience with local partners or sub-grantee monitoring is likely a quiet differentiator, given the organization's localization agenda.
How to Approach This Application
Your application should lead with specific grants you have managed — donor name, budget size, and what compliance problem you solved — rather than general statements about attention to detail. Because the role reports to the Finance Manager, frame yourself as a bridge between finance and programs: show you can speak both languages and catch discrepancies before auditors do. If you have worked in Afar, Somali, or other low-infrastructure regions, make that explicit; field credibility matters here and will separate you from candidates with only head-office experience. Tailor your CV to highlight audit outcomes, donor reporting timeliness, and any sub-grantee capacity-building you have done.
Who This Role Suits
Best suited to a mid-to-senior finance or grants professional with NGO experience and genuine willingness to travel regularly to remote field sites. Competition is likely moderate — the seniority and travel requirements narrow the pool, but the one-year contract may deter some strong candidates, creating an opening for those ready to start quickly.
GRANTS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER
Duty Station: Addis Ababa, with regular field travel
Reports to: Finance Manager
Employment Type: Full-time
No of vacant post: One
Contract Duration: One year
Deadline: October 18, 2026
Organizational Overview
Nexus Ethiopia is a national Ethiopian Civil Society Organization committed to strengthening the resilience of vulnerable and crisis-affected communities through integrated Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) Nexus programming, localization, partnership, and locally led humanitarian action.
Nexus Ethiopia, in partnership with other humanitarian actors, is implementing project entitled Integrated Lifesaving Humanitarian Response for Drought, Flood and Displacement-Affected Communities in Afambo and Amibara Woredas, Afar Region.
Project Background
The project is a multisectoral humanitarian response designed to provide lifesaving assistance and protection to drought-, flood- and displacement-affected communities in Afar Region. Nexus Ethiopia is responsible for implementing the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) and Multi-Purpose Cash (MPC) components, while two sub-implementing partners under Nexus Ethiopia are responsible for other thematic sectors of the response.
To strengthen the project team and ensure effective, accountable and timely implementation, Nexus Ethiopia invites qualified, experienced and committed Ethiopian professionals to apply for this position.
Key Responsibilities
- Support effective management of project grants, compliance and reporting requirements.
- Ensure project implementation is consistent with the approved donor proposal, logframe, budget and contractual requirements.
- Track grant deliverables, reporting deadlines, milestones and compliance requirements.
- Maintain an updated grant compliance tracker and project documentation.
- Review project documentation and reports for completeness, consistency and compliance.
- Support preparation and quality assurance of donor reports, including narrative and financial reporting inputs.
- Monitor compliance of sub-implementing partners with contractual, financial and programme requirements.
- Support partner monitoring, capacity assessment and compliance follow-up.
- Review partner reports, supporting documents and deliverables and identify gaps requiring corrective action.
- Maintain an organized grant and project documentation system.
- Support audits, donor reviews, monitoring visits and compliance assessments.
- Track and document project risks, issues and management actions.
- Ensure compliance with donor visibility, accountability, safeguarding and reporting requirements.
- Contribute to proposal development, amendments, budget revisions and other grant-management processes as required.
- Follow up and support Sub IPs of the project
- Prepare financial project documents for periodic reviews and audit
Required Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Development Studies, Project Management, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Law, International Relations or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in grants management, compliance, programme quality or project management.
- Demonstrated experience with donor-funded humanitarian or development projects and audit experience is required
- Strong understanding of donor compliance, reporting and documentation requirements.
- Experience with EHF/OCHA-funded projects is highly desirable.
- Experience managing or monitoring sub-grantees/sub-implementing partners is an advantage.
- Excellent analytical, writing, communication and organizational skills.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
- Excellent English writing and communication skills.
How To Apply
Interested and qualified applicants are invited to complete the application form using the following link https://forms.gle/D2qodw4xLQptYTD57 and upload their CV and cover letter as instructed in the application form. Applications submitted through any other method will not be considered.
Please note:
Upload your CV and cover letter using the following file naming convention:
CV: (e.g., [First Name] [Last Name] – CV)
Cover Letter: (e.g., [First Name] [Last Name] – Application Letter)
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a written examination and/or interview.
Applicants must clearly indicate the job title in their cover letter.
Female candidates and individuals from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Related jobs
More openings in a similar category on Kedamijobs.
-
Senior Humanitarian Programs Manager
FH Ethiopia
-
Ethiopia Government Relations Officer
Village Enterprise
-
Technical Site Coordinator (Maternity Cover)
HELVETAS Ethiopia
Discover More Jobs
View Other JobsApply for this Job
GRANTS AND COMPLIANCE OFFICER
Nexus Ethiopia
