Asia Regional Grants Manager

About Palladium

Palladium is recruiting for an experienced Grants Manager with a passion for building regional linkages in Southeast Asia to enable accelerated carbon reductions to join our UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) team for the ASEAN Green Transition Fund (GTF) as well as UK PACT wider bilateral work in the Asian countries of India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia.  

UK PACT is a complex, multi-country and multi-sector programme, which delivers impact through a combination of grant funding for longer-term capacity-building projects and the rapid mobilisation of short-term expertise for targeted skills and knowledge transfer. 
Designed by the UK Government’s Mission to ASEAN as part of a new set of regional ASEAN-UK programmes, the GTF aims to support the climate element of the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action and deliver on UK commitments as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner. The fund aims to provide technical assistance to ASEAN (institutions and members) on climate mitigation and is delivered via the UK PACT platform which aims to improve the effectiveness of key institutions (public, private and civil society) in partner countries so that they can deliver accelerated emission reductions and raise the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets. Specifically, the programme will deliver the following results:  

An increase in the capacity and capability of partner institutions (regional, national, sub-national and civil society) to deliver enhanced and accelerated climate actions; and 
An increase in regional and in-country buy-in to urgently facilitate low-carbon development. 

Purpose of the position 

Supporting Palladium ASEAN GTF and UK PACT Asia Regional team, the Regional Grants Manager is responsible for delivery of the ASEAN GTF grant mechanism, and Asia UK PACT grant funding mechanisms, as well as monitoring and coordination of grantees, building upon and refining existing UK PACT grant procedures. They will manage the implementation of the UK PACT grants management framework, ensuring programme level guidance and tools are adapted and applied appropriately at the country (and regional) fund level. The role holder will work very closely and coordinate with the UK Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, as well as the relevant teams in British High Commission and Embassy teams in post in all Southeast Asian countries to support pipeline development and grant management of projects.  

This will involve facilitating grants strategy testing and refinement sessions together with Palladium UK PACT central grants team; ensuring that country and fund grants systems generate measurable results and impact that feed into programme level reporting; ensuring timely and high-quality reporting from each country fund; supporting learning and adaptation processes for decision making; and providing backstopping support to country teams. 

The position is ideally based in Indonesia, though we are open to candidates with strong relevant expertise to be based in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam. 

Reporting Lines: 

The position will report primarily to the UK PACT Asia Regional Lead for delivery; and the Senior Management Team for programme alignment. 

Primary responsibilities  

Specifically, the Asia Regional Grants Manager will: 

Lead on all grant management process for the region, ensuring high quality grant design, implementation and reporting; 
Provide strategic inputs to the set-up of the UK PACT programme grants system in line with Palladium central grants team and procedures;  Support Country Fund Managers with Call for Proposals, in collaboration with embassy teams, the Palladium team in the UK and the FCDO lead; Ensure that all aspects of the regional grant management are fully compliant with UK Government codes of conduct and good practice; Approve all budget, due diligence, grants agreements and reporting for the region; Undertake ad-hoc troubleshooting assistance to regional countries as required; Ensure country teams, including country fund managers, have the necessary training and tools to ensure project-level compliance;Lead in establishing harmonised systems for reporting and documentation for grantees in the region (including risk management) in line with Palladium central grants team and procedures; Identify, manage and monitor strategic and operational risks associated with grant processes and disbursements; Assist with the monitoring of grants at contractual and programmatic levels, working alongside the programme technical, MEL and communications teams; Manage regional grants staff to support on all aspects of Grants Management; Oversee the monitoring of project expenditures, preparation of budget analytic documents and expenditure forecasts, grant amendments, the preparation of financial reports, and support for project internal and external audits; Undertake regional travel within ASEAN and UK PACT Asia countries to support/mentor/troubleshoot and/or to carry out the implementation of grant activities with country teams or project partners, where necessary; Manage and support the professional development of grant support staff, associates and analysts; Deliver or support training and capacity development as required in grant management; and Act as ‘on-the-ground' liaison for Palladium affirming and implementing the FCDO strategy for the ASEAN GTF, specifically, overseeing day-to-day activities from stakeholder engagement and providing key contextual insights and overseeing the ongoing portfolio of grants in the region.  

Person Specification 

Strong regional stakeholder management skills with proven ability to engage with and manage donor client formal reporting and ad-hoc requests  Strong knowledge and experience in managing grants mechanisms for FCDO or other International Donors  Good programme and grant management skills, with a proven track record of managing a complex portfolio of grantees in various sectors. Demonstrated ability to build networks and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders at different levels of seniority;Good knowledge and understanding of the regional political economy and business operating context in ASEAN, including socio-economic context and development challenges and priorities Excellent organisational, inter-personal administration and communication skills; An ability to see both the big (strategic) picture, identifying opportunities for innovation and value addition, as well as keeping alert to project delivery risks; Professional fluency in English; A high degree of personal resilience, flexibility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances; Highly collaborative and committed to close working and open communication with colleagues in post and in the UK, and other partners;  Commitment to neutrality in all dealings with stakeholders, including political stakeholders, to build trusted relationships and ensure maximum effectiveness of the programme

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.   

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made during the recruitment process (due to disability, neurodiversity, or for any other circumstance), please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.  

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.