Project Officer, Grants & Operations (DRC)

Project Officer, Grants & Operations (DRC)

About the Project

The Partnerships for Forests (P4F) Component 3 Programme aims to support the development of the capacity and market systems required to enable rural communities and national economies to benefit from a sustainable forest and land-use economy. The programme’s main intervention areas are:

• Working closely with local organisations and communities to enable them to benefit from investment in sustainable land-use sectors.
• Supporting businesses and entrepreneurs to trial new approaches and build capacity in sustainable land-use practices.
• Strengthening the capacity of public bodies, financial institutions, companies, business associations and other actors to support people to benefit from sustainable land-use activities, including community-based forest management.

The project operates across four countries: DRC, Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Gabon.

The Position

P4F Component 3 is looking for a Project Officer, Grants & Operations to provide day-to-day grants administration, compliance, contracting, financial tracking and operational coordination for the DRC portfolio. The post holder will help projects progress efficiently through development, approval, contracting, implementation, reporting, amendment and close-out, while maintaining complete and audit-ready records.

This is primarily a grants and programme operations role with complementary project management responsibilities. It is not primarily a technical advisory, research, monitoring and evaluation, or project origination position, although the post holder will coordinate closely with colleagues working in those areas.

The role is offered full-time at 40 hours per week and is based in the Kinshasa office. Regular travel within DRC may be required. Flexible working arrangements will be applied in line with Palladium policy and programme requirements.

Position Grade: Analyst

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support grant and technical assistance processes from initial screening and due diligence through contracting, implementation, amendments and close-out.
• Coordinate due diligence questionnaires and supporting evidence, track outstanding items, maintain approval records and escalate gaps or risks promptly.
• Check grant documentation for completeness, internal consistency and alignment with programme procedures, donor requirements and Palladium policies before review or approval.
• Maintain accurate grant files, trackers, approval logs, risk records and records of decisions in designated programme systems and SharePoint.
• Support grantee onboarding and provide practical guidance on contractual obligations, eligible expenditure, procurement, downstream partner due diligence, reporting and record-keeping requirements.
• Track compliance actions, conditions precedent, audit recommendations and agreed mitigation measures through to closure.
• Coordinate the preparation, review, signature and filing of grant agreements, task orders, service contracts, amendments and related documentation.
• Support procurement processes by preparing documentation, maintaining evaluation and approval records, undertaking completeness checks and coordinating required reviews.
• Liaise with Palladium Finance, Contracts, Procurement, Compliance, HR and other corporate functions to obtain timely inputs, clearances and approvals.
• Maintain project-level budget, commitment, expenditure, forecast, payment and disbursement trackers, working closely with the programme finance team.
• Support review of grantee budgets, financial reports, forecasts, invoices, supporting evidence and payment requests, escalating discrepancies or compliance concerns.
• Monitor reporting schedules and coordinate the timely submission, review, approval and filing of financial and narrative reports.
• Provide accurate grants and operational information for programme forecasts, management reporting, donor reports, audits and portfolio reviews.
• Maintain project workplans, milestone trackers and action logs, and follow up with responsible colleagues to support timely delivery.
• Coordinate meetings with grantees, partners and internal teams, including preparing papers, recording decisions and actions, and monitoring follow-up.
• Act as an organised point of contact for routine grantee and stakeholder queries, providing clear updates and escalating issues when required.
• Support monitoring visits and maintain records of findings, follow-up actions and evidence of completion.
• Maintain project risk and issue records, support periodic reviews and escalate material, overdue or cross-cutting issues in line with programme arrangements.
• Apply consistent document control, naming conventions, version management and filing practices to maintain complete and audit-ready records.
• Prepare concise correspondence, briefing notes, presentations and project documentation in French and English, and contribute to continuous improvement of grants and operational tools and processes.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an organised and delivery-focused grants and operations professional who combines strong compliance discipline with practical project administration skills. The candidate should be comfortable working with detailed documentation, budgets and deadlines, and coordinating constructively with grantees, programme colleagues and Palladium corporate functions.
The Ideal Candidate Has the Following Skills and Attitudes:

• Takes ownership of administrative and grants processes and follows actions through to completion.
• Works accurately and systematically, with strong attention to detail and document control.
• Applies sound judgement and escalates compliance, contractual, financial or delivery issues appropriately.
• Communicates requirements clearly and maintains constructive relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Is service-oriented while maintaining appropriate controls and accountability.
• Is adaptable, solutions-focused and comfortable managing competing priorities in a changing programme environment.
• Handles sensitive information responsibly and demonstrates integrity.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience supporting grants, subgrants, contracts or programme operations within a donor-funded programme, international development organisation, NGO or comparable environment.
• Practical experience of grant administration or compliance processes, including due diligence, contracting, procurement, financial tracking, reporting and document management.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and trackers, review supporting documentation carefully, identify gaps and follow actions through to completion.
• Experience coordinating across programme delivery teams and corporate functions such as finance, contracts, procurement, compliance and HR.
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyse budgets, forecasts, expenditure reports or payment documentation.
• Advanced Microsoft Office user, including strong working knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and SharePoint.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage competing deadlines in a structured and reliable manner.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in French and English.
• Right to work in the DRC and willingness to be based in Kinshasa.

Desirable

• Experience working on an FCDO-funded or other bilateral or multilateral donor-funded programme.
• Knowledge of DRC institutional, private-sector and civil-society stakeholders and the local operating environment.
• Experience supporting grants to local organisations, private-sector partners or community-based organisations.
• Experience using grant management systems or supporting audits and risk-management processes.
• Experience with, or interest in, environmental programmes and sustainable forest and land-use initiatives.

Company Overview

About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.

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 due to a disability, neurodivergence or 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 Palladium’s safeguarding requirements and recruitment checks.