About this role
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Grants Manager: Government & Institutional Funding
Role Title
Grants Manager: Government & Institutional Funding
Department
Conservation
Reports To
Direct Report: Director of Conservation
Indirect Report: Head of Fundraising, Chief Financial Officer
Accountable To (Governance): Space for Giants UK Board of Trustees, via the Director of Conservation
Location
Remote, based in South Africa (preferred), with regular virtual collaboration across UK and African country teams; occasional international travel required
Reporting Requirement
Submission of:
1. Bamboo Time sheet, to be signed off by Director of Conservation
2. Submission of Monthly Workplan documentation
Contract Basis
Part-time, fixed-term contract (consultancy or employed contract per local arrangement)
Term / Duration
12-month fixed-term contract, renewable subject to funding availability and performance
3. Role Overview
Space for Giants is an international conservation organization working to protect Africa's landscapes and iconic species, and to support the communities and economies that depend on them. The Grants Manager is responsible for managing Space for Giants UK's full portfolio of government, bilateral, multilateral and institutional grant funding, in support of the organization’s conservation, human-wildlife coexistence, wildlife crime and green economy programmes across Africa.
Working closely with the Director of Conservation and Head of Fundraising & Partnerships, Country Directors, programme teams and Finance, the post-holder leads on donor prospecting, proposal development, grant negotiation, award management, compliance and reporting for all government and institutional income. The role is offered on a part-time, fixed-term contract basis and may be based remotely from South Africa, reflecting Space for Giants distributed, Africa-facing team structure and the benefit of proximity to regional programme teams and time zones.
4. Scope of the Role
In Scope
• Identifying and researching new government, bilateral, multilateral and institutional grant opportunities aligned to Space for Giants' strategic priorities
• Leading the development, drafting, costing and submission of grant proposals, concept notes and budgets, in collaboration with programme and technical teams
• Negotiating grant agreements, memoranda of understanding and sub-award terms with government and institutional donors
• Managing the full grants lifecycle: award set-up, compliance monitoring, financial and narrative reporting, amendments, and close-out
• Maintaining an up-to-date grants pipeline, tracker and income forecast for institutional funding
• Ensuring compliance with donor-specific rules, regulations and reporting formats (for example, requirements typical of FCDO, USAID, EU, GIZ/BMZ, GEF, or Darwin Initiative-type funders -to be confirmed against Space for Giants' actual donor base)
• Coordinating with the Finance team to ensure accurate grant budgeting, expenditure tracking and financial reporting to donors
• Supporting donor due diligence exercises, audits and assessments as required
• Building and maintaining strong working relationships with institutional donor programme officers and representatives
• Briefing the Director of Fundraising & Partnerships and CEO on grants pipeline status, risks and upcoming deadlines
Out of Scope / Boundaries
• Major individual donor and philanthropic (high-net-worth) fundraising, which is managed by the Philanthropy team
• Corporate partnerships and sponsorship, which are managed by the Partnerships team
• Direct field or programme implementation, which is led by Country Programme teams
• Processing of financial transactions, payments and statutory accounts, which is managed by the Finance team
• Line management of programme delivery staff based in African country offices
5. Authority & Decision-Making
Decision Area / Authority & Approval Requirements
Grant proposal development & submission
Leads the development and submission of grant proposals. Proposals requiring senior management sign-off, including those above the applicable threshold or involving government-to-government agreements, require approval/sign-off from the Director of Conservation, Head of Fundraising, CFO and/or CEO, as applicable.
Grant budget preparation
Prepares and recommends grant budgets. All grant budgets must be reviewed and countersigned by the CFO before submission.
Donor compliance & reporting
Has full authority for day-to-day donor compliance and reporting. Material compliance breaches, significant risks or audit findings must be escalated to the CFO and Company Secretary.
Grant agreement / contract signature
Provides recommendations but has no authority to sign grant agreements or contracts. All agreements must be signed in accordance with Space for Giants’ signing policy by the Director of Conservation, CFO, CEO or Board Chair, as applicable.
Sub-grant or partner agreements
Reviews and recommends sub-grant or partner agreements. Approval is required from the Director of Conservation and, where applicable, the CEO or CFO based on the relevant approval threshold.
Donor relationship management
Serves as the primary relationship holder for institutional donors and manages routine donor engagement. The Director of Conservation and CEO may engage directly on strategic, sensitive or high-value donor relationships, as appropriate.
7. Key Relationship
Internal Stakeholders /External Stakeholders
Director of Conservation
Government and institutional donor programme officers (e.g. bilateral agencies, multilateral funds)
Director of Fundraising & Partnerships
Foundation and trust representatives providing institutional-scale grants
Finance Director / Finance team
Peer conservation NGOs on co-funded or consortium grants
Country Directors (Kenya, Gabon, and other African programme countries)
Independent auditors and donor compliance assessors
Programme Managers and technical leads
Legal or grants-management consultants, where engaged
Communications
TBD
8. Duration, Tenure & Time Commitment
Term Length
12 months, renewable subject to funding availability and performance
Maximum Tenure
No fixed maximum, renewal reviewed annually alongside institutional income needs
Time Commitment
8 hours per day
Location & Travel
Remote, based in South Africa; occasional travel to the UK and African programme countries required (indicatively 2–4 trips per year, donor and budget dependent)
9. Performance & Review Arrangements
Performance against this Terms of Reference will be reviewed quarterly by the Director of Conservation, with a formal annual review aligned to the organization’s appraisal cycle. Indicative performance measures include:
• Value and health of the institutional grants pipeline maintained against agreed targets
• Proportion of donor narrative and financial reports submitted on or before deadline
• Success rate of submitted proposals and quality of donor relationship feedback
• No unresolved compliance breaches or adverse audit findings arising from institutional grants
• Effective cross-team coordination with Programmes and Finance on grant delivery
10. Confidentiality & Conflict of Interests
The post-holder will have access to commercially and diplomatically sensitive donor information, unpublished proposals and financial data, and must handle this in line with Space for Giants' Confidentiality and Data Protection policies. Any actual or potential conflict of interest, including other paid grant-writing, consultancy or advisory work for organizations that fund or partner with Space for Giants, must be declared to the Director of Fundraising & Partnerships as soon as it arises.
Equality, Diversity & Equity
Space for Giants is committed to equal opportunity, fair treatment and a non-discriminatory recruitment process. Selection is based on merit, qualifications, skills, experience and suitability for the role, in accordance with applicable laws.
How to Apply
Please note that only online applications will be considered. If you meet the above qualifications, skills, and experience, please apply via the provided link.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis