Head of Post-Award Grant

Head of Post-Award Grants Department:
Finance / GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation Inc

Location:

Atlanta, GA – Full‑time, Permanent.

Hiring manager says:
This role is pivotal to safeguarding donor compliance and enabling the Foundation to scale. As we expand our grant portfolio and establish our European presence, we need a senior post‑award leader who can drive consistent, high‑quality grant financial management, strengthen controls, and coach our Post‑award Financial grant managers.

The Finance & Compliance team provides end‑to‑end stewardship of the Foundation’s donor‑funded portfolio, supporting programmes from award through closeout. Working across the US 501(c)(3) and the new Belgian AISBL, we partner closely with Programmes, Operations, Legal, and People & Culture to ensure robust financial management, strong internal controls, and timely, accurate donor reporting. The role will join the established Foundation Finance and Compliance team that includes 10 professionals located in Atlanta, India, London and Kenya.

It will also work closely with the Director of Strategic Development and the M4D Head of programmes located in London.

The Head of Post‑Award leads the financial management, compliance oversight ensuring the Foundation meets donor requirements throughout the grant lifecycle. This role provides leadership to the Post‑award (FBP) team, owns the post‑award operating model end to end, and acts as the senior point of accountability for the quality and timeliness of donor financial reporting, forecasts, and audit readiness.

• Leadership & Oversight
  • Lead and manage the Post‑Award Finance function, including Post‑award Managers.
  • Allocate portfolios based on donor complexity and workload.
  • Provide technical leadership on donor rules, allowable costs, and compliance requirements.
  • Act as the escalation point for donor‑related financial issues.
• Donor Financial Compliance (High‑Risk Donors in Particular)
  • Serve as the internal owner of financial rules for FCDO, SIDA, EU, GIZ, US Government, and other high‑risk donors.
  • Develop and maintain donor‑specific compliance guidance, templates, and checklists.
  • Ensure adherence to cost principles, budget categories, procurement requirements, exchange rate rules, and reporting formats.
  • Manage high‑risk grants.
• Post‑Award Financial Management
  • Oversee the financial management of all active grants from award to closeout.
  • Review and approve donor financial reports before submission to donors or coalitions.
  • Lead quarterly Budget vs Actual reviews with the Head of Program and Post‑award managers.
  • Ensure correct grant set‑up in Workday (worktags, budgets, reporting structures).
  • Develop templates (budgets/forecasts/recons/life‑of‑grant) and dashboards; ensure staff cost allocation integrity.
  • Coordinate with the Accounting team on general ledger structures, reconciliations, and restricted income recognition.
• Governance, Controls & Audit Readiness
  • Define, implement and maintain strong internal controls for grant financial management.
  • Oversee document retention standards, audit trails, and financial compliance files.
  • Lead preparation for donor audits (FCDO, SIDA, Gates, etc.) and coordinate with auditors.
  • Ensure consistent application of GSMA and donors policies across US and Belgium entities.
• Partnership with Subgrant Compliance Team
  • Work closely with the Head of Subgrant Compliance to ensure alignment between subgrant monitoring, expenditure verification, fund disbursement schedules, and sub‑recipient reporting deadlines.
  • Ensure sub‑grant financial data is incorporated accurately into donor reports.
  • Support the integration of risk‑based approaches for Innovation Fund partners.
• Capacity‑Building & Continuous Improvement
  • Coach and develop Post‑award team to reach donor‑compliance expertise.
  • Lead training for Programme teams on budgeting, reporting, procurement requirements, and cost eligibility.
  • Improve operational efficiency through standard templates, dashboards, and automated workflows.
  • Lead optimization/automation of processes and improvements of Workday to enhance grant financial management.

• Establish a…