Interested candidates should send an e-mail with the subject line ‘Coordinator - Grant Management’ and attach their CV and a cover letter describing their interest in and qualifications for this position to the Country Director, WCS Bangladesh (e-mail: wcsbangladesh@wcs.org). Please submit your application by 31 August 2025.
Position: Coordinator - Grant Management
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Position Type: Full Time
Organization Background:
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), established in the United States in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, is a US-based, private, nonprofit conservation organization that saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. With long-term presence in about 50 countries and experience helping to establish, expand or manage over 550 protected areas across the globe, WCS applies its biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and partner governments, that knowledge is applied to address threats to species, habitats, ecosystem services, and issues critical to improving the quality of life of local people. WCS has identified a global portfolio of Nature’s Strongholds, representing landscapes and seascapes with exceptional biodiversity and the highest ecosystem integrity.
Bangladesh Program Overview:
WCS has been actively engaged in Bangladesh since 2004, aiming to save wildlife and wild places through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. We currently have Terrestrial and Marine Conservation Programs that are supported through Educational Outreach and Finance Programs. WCS Bangladesh works closely with government and community partners to advance science-based and community-informed marine conservation solutions that optimize the protection of threatened marine wildlife and their priority habitats and sustain coastal fisheries and livelihoods.
Job Purpose Summary:
The primary objective of this position is to establish an efficient grant management system for the WCS Bangladesh Program. The Grant Officer will ensure the quality of grant management throughout the entire grant lifecycle, from inception to closeout. This role involves maintaining effective coordination and communication with both the WCS Bangladesh Technical Programmatic Teams (Marine and Terrestrial) and the Operational Teams (Finance, Admin, and Human Resources) in the Dhaka and Khulna offices. The Grant Management Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring compliance with internal WCS policies, national legal requirements, and donor requirements, as well as overseeing procurement and asset management.
The Grant Management Coordinator will maintain coordination and consultation with the WCS Bangladesh Country Director, Finance Manager, and the Regional Grants Manager to ensure donor compliance.
Major Responsibilities:
The key responsibilities of a Grant Management Coordinator at WCS Bangladesh focus on the coordination of Technical teams (marine and terrestrial conservation programs) across various operational teams (Finance, Admin, Procurement and HR). The role involves overseeing the entire grant lifecycle from inception to closure, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, and maintaining accurate documentation for audits. Additionally, the CGM should focus on improving grant compliance procedures, sharing relevant information among team members, supporting audit processes, and representing WCS to partners and donors. However, the detailed responsibilities of this position are as follows:
1. Grant Coordination and Lifecycle Management
- Coordinate among WCS Bangladesh’s Marine and Terrestrial Conservation Programs and Operational Teams (Finance, Admin, Human Resources, and Procurement) in Dhaka and Khulna offices, as well as grant partners, to ensure effective grant management from inception to closure.
- Lead grant kick-off, implementation, and close-out meetings to ensure a smooth and systematic transition through each stage of the grant lifecycle.
- Ensure comprehensive review and proper execution of all grant-related agreements, amendments, and documents, securing necessary approvals from relevant departments and authorized signatories.
2. Donor Compliance
- Align donor compliance requirements with WCS global and country program policies and procedures, proposing improvements where necessary.
- Disseminate compliance information across teams and build their capacity to adhere to donor and WCS internal policies.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of donor regulations and ensure relevant updates are incorporated into country-level compliance protocols.
- Lead the review and revision of WCS Bangladesh policies and procedures related to grant compliance.
3. Grants Database and Audit Support
- Develop and oversee an adequate grant documentation and filing system to support audit and compliance monitoring.
- Maintain and regularly update a central database of technical and financial proposals, grant agreements, project work plans, budgets, contracts, donor-specific regulations, and reports.
- Share updated grant-related information with relevant staff to facilitate cross-team coordination and collaboration.
- Support internal and external audits by ensuring all required documentation and records are available and well-organized.
- Follow up on and facilitate the implementation of audit recommendations in collaboration with Finance, Admin, and Program teams.
4. Budget Development and Monitoring
- Prepare quarterly grant expenditure forecasts in collaboration with the Technical and Finance teams to ensure alignment with activity work plans.
- Analyze actual expenditures versus budgets on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis by grant/project.
- Work closely with Finance and Program teams to support budget development, modifications, and realignments in response to programmatic needs.
- Contribute to the development of budgets for new proposals and annual operating budgets in line with donor and internal financial guidelines.
5. Proposal Development and Donor Reporting
- Support Program Manager in proposal development process by ensuring donor requirements are met throughout the process.
- Coordinate with all teams to define roles, timelines, compliance requirements, and monitor progress during proposal preparation.
- Review and analyze quarterly financial reports (“Expense Projections vs. Actuals”) and align them with programmatic progress and reporting.
- Ensure all donor communication, reporting, and administrative obligations are fulfilled accurately and on time.
- Liaise with the Finance team to resolve programmatic budget to actual variances, ensuring prompt resolution.
6. Procurement Compliance
- Coordinate with Procurement staff and Program Managers to develop and track grant-specific Procurement Plans.
- Oversee procurement activities to ensure compliance with donor and WCS procurement policies, prioritizing the stricter requirements.
- Ensure due diligence processes (e.g., vendor screening against the US Bridger Insight list, anti-terrorism, and anti-corruption protocols) are followed in all procurement activities.
7. Representation
- Represent WCS Bangladesh in meetings with donors and partners, as required.
- Perform other tasks as assigned by the Country Director in support of grant management and program delivery.
Minimum Requirements:
- Minimum Masters Degree in Accounting / Finance, administrative or relevant fields
- Minimum 5 years of successful experience working in similar positions with international organizations and/or NGOs
- Extensive knowledge and experience in computer-based financial systems and those in the SAP system.
- Extensive knowledge in the policies, rules, regulations, safeguards and cultures of common donors – such as Blue Action Fund, World Bank, INL, DEFRA, GIZ, EU, Ocean5, etc.
- Good skills in the English language.
- Strong leadership skills, including visionary, pragmatic, analytical, innovative, flexible, system thinking, mentoring and executing skills.
- Strong communication skills, including careful listening, synthesizing and analyzing, empathizing, mediating and negotiating, problem solving and consensus building skills.
- Strong multi-task management and time management capacities to meet all priorities and deadlines.
- Bearing an honest, integrity, humorous, optimistic, cooperative, patient, tolerant and perseverant personality.
Salary: Per months BDT. 80,000-120,000
Compensation and Benefits: Phone Bill, Insurance, 2 Festival Bonus and Yearly Salary Review.
Declaration:
WCS is an equal opportunity employer and the organization complies with all employment and labour laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on age, colour, disability, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by laws and regulations.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next step.