Grants, Partnership & Transition Manager

Job Description

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL  

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT  

The America First Global Health Security (AFGHS) project, funded by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), aims to  strengthen maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCH+N), malaria, supply chain, and global health security  systems in Sierra Leone by building on investments under MCGL, RISE, and the Global Health Supply Chain Program.  Jhpiego seeks a Grants, Partnership and transition Manager to lead the coordination and implementation of sub award  grants and transition of project activities, working closely with government counterparts, district teams, and partners  to ensure timely delivery of results, achievement of project milestones, effective  

We are currently looking for suitable candidates to fill the following position:  

Grants, Partnership & Transition Manager 

Project: America First Global Health Security Project (AFGHS) 

Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone 

Reports to: Country Director / Chief of Party 

Supervises: Grants & Partnerships Team, Sub-award Officers 

1. Position Overview 

The Grants, Partnership & Transition Manager will provide strategic leadership for AFGHS grants and sub-awards, local  partnerships, localization, and transition and sustainability. The Manager will oversee the full sub-award lifecycle while  strengthening the institutional and operational capacity of local partners and supporting the progressive transition of  project-supported functions, systems, tools, and approaches to the Ministry of Health (MoH), District Health  Management Teams (DHMTs), health facilities, and other appropriate local institutions. The role will work across  Technical, MEL, Finance, Operations, and Compliance teams to ensure that partnerships and grants contribute directly  to AFGHS results and leave sustainable local capacity and systems.  

The Grants, Partnership & Transition Manager will lead the grants management, partnership development, and  transition/sustainability agenda for AFGHS. The position is responsible for the full grant’s lifecycle – from solicitation,  pre-award assessment, award, implementation, compliance, to close-out and transition of sub-awardees. 

The role ensures that local partners, including NGOs, FBOs, district health entities, and private sector partners, are  capacitated to lead, manage, and sustain health security interventions in alignment with donor requirements, MoH 

Address:  

1 Sonia Drive Signal Hill – Back Off City Supermarket Freetown Sierra Leone. 

priorities, and the localization agenda. The Manager serves as the key liaison between technical, finance, compliance,  and program teams to ensure efficient and compliant sub-granting. 

2. Key Duties and Responsibilities 
3. Grants Management & Compliance (35%) 

• Lead and manage the full sub-award lifecycle, including partner solicitation and selection, pre-award  assessment, negotiation, award, implementation monitoring, modification, closeout, and transition.  • Develop and maintain grants management procedures, templates, trackers, and documentation consistent  with applicable donor requirements and Jhpiego policies.  
• Coordinate technical, programmatic, financial, procurement, and compliance reviews of partner workplans,  budgets, deliverables, invoices, and expenditures.  
• Establish risk-based monitoring and oversight mechanisms for sub-awardees, including risk registers,  compliance reviews, site monitoring, corrective actions, and follow-up.  
• Work with technical and MEL teams to ensure partner agreements contain clear deliverables, milestones,  indicators, timelines, and reporting requirements aligned with AFGHS results.  
• Monitor partner performance, expenditure, deliverables, and compliance, escalating implementation or  fiduciary risks and coordinating corrective actions.  
• Ensure complete, accurate, audit-ready documentation throughout the sub-award lifecycle. 

1. Partnership Development & Capacity Strengthening (30%) 

• Lead mapping, due diligence, selection, onboarding, and relationship management of local NGOs, FBOs,  government entities, community organizations, and other strategic partners.  
• Lead organizational and institutional capacity assessments and translate findings into time-bound capacity strengthening and institutional improvement plans.  
• Coordinate tailored capacity strengthening in governance, financial management, procurement, compliance,  MEL, program management, safeguarding, HR, and organizational systems according to identified needs.  • Establish mechanisms to periodically assess improvements in partner capacity and readiness to assume  increased technical, operational, and financial responsibility.  
• Facilitate joint planning, performance reviews, mentorship, peer learning, and problem-solving between  Jhpiego, government, and local partners.  
• Promote equitable partnerships that increasingly position Sierra Leonean institutions to lead implementation  and sustain results beyond external project support. 

1. Transition & Sustainability / Localization (25%) 

• Lead development, implementation, and periodic review of the AFGHS Transition and Sustainability  Plan/Localization Roadmap. 

Address:  

1 Sonia Drive Signal Hill – Back Off City Supermarket Freetown Sierra Leone. 

• Work with MoH, DHMTs, health facilities, and local partners to define transition milestones, institutional  ownership, readiness criteria, timelines, and responsibilities for functions intended for local ownership.  • Develop and maintain a transition-readiness dashboard/tracker, identifying functions that are ready for  transition, those requiring additional strengthening, and associated risks and mitigation actions.  • Ensure transition planning is embedded within technical workplans rather than implemented as a stand-alone  closeout activity.  
• Coordinate the progressive transfer and institutionalization of relevant knowledge, systems, tools, processes,  assets, and implementation responsibilities within existing government and local structures.  • Work with Technical and MEL teams to identify measurable sustainability and transition indicators and  routinely review progress.  
• Support sustainability of the project’s hub-and-spoke approaches through strengthened local management,  supervision, quality improvement, referral, learning, and accountability mechanisms.  
• Identify recurrent costs, capacity gaps, policy or system barriers, and other factors that may undermine  continuation of project-supported interventions and facilitate mitigation planning with relevant teams and  government counterparts.  
• Capture and disseminate lessons, promising practices, and evidence from localization and transition to inform  adaptive management and future programming. 

1. Leadership, Coordination & Representation (10%) 

• Supervise, mentor, and build capacity of Grants and Partnership Officers 
• Serve as grants & partnerships focal point in senior management and technical meetings • Represent AFGHS in grants/partnership-related meetings with DoS, MoH, and implementing partners • Work with Technical, MEL, and Finance teams to ensure programmatic and financial alignment • Support new business development through partner identification and local partner cost inputs • Perform other duties as assigned by COP 

3. Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience 

Education 

Master’s degree in business administration, Finance, Public Health, Development Studies, or related field. Bachelor’s  degree with 5+ years’ relevant experience may be considered. 

Experience 

• Minimum 4 years of progressive experience in grants management, sub-awards, and partnerships on donor funded projects

Address:  

1 Sonia Drive Signal Hill – Back Off City Supermarket Freetown Sierra Leone. 

• Extensive knowledge of USG funding regulations, particularly USAID/Department of State rules • Proven experience managing complex sub-grant portfolios (>10 sub-awardees) 
• Demonstrated experience in organizational capacity strengthening and localization/transition programming • Experience working with MoH, district health systems, and local NGOs in Sierra Leone 
• Experience with MNCH, Global Health Security, or health systems strengthening programs is a strong  advantage 

Skills & Competencies 

• Strong financial analysis, budgeting, and compliance monitoring skills 
• Excellent understanding of partnership principles and participatory approaches 
• Demonstrated leadership, team building, and mentoring skills 
• Excellent written and oral communication and negotiation skills in English 
• Proficiency in MS Office, grant management systems, and data visualization 
• Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and work under pressure 
• Willingness to travel up to 40% to districts 
• Commitment to locally lead development and sustainability 

Jhpiego Core Competencies 

• Data-driven and results-oriented 
• Collaborative leader with strong stakeholder management 
• High integrity and accountability 
• Ability to translate theory into practical action

Address:  

1 Sonia Drive Signal Hill – Back Off City Supermarket Freetown Sierra Leone. 

  How to Apply: 

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and application letter to Bettina.Sesay@jhpiego.org Please clearly state the position you are applying for in the subject line of your email.  Applications that do not clearly indicate the position applied for in the subject line will not be considered. 

The deadline for the submission of applications is November 10, 2026. 

Please note that due to the sheer volume of applications often received, only shortlisted candidates will  receive responses and applications are screened on a rolling basis. 

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer 

 Address:  1 Sonia Drive Signal Hill – Back Off City Supermarket Freetown Sierra Leone.