Rescue.co is a technology driven emergency response platform that connects people in crisis with the fastest available medical, security, air evacuation, and roadside assistance across East Africa. The organization systems and partner network are engineered for speed and reliability, enabling responders to reach incidents quickly while maintaining rigorous operational standards. To strengthen donor funded delivery and internal controls, Rescue.co is recruiting a Grants & Compliance Manager based in Nairobi, Kenya.
This rewrite provides a clear overview of the role, the skills required, how the post fits within the Partnerships, Finance, and Operations teams, and practical tips for submitting a standout application.
Quick Summary Table
Item |
Details |
|---|---|
Organization |
Rescue.co |
Role |
Grants & Compliance Manager |
Location |
Nairobi, Kenya |
Reports to |
Director of Partnerships |
Core purpose |
Oversee donor funded portfolios, ensure contract compliance, coordinate cross functional delivery, and elevate reporting quality |
Focus areas |
Compliance frameworks, financial oversight, grants tracking, donor reporting, proposal support |
Contract type |
Full time |
Application materials |
One page PDF CV highlighting relevant experience |
Application portal |
Rescue.co careers portal |
Official website |
About Rescue.co
Rescue.co builds and operates dispatch and coordination technology for life saving services. Through a growing network of ambulance providers, security partners, air evacuation teams, and roadside responders, the organization enables faster response and better outcomes during critical events. The work environment is mission focused and fast paced. Team members are expected to think clearly under pressure, communicate precisely, and deliver against time sensitive priorities.
Role Purpose and Impact
The Grants & Compliance Manager is the organizational bridge between Partnerships, Finance, and Operations. The role ensures that donor requirements are translated into practical delivery plans, that financial and narrative reporting are aligned, and that internal teams understand and follow compliance expectations. Success in this position looks like clean audits, on time donor reporting, strong burn rate management, low variance between plans and actuals, and well organized documentation that stands up to external review.
Key Responsibilities
Grant compliance and financial oversight
- Interpret and communicate donor rules across procurement, branding, safeguarding, and audit readiness.
- Lead the preparation of donor financial reports, ensuring consistency with narrative deliverables.
- Monitor budgets and burn rates with Finance and project leads. Conduct variance analysis, explain drivers, and recommend corrective actions.
- Support budget realignments, extensions, no cost modifications, and other grant changes.
- Maintain the organization compliance framework and deliver refresher training to teams.
Grant management and donor coordination
- Maintain a portfolio level tracker with deliverables, deadlines, reporting status, and compliance flags.
- Consolidate inputs for donor reporting and shepherd reviews to on time submission.
- Serve as the primary liaison with donor counterparts on compliance and reporting.
- Coordinate external audits and due diligence processes with complete documentation.
Project coordination and internal systems
- Track implementation milestones and highlight risks early with proposed mitigations.
- Convene quarterly portfolio reviews and record follow up actions to closure.
- Strengthen version control, filing standards, and institutional memory.
- Feed donor feedback into continuous improvement for reporting and delivery processes.
Proposal development
- Lead or support concept notes, budgets, and full proposals.
- Coordinate multi department inputs to ensure technical soundness and financial accuracy.
- Maintain a repository of donor templates, boilerplate, credentials, and standard attachments.
Candidate Profile
You are meticulous, structured, and calm under time pressure. You are as comfortable debugging a budget variance as you are coordinating field and technical inputs for a donor report. You value clarity and documentation, and you have the interpersonal range to collaborate across finance, operations, and external partners.
Basic requirements
- Bachelor or Master degree in finance, project management, development, or a related field.
- Minimum five years managing grants and compliance in humanitarian, health, emergency response, or development organizations.
- Strong knowledge of donor regulations relevant to foundations and institutional funders.
- Proven history managing multi project portfolios and synchronized reporting cycles.
- Advanced Excel skills for forecasting, variance analysis, and portfolio consolidation.
- Excellent writing and coordination skills, with clear stakeholder communication.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience in emergency response, health systems, or humanitarian programming.
- Track record building or improving grant management systems and compliance tools.
- Evidence of improving donor reporting quality and on time delivery.
- Ability to work independently while aligning stakeholders across functions.
Why This Role Matters
Every minute counts in emergency response. Donor confidence depends on accurate reporting, clean compliance, and visible impact. The Grants & Compliance Manager ensures Rescue.co resources are well managed, auditable, and strategically aligned with outcomes that save lives. Your work translates directly into more reliable operations for patients and communities.
How to Apply
- Prepare a one page PDF CV focused on the most relevant experience. Applications longer than one page will not be considered.
- Submit via the Rescue.co careers portal.
- Ensure your CV highlights results such as on time audit closures, portfolio budget accuracy, percentage on time reports, and system improvements you led.
- Keep your file name clear and professional.
- Only apply through the official portal. Do not send applications to third party platforms or informal contacts.
Note: Rescue.co is an equal opportunity employer. The organization values diversity and builds inclusive teams.
How to Stand Out
- Quantify your impact. For example: improved on time reporting from 70 percent to 98 percent, reduced budget variance below 5 percent, or closed three audits with zero findings.
- Show cross functional leadership. Describe how you aligned finance, field, and technical teams under tight deadlines.
- Demonstrate systems thinking. Include examples of trackers, budget models, or SOPs you built and rolled out successfully.
- Highlight donor fluency. Summarize the donor ecosystems you have worked with and the requirements you navigated.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is the position based in Nairobi
Yes. The role is Nairobi based with cross functional collaboration across teams.
2. What kind of donors fund Rescue.co projects
Rescue.co works with foundations and other funding bodies. The role requires strong familiarity with donor rules, reporting formats, and audit expectations.
3. What tools will I use day to day
Advanced Excel for portfolio management, standard office productivity tools, and internal grants tracking systems. Familiarity with lightweight project management platforms is helpful.
4. What does a typical reporting cycle look like
Monthly internal updates, quarterly donor reporting where applicable, and annual portfolio closeouts. You will align narrative and financials and ensure documentation is audit ready.
5. Can I submit more than one page for my CV
No. Only a one page PDF CV will be considered. Focus on concise, results oriented content.
6. Are cover letters required
Follow the instructions on the Rescue.co careers portal. If a cover letter is optional, include it only if it adds measurable evidence of fit.
7. What does success look like in the first six months
Clean handover of active grants, an accurate and adopted portfolio tracker, on time high quality reports, and at least one process improvement implemented with stakeholder buy in.
Conclusion
Rescue.co Grants & Compliance Manager role is a high leverage position for professionals who enjoy precision, systems building, and cross functional coordination. If you can keep complex portfolios compliant and audit ready while telling a clear impact story, this role offers the opportunity to contribute directly to life saving operations across East Africa. Prepare a concise, outcomes oriented one page CV and apply through the official careers portal.
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