Associate, Business Development at Palladium International

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Support Winning Work

• Support business development activities in collaboration with technical staff in the region and at HQ including capture and proposal development
• Support high priority/value proposals, concept papers, expressions of interest, etc. for work funded by USAID and other key donors and clients
• Help gather and analyse market intelligence related to the organizations areas of interest in the region, country and client and make informed, strategic recommendations for short-, medium- and long-term business development
• Support development of monthly, quarterly and annual pipeline using market intelligence and internal Palladium resources
• Contribute to pipeline tracking and provide regular reporting to supervisor
• Work closely with SG team members (e.g., proposals, pricing, recruiting, editing team, contracts, and sourcing) and other business partners to source, monitor and respond to strategic opportunities
• Support the regional corporate office in preparing and writing EOIs, project experience data, team recruitment, technical and commercial proposals
• Support the coordination of USAID, FCDO, NDF and other client proposals, and contribute to consortium communications
• Analyze solicitations and supporting documents to coordinate a compliant response
• Provide administrative support, such as scheduling, recruiting, hiring, folder and file management, drafting, and editing
• Working with relevant team members, to prepare supporting sections and annexes, such as capability statements, personnel sections and CVs, past performance references, and budgets
• Work with Country Representative Kenya to support the management of the Eastern Africa region pipeline, providing reports and data analysis

Relationship Building

• Support the Country Representative Kenya to identify key contacts in the donor community and schedule engagement activities including donor round table meetings, networking events, meetings to develop and nurture relationships
• Create meaningful relationships with partners, subcontractors and freelance consultants
• Contribute to Palladium becoming the ‘contractor of choice’ for consultancy assignments
• Maintain excellent relationships with key clients, and support strategies for new client engagement
• Identify key events such as conferences and other events and work with supervisor to prepare for and plan attendance
• Support the development and updating of marketing and communications materials to support regional growth
• Identify clients, key partner organizations, and staff and maintain these relationships/networks to support new business development and divisional growth
• Engage in intra-group and cross company collaboration and coordination efforts related to business development and strategic planning

Key Competencies Required:

• Interest in learning about the USG/USAID proposal development experience
• Ability to adapt to changing and demanding situations at work
• Track record of meeting deadlines and consistently producing high caliber work
• Must possess excellent ability to nurture, collaborate, and communicate (verbally and in writing) with and influence numerous stakeholders
• Effective and clear communication, whether verbally or in writing
• Building and maintaining excellent interpersonal relationships across the organization with colleagues from different levels and backgrounds
• Able to achieve results in a quality, timely, and cost-effective way. Sees priorities, plans the efficient use of resources, and monitors progress against objectives
• Strong analytic skills and ability to respond quickly and efficiently to requests
• Strong writing, proofreading, and research skills
• Strong networking and partnership management skills
• Must be able to work under tight deadlines, with multiple/simultaneous bid efforts, and across time-zone challenges

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• Experience working in international development
• Experience working in a proposal development team with a strong understanding of the proposal development process is required
• Proven ability to successfully coordinate the full proposal development process
• Proven understanding of most elements of the proposal process including capture, partnering, recruitment, technical production, cost production, and compliance
• Experience interacting with partner organizations and demonstrated experience collaborating with organizations to submit a bid. (both as prime and sub)
• Proven ability to source candidates for proposals when the need arises, and experience interacting with international and domestic key and non-key staff( TCN, CCNs, EXPATS)
• Demonstrated skills in drafting and finalizing proposal annexes and supporting other non-technical written pieces such as corporate capes sections, management sections, key personnel sections
• Proposal formatting skills - preparing a bid so that its ready for submission to the client
• Relevant experience in Africa, with field management or operational experience is a plus
• Knowledge of other USG agencies and bilateral donors
• Familiarity with USAID and other USG project budgets preferred
• Familiarity with program evaluation, monitoring and evaluation