Business Development Specialist II at Catholic Relief

Job Summary: 

• As Business Development (BD) Specialist II you will lead the production of high-quality applications for funding in support of CRS’ engagement with institutional donors and initiatives involved in international development to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your knowledge and skills will allow you to provide specialized assistance in all dimensions of the BD cycle to cross-disciplines and cross-functional teams. The position will primarily support the CRS Sudan Country Program and will be flexible to support other East Africa Country Programs as time allows. 

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Provide BD expertise in positioning, capture planning, development of resource mobilization strategies, donor engagement planning and proposal preparation for specific opportunities with institutional donors (government and inter-governmental award issuing organizations, as well as foundations, corporations and other awarding non-governmental organizations).
• Coordinate proposal development processes to ensure timely submission of high-quality proposals that are responsive to donor requirements, applicable regulations, and CRS’ technical and cost standards. Lead and support proposal budget processes and propose recommendations to develop a competitive proposal. 
• As appropriate, serve as proposal coordinator or other lead role in proposal team, and participate in bid analysis and proposal review panels. 
• Serve as a lead or support writer on proposals, contributing both technical and non-technical content and integrating inputs from staff and partners into a responsive, coherent proposal with a compelling vision and clear win themes. 
• Support proposal budget processes, working with technical staff, management and partner staff to integrate inputs into a responsive, cost competitive proposal budget and narrative.
• Train and mentor staff, as needed, to improve their skills in proposal development, representation to donor and partner organizations, intelligence-gathering, and marketing within their country program or portfolio.
• Support and guide identification of partners and negotiation of CRS’ role on proposal consortia, ensuring a competitive position for CRS that adheres to the agency’s partnership principles and strategic directions. Research, track and analyze new opportunities and CRS’ competitive position within the marketplace.
• Support senior management to cultivate and strengthen institutional relationships with institutional donors, partner organizations and other stakeholders. 
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity, in order to provide timely information for proposal submissions.
• Support timely and accurate information management related to funding opportunities.
• Support cross-regional and global BD cycle initiatives as a member of the agency’s worldwide Business Development Community. 

Required Languages -

• Fluency in English required; additional language skills relevant to the region, such as Arabic, a plus.

Travel -

• Must be willing and able to travel up to 40% 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with a capacity to both see the big picture and give attention to detail.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Excellent negotiation skills. 
• Strong communications and presentation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Supervision:

• This position will report to the Sudan Head of Programming

Key Working Relationships:  

• Internal – The Sudan Country Program senior management team; Sudan program and finance staff; EARO Regional Technical Advisor for Business Development; EARO Program Quality team members; the global CRS Business Development Community 
• External – Staff of collaborating partner organizations

QUALIFICATIONS
Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, international relations, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum five years of international development experience, with at least three years experience in a developing country.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Demonstrated experience utilizing diverse, proactive strategies to competitively position his/her organization for new funding and productive institutional relationships.
• Familiarity with a broad range of technical sectors and institutional donor requirements, with a strong preference for those of key US government donor agencies (USAID, CDC, Department of State, Department of Agriculture). Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar and AP style. 
• Experience with both USAID RFP and RFA funding mechanisms highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS. 
• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes, leading teams to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and at exceptional quality. 
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus. 
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.