Manager, Cost Proposal-Finance at African Wildlife Foundation

Description
Responsibilities:

Proposal Development and Budgeting (60%)

• As a part of the proposal development team supporting PD and Development in very close collaboration with the finance and program/field teams, provide leadership and guidance for the cost proposal team members that conducts the full range of activities required to research, prepare and submit cost proposals in order to secure funding. The MCPF will personally lead on larger and/or more complex proposals.

Work under the leadership of “account managers” and “proposal process managers” on the PD and Development teams, leading budget components of project designs:

•  Ensure that all cost proposals developed by the team are accurate, realistic, and provides sufficient resources to implement proposed projects successfully.
• Serve as the main point of contact for cost related matters on proposals and budget modifications;
• Work with team leads from PD/Development, finance and programs, developing professional and competitive cost proposals and budget narratives;
• Provide guidance on various elements of costs, template and budget notes to support cost proposals;
• Provide direction and instructions to partners for the development of sub-award/grantee budgets for inclusion in AWF led bids; and provide high quality review and feedback on their proposal budgets;
•  Put together designated sections of proposal packages, such as organizational background, certifications and representations, qualifications summaries and past performance; 
• Assist in executing proposal development team meetings, including agenda development, meeting facilitation, documentation, and follow-up items;
• Liaise with program account managers and fundraising account managers with PD and Development to support proposal development and cultivation activities as needed; and
•  Support program staff with developing cost-related responses to post submission questions.

Strategic Budget Planning (30%)
Work closely with the Director of Finance:

 Develop budget frameworks for pipeline and Campaign priorities in close collaboration with the Director of Program Design and the VP of Corporate and Foundation Relations and the VP of Individual Giving;

•  Work with country and landscape leads to develop aspirational proposals and ‘business plans’ that can be tailored to specific opportunities as needed;
•  Develop and standardize internal budgeting/costing processes for cost proposals;
•  Develop a checklist of creation of cost proposal to ensure that relevant stakeholders are consulted in the budgeting design process to ensure that accurate (up-to-date) costs are used and that all budget assumptions are reasonable;
•  Create and update budget templates and tools for efficient and effective cost proposal development, compliant to donor requirements; train stakeholders how to use and to interpret the templates and tools;
•  Develop and update a database for cost figures relevant for AWF offices and landscape/field programs for easy utilization during project budgeting;
•  Liaise with Human Resources department on costs of employment for staff and keep track of existing and projected level of efforts of staff for proposal budgeting purposes; and
•  Track and analyze financial data on the existing programs to inform new calls for proposals and ensure value for money.

Project Grant Management and Compliance (10%)
Working in support of AWF’s grants management team, provide budget revisions and updates as requested by the Implementation, Program Design and/or Development teams. These functions include, but are not limited to:

Work closely with project managers, PD, Grant Management, Development, Finance, Administration, and Program teams to ensure proper handoff to those responsible for managing grants once awarded. Ensure grant managers are aware of contractual obligations to donors including procurement, allowable and unallowable cost, required approvals, and reporting requirements:

•  Ensure budget designs are adequate for staffing, based on actual costs or validated data, and phased in a way that enables timely delivery and compliance with donor procurement rules;
•  Preparing key items to be discussed in Kick-off/inception and project review/evaluation meetings;
•  Provide support at regular grants management meetings as needed;
•  Strengthen the capacity of project managers, program, finance, and administrative staff to understand and comply with donor agreements;
•  Ensure the grants management team has what it needs has to ensure flow down of donor requirements to partners at awards inceptions;
•  Support/input in due diligence and downstream partner assessment in accordance with AWF requirements;
•  Input into budget modification elements of negotiations necessary with donors during implementation and reporting;
•  Assist program teams in completing budget realignments and other financial modifications as necessary; and
•  Ensure AWF’s accounts on donor portals are up to date.

Requirements and skills

•  Master’s degree and experience in finance, economics, accounting, business or other relevant field. 
•  Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience.
•  Ability to lead an motivate a team and experience managing a team.
•  Strong ability to collaborate and to work well with others.
•  Excellent oral and written communication skills.
•  Certification such as CGMA, CPA, CMA or other related certifications.
•  Experience with and developing cost proposals for major public donor agencies such as USAID, EU, the GEF or Germany.
•  Excellent budgeting skills are a must, including the ability to work with technical leads to build accurate and realistic cost proposals.
•  Must possess database management skills and strong skills in Microsoft Excel.
•  Must be proficient in research, interpreting, and analyzing diverse data and processes.
•  Must possess the ability to work collaboratively and independently to achieve stated goals.
•  Must be highly organized with the ability to implement systems and follow-up process.
•  Must possess strong analytical skills.
•  Must pay attention to detail and the ability to meet deadlines.
•  Fluency in written and spoken English is required. French and/or German language skills are desired.