Job Openings at International Rescue Committee

Purpose of the Role

• The Senior Pricing Advisor will join a global BD team and will help drive IRC’s new business development efforts- particularly with, but not limited to the World Bank- by engaging with global, regional, country, and financial staff throughout the business development cycle. The role provides essential guidance, technical assistance, quality assurance and hands-on support throughout the business development lifecycle, ensuring a delicate balance between cost recovery, risk mitigation, price competitiveness, and compliance with internal policies and donor regulations.
• The ideal candidate will have significant, high-level experience in pricing for complex or high-value opportunities, with extensive experience working with the World Bank. . Knowledge of other multilateral organizations and bilateral donors, such as FCDO, BMZ, AFD, is also highly desirable.
• As a key member of proposal teams, this position collaborates closely with IRC Country Offices, Finance Department, and Technical Units to facilitate the development of cost proposals.

Responsibilities

Capture & Program Design

• Serve as the ‘Capture Pricing Lead’ to ensure IRC is well prepared to develop an effective budget proposal for important funding opportunities, particularly with, but not limited to proposals for the World Bank and other Multilateral Devt Banks
• Conduct research and evaluation of cost drivers specific to each country to understand cost proposal development challenges and opportunities to improve pricing strategies within the predefined clients’ needs and regulations.
• Aggregate all available budgetary details at the activity level, encompassing all anticipated interventions and necessary support provisions, into clear rough estimates.

Pricing Strategy & Budget Development

• Lead Budget Development and/or provide quality assurance or backstopping for budgeting for major proposals.
• Review released solicitations to assess whether cost-related considerations might hinder the development of a competitive, compliant, and viable bid
• Provide pricing expertise to the donor budget proposal process to ensure proposals are of high quality; reflect the needs of the solicitation and include the necessary shared costs.
• Ensure the proposal team understands the financial requirements and donor regulations of the bid, by clearly communicating what is required and providing guidance and support as needed.Identify all key financial and commercial risks and proactively propose a tailored mitigation plan and adjustments as necessary.
• Drive and/or ensure that pricing inputs from IRC Country Offices, technical or other contributors are integrated effectively. Lead all aspects of detailed cost, and technical queries in anticipation of submission timelines.
• Maintain, expand and apply technical knowledge in World Bank by attending educational workshops and trainings, reviewing the latest donors’ regulations and policies and market trends
• Offer guidance and strategies for creating intricate budgets, presenting cost-related aspects efficiently and effectively, developing payment by results structures and fee payment schedules
• Develop comprehensive donor budgets in line with internal and external requirements, ensuring that all cost drivers are adequately considered, drawing input from different collaborators.
• Engage with and provide technical guidance to partners, and integrate all partner pricing inputs into the consolidated budget, budget narrative, and overall cost application
• When required, develop or adapt budget development tools, guidance and materials for existing and new donors and contractual mechanisms
• When required, conduct cost reviews of selected proposals
• Ensure adherence to IRC's standard processes and policies, as well as compliance with solicitation requirements and client policies across a variety of opportunities and donors.

Strategic Pricing and Capacity Building

• As a donor budgeting expert, the Pricing Advisor will be invited to contribute to wider organizational initiatives to improve pricing approaches and capacity in the organzation. This may include, the development or review of pricing tools, templates or strategies.
• Support training and other capacity development initiatives to strengthen organizational donor pricing approaches
• Participate in learning initiatives, including After Action Reviews to ensure IRC continuously improves its pricing approaches.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Demonstrable experience developing cost proposals. Demonstrable experience developing cost proposals for grant and contract types including Payment by Results approaches and fee rate structures.*
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience preparing proposals, with a background at an INGO or a commercial organization.*
• Demonstrates in depth understanding of World Bank financial rules and regulations; is able to identify donor-specific risks and design cost proposals in a way that mitigates those risks. *
• Flexible work attitude: the ability to work in an inclusive team environment, independently and ability to meet unexpected demands.
• Demonstrates ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues in ‘remote’ and complementary teams.
• Excellent inter-personal skills and able to communicate clearly and concisely complex financial information with diverse set of stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and work prioritization skills, and ability to focus and pay attention to details.
• Able to plan ahead and manage a complex and diverse workload with tight deadlines
• Ability to travel internationally; (up to 20% of time).
• Ability to work autonomously and under remote management.
• Proficient in written and spoken English is required; fluency in French is strongly preferred.

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The Purpose of the Role

• The Senior Program/Business Development Advisor (World Bank) will join a global BD team and will help drive IRC’s new business development efforts by engaging with global, regional, country, and technical staff throughout the business development cycle from opportunity tracking and positioning/capture planning to proposal development, and submission. The SPDA will primarily serve as capture and proposal manager, and s/he will also offer technical assistance and mentor staff working on proposals on relevant business development topics.
• The ideal candidate will have significant high-level experience in managing capture and proposal development for opportunities that are complex or high-value nature. This should include a track record of successful multi-million dollar proposal development with the World Bank or other multilateral development bank. Experience of large funding proposals with other major government donors will be a distinct advantage.

Key Accountabilities

Bid leadership and coordination (70%)

• Lead proposal development for complex and strategic public opportunities, including capture strategy, management of proposal teams, calendars, and deadlines; strategy development with technical staff; consortium management and negotiations; recruiting; writing; production; and after-action reviews.
• Collaborate with regional, country, and technical teams to develop and implement opportunity-specific long-term capture and positioning strategies.
• Lead strategic capture efforts for frameworks, single opportunities and wider funding sources including donor mapping, SWOT analysis, support to win theme development, and relevant strategies for pre-positioning efforts.
• Contribute to strengthening IRC’s profile and relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, peer organizations, local partners, and government institutions to support opportunity-specific strategic planning and decision-making.
• Advises Technical Teams and Country Teams on strategic approaches for funding opportunities, guiding a robust and evidence driven Go/No Go process.
• Supports technical units and country teams to offer pitches to prospective partners to secure the most competitive consortia possible.
• Review and/or draft expressions of interest, concept notes, and proposals to ensure quality and compliance with donor standards.
• Collaborate with IRC’s pricing team and other budget leads, ensuring technical coherence and value for money with the cost proposal.
• Collaborate with Proposal Recruiters to identify and assess candidates for key personnel positions on proposals.
• Organize and manage internal processes to ensure IRC is always submitting the most competitive and compliant proposals.

Business Development process improvement and knowledge management (10%)

• Conducts After Action Reviews, Donor Feedback Reviews and capture wider learnings to disseminate to wider organization
• Contributes to and models the use of standard business development processes, tools, templates and information.
• May serve in short term mentor role to junior staff leading large bids for the first time.

Partnerships and Strategy (20%)

• Conducts landscape analyses as necessary to identify most strategic partnerships in public donor markets, with a particular focus on fostering local partnerships.
• Drafts high quality positioning materials as necessary, including capability statements and prior project reference sheets.
• Strengthening collaboration with internal stakeholders including country teams, technical units, and other team members.
• Contributes to country-specific BD strategies and BD action plans as necessary to support prioritization of new business development opportunities.
• Work with colleagues across IRC, in particular the BD Quality & Systems team to support change initiatives to continuously improve, evolve and innovate IRC approach to effective, mission aligned business development.

Person Specification

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

• At least six years of focused experience working with major institutional donors on large and often complex procurements, with extensive World Bank experience required. Additional experience with other multilateral and bilateral donors such as FCDO, French AFD, or German BMZ is an advantage. *
• Strong knowledge of World Bank compliance, rules, and regulations, along with familiarity with the policies of other relevant donors. *
• Familiarity with standard Business Development processes, and a willingness to learn and apply IRC's BD guidelines.
• Fluency in English and French required.*

Experience:

• Successful track record of acting as proposal manager on complex subject, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal supervision*
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in ‘remote’ and diverse teams, including as team leader for proposals
• The ability to work productively and accurately while under pressure in a fast-paced, demanding environment
• Experience managing large development or humanitarian programs- a strong understanding of program implementation and donor engagement throughout the project cycle will desirable.
• Lived and/ or working experience in Sub-Saharan Africa is an advantage.
• Ability to travel internationally (up to 20% of time)