Job Opportunity at VSO Kenya

Job description

Purpose of role: To provide business development leadership and coordination for identified VSO Country Offices (Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda); responsible for optimizing income generation and business development from a diverse range of donors in support of VSO's programmes and regional operations

Responsibilities:

• Funding strategy aligned to programme priorities:
  • Contribute to a global, coordinated fundraising strategy, centred around VSO's Core programme areas and Signature Programmes and ensure consistency and coherence in funder and partnership engagement across funding portfolio in region;
  • Lead on researching new funding opportunities, strengthening and sustaining partnerships with commercial contractors, INGOs, private sector, government institutional donors, trusts and foundations and major donors;
  • Provide intensive support to regions and country offices to develop, implement and monitor ambitious funding strategies that deliver agreed restricted income targets;
  • Work with regional teams/country offices to ensure funding plans reflects programme strategy and appropriate national and regional donor mapping is up to date;
  • Provide inputs into the global funding strategy as required from time to time;
  • Pursue regional/or multicounty opportunities;
  • Ensure funding data on pipeline and match funding liabilities is accurately reflected in our systems for the respective countries;
  • Business development coordination - coordinate the activities and contribution of various business development teams in the region/countries including public fundraising, marketing, and donor teams.
  • Pre-positioning, donor and partner engagement: Externally
  • Support CO staff to identify priority partners and support on this engagement including with I/NGOs and other development actors, governments etc in support of joint programming and consortia opportunities;
  • Prepare materials needed to facilitate donor engagement and bolster VSO's reputation and credibility with potential funders and consortia partners;
  • Provide leadership and support to advance VSO's visibility and reputation with identified strategic partners globally (among donor communities, private sector and development networks) in support of joint-bid opportunities at the national and regional levels.
  • Prepositioning: internally
  • Conduct country level analysis to understand the funding environment / trends and help shape the direction of programming to ensure alignment
  • Share analysis on funding opportunities, Pipeline Matrix, and pipeline health (proposal tracker) with regional and country teams to inform regional planning and pre-positioning;
  • Ensure that an accurate and timely overview of funding priorities and pipeline health and analysis are shared;
• Bid Development
  • Lead proposal development, coordinating with donor, proposal development and technical teams;
  • Provide leadership to country teams on bid development processes and ensure laid out procedures are followed for each proposal submitted at country level;
  • Lead negotiations with partners to ensure financial and programmatic needs are met;
  • Review proposals and provide assurance to ensure quality submissions;
  • Manage and write specific proposals when required.
• Marketing
  • Ensure visibility of VSO in the region/selected countries by attending/or ensuring attendance of workshops, meetings and networking events that provide an opportunity to showcase its work, provide leadership in the volunteering for development space and build new partnerships;
  • Liaise with marketing and country teams to ensure appropriate go-to market material is developed.
• Capacity building
  • Build country office capacity to network, engage and pre-position through own efforts or in collaboration with other BD team members.
  • Business development coordination
  • Coordinate the activities and contribution of various business development teams in the region/countries including public fundraising, marketing, and donor teams.

Skills/Experience Required:

• More than 6 years managing business pursuit activities within the international development space for an INGO or development consulting firm.
• Experience of developing funding strategies and delivering income against targets;
• Proven ability to research new funding opportunities and to make appropriate judgements about their potential to realise significant restricted income;
• Experience of establishing and cultivating strong donor relationships that have delivered substantially increased income ;
• Proven track record in writing winning donor proposals for donors including USAID, EC, UKAID, SIDA and UN Agencies - including proven ability to develop log frames, monitoring frameworks, and theories of change;
• Experience of preparing compelling, high quality documentation (concept notes, presentations, proposals, budgets, reports, log frames, theories of change etc) for different donor and partner audiences ;
• Familiarity with M&E tools; theories of change, monitoring frameworks, and basic evaluation techniques;
• Strong interpersonal skills, including written, verbal and presentation skills used in international settings - experience of leading and facilitating workshops and training ;
• Ability to be self-directed and take initiative within organisational mandates - strong administrative and organisational skills ;
• Experience of establishing partnerships between organisations including teaming agreement and consortia bid development;
• Strong administrative and organizational skills: ability to be self-directed and take initiative
• Strong analytical and financial and skills;

Qualifications required;

• Educated to post-graduate degree level in international development-related discipline;
• IT skills including fluency in Microsoft Office suite and database usage;
• Experience of living and working internationally (4+ years required);
• Fluency in English (written and spoken). Portuguese, French or other language desirable;
• Ability to travel globally (estimated 30-50% travel required

Desired Skills and Experience

Skills/Experience Required:

• More than 6 years managing business pursuit activities within the international development space for an INGO or development consulting firm.
• Experience of developing funding strategies and delivering income against targets;
• Proven ability to research new funding opportunities and to make
  appropriate judgements about their potential to realise significant restricted income;
• Experience of establishing and cultivating strong donor relationships that have delivered substantially increased income ;
• Proven track record in writing winning donor proposals for donors including USAID, EC, UKAID, SIDA and UN Agencies - including proven ability to develop log frames, monitoring frameworks, and theories of change;
• Experience of preparing compelling, high quality documentation (concept notes, presentations, proposals, budgets, reports, log frames, theories of change etc) for different donor and partner audiences ;
• Familiarity with M&E tools; theories of change, monitoring frameworks, and basic evaluation techniques;
• Strong interpersonal skills, including written, verbal and presentation skills used in international settings - experience of leading and facilitating workshops and training ;
• Ability to be self-directed and take initiative within organisational mandates - strong administrative and organisational skills ;
• Experience of establishing partnerships between organisations including teaming agreement and consortia bid development;
• Strong administrative and organizational skills: ability to be selfdirected and take initiative
• Strong analytical and financial and skills;

Qualifications required;

• Educated to post-graduate degree level in international development-related discipline;
• IT skills including fluency in Microsoft Office suite and database usage;
• Experience of living and working internationally (4+ years required);
• Fluency in English (written and spoken). Portuguese, French or other language desirable;
• Ability to travel globally (estimated 30-50% travel required.