Business Development Assistant

Job Description

Sayara International is hiring a Business Development Assistant to join our team to ensure efficiency in our organization’s new business and proposal development processes. This role is full-time, with opportunities for remote working. Please read the full Terms of Reference below and guidelines on how to apply for this role. We look forward to hearing from you.

Position Description:

In this exciting newly created role, you will be working on different components of business development, supporting teams across the organization in their business development efforts. On a day-to-day basis, you will support the coordination of client engagements, capture planning and pre-positioning, and management of the proposal development process.

You have 2+ years’ experience in business development in the international development sector and are familiar with Sayara’s major thematic areas of expertise. You have excellent English-language writing and oral communication skills, strong organizational and time management skills, as well as excellent attention to detail, and you can work independently. You will report to the Director of Business Development and support the senior leadership team to help build Sayara’s business globally.

As Business Development Assistant, you will contribute significantly to the work Sayara does to build positive change in societies that most need it. You will be working with a welcoming and diverse international team of experienced professionals.

About Sayara International:

Sayara International specializes in combining rigorous research and communication to create positive change in fragile and conflict-affected societies. Founded in 2003 and operating in 30 countries worldwide, Sayara is a leading organization providing services across thematic sectors such as countering disinformation, migration, education, inclusive governance, climate change, and health.

We are committed to building positive change. Our strength comes from our adherence to our core values, our unparalleled expertise in research methodologies, and the context-specific experience of our team members. Our programs help communities and institutions to develop sustainable, research-based solutions to today’s toughest development challenges in Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Find out more about Sayara International:

Website: https://sayarainternational.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SayaraIntl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayarainternational

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9407279/

Key Areas of Responsibility 

Support the proposal development process from capture planning to proposal development and submission. This includes supporting opportunity analysis, requirements analysis, partner negotiations, recruitment, preparing supporting documents, writing sections of technical narrative, and budget development.

Business Intelligence gathering

• Support efforts to gather and analyze intelligence regarding upcoming new business opportunities and prepare teams to successfully respond to solicitations.
• Identify and track relevant upcoming funding opportunities through intelligence gathering, tracking bid portals, and other resources.

• Undertake client and market research to identify priorities, evaluation criteria, application deadlines, most effective method of client engagement, project partners/sub-contractors/consultants, and gathering information on competitors.
• Track trends and shifts in client priorities and programming.
• Maintain the organization’s Business Development pipeline tracker and customer relationship management database.
• Prepare proposal calendars and help monitor progress in meeting deadlines.

Proposal Development

• Support the development of proposals and management of the proposal process to ensure high-quality proposals are produced on time.
• Support analysis of solicitation requirements and creation of compliance matrices to ensure proposals meet all requirements and scope defined by clients.
• Draft general/standard chapters and sections of proposals and ensure application documents are in line with requirements and submission format of clients. 
• Work across Sayara’s teams on acquiring information and administrative documents relevant to client and partner due diligence processes. 

• Contribute to the development and consolidation of external communications materials for clients and partners including presentations, capability statements, standard proposal sections. 
• Respond to requests for bid support on behalf of the program team. 

Business development databases and reporting

• Ensure that client information and correspondence is entered and filed electronically accurately and in a timely manner. 

• Help maintain proposal content library so that documentation and learnings are captured for future use.
• Attend regular team meetings and cross-organizational working groups. 
• Contribute to the team’s annual planning and the organization’s wider planning process. 
• Provide other support as requested. 

Skills & Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree, in social science, political science, international relations, international development, or a related field. Master’s degree is considered a plus.
• 2+ years of relevant professional experience, working for international development donor agencies.
• Excellent English-language skills in writing, editing, formatting, research, and communications. Other languages (Arabic, French) are considered a plus.

• Work experience in the international development field.
• Strong knowledge of the international development donor market.
• Ability to work independently, remotely, as part of a global team, and with minimal supervision.
• Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize under pressure to meet tight deadlines consistently.
• Ability to work long hours when needed and to take on tasks that may be outside these Terms of Reference.

• Strong commitment to high quality work and integrity in all interactions.
• Excellent meeting facilitation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to engage appropriately with various audiences, and support and coordinate the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet objectives in a timely manner.
• Computer proficiency in Windows Operating systems, MS Office, knowledge of donor management databases.
• The right to work in the country where you are based (must have this before applying – we do not provide work visas).

Location:

There are no specific location requirements for the Business Development Assistant role. The Sayara International team has regional hubs, support offices, and additional staff based in many locations around the world. This is a remote position and, preferably, our new colleague will be based in one of the following time zones: UTC, UTC +1, UTC +2, UTC +3, or UTC +4.

We highly encourage applications from people originating from the Global South/ low- and lower-middle-income countries, women, and minority groups. 

Duration:

The Business Development Assistant will be offered a one (1) year Employment Contract, with a four (4) month probation period and the option for renewal, based on the discretion of, and mutual agreement between Sayara and the Business Development Assistant.

Application Process:

Please submit your detailed CV and cover letter with up-to-date contact information to jobs@sayarainternational.com. Use “Business Development Assistant” as the subject line of your email. Applications must be received by 17 April 2022. Note that CVs will be screened on a rolling basis and Sayara will offer the position to the candidate who meets the requirements – even if it is before the deadline. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sayara International is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, and political views or activity. This also applies to all employment practices within our organization.