Senior Business Development Officer

Job Description

Women for Women International (WfWI) is looking for a Senior Business Development Officer. This position will work in collaboration across the global organization to ensure the successful completion and responsiveness of WfWI’s solicited and unsolicited competitive proposals. S/he will provide coordination support for the development of proposals, is responsible for a number of proposal deliverables, maintaining the restricted grants pipeline and ensures submission of proposals. This position reports to the Director of Business Development within the Global Programs Unit.

The successful candidate will have experience leading and producing competitive, successful proposals for both international development and gender contexts. S/he will also be familiar with US State Department, USAID, DFID, UN and Canadian donor regulations and requirements, as well as experience working in developing countries to build staff and partner capacity.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordinate proposal development processes to ensure timely submission of high-quality proposals that are responsive to donor requirements, applicable regulations, and WfWI’s technical and cost standards.
• Support and guide identification of partners and negotiation of WfWI’s role on proposal consortia, ensuring a competitive position for WfWI.
• Research, track and analyze new opportunities and WfWI’s competitive position within the institutional donor space.
• Lead proposal efforts as assigned, including responsibility for final proposal submission.
• Support senior management to cultivate and strengthen relationships with institutional donors, partner organizations and other stakeholders.
• Write proposal components, including executive summaries, technical sections, management plans, capability statements, past performance and staffing plans.
• Support recruitment efforts for proposals as needed.
• Lead on development of proposal budgets and budget narratives.
• Participate in proposal reviews and make recommendations and revisions as needed.
• Support negotiation on budget and proposal objectives and activities with project partners and country offices, and facilitate grant agreement negotiation with funders.
• Support WfWI in-country staff with their country-level business development plans through monthly calls and annual workplan development.
• Train and mentor WfWI in-country staff and key local partners to improve their skills across the business development cycle, including proposal development, donor and partner cultivation, intelligence-gathering, and marketing.
• Manage WfWI’s business development organizational files and records in Salesforce software.
• Provide administrative support to WfWI’s business development consultants.
• Manage WfWI’s organizational business development pipeline and support the development of reports regarding progress toward team targets for the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Develop and update organizational capacity statements and other key documents for the business development team.

Qualifications and Skills

• 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 two years’ experience in a developing country.
• Experience with staff and partner capacity building and development, especially in developing countries.
• Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar; strong oral communication skills and experience interacting with non-native speakers of English.
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive, successful proposals for both international development and gender contexts.
• Awareness of the physical and psychological challenges inherent in working in developing and conflict-prone countries.
• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures, priorities and proposal requirements, including but not limited to US State Department, USAID, DFID, UN, and Canadian government and foundations
• Experience submitting US government proposal applications through grants.gov, SAMS Domestic and Grantsolutions.gov.
• Ability to solve technical, managerial or operational problems and evaluate options based on relevant information, resources, well-rounded experience, and knowledge.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.
• Excellent budgeting skills and advanced techniques in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally as required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well as a part of a team.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, to juggle multiple priorities, meet tight deadlines.

Application Instructions:

Due to the urgency of this post we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis so please apply at your earliest convenience.

About the Organization

Since 1993, Women for Women International has helped more than 478,000 marginalized women in countries affected by war and conflict. We serve women in 8 countries offering support, tools, and access to life-changing skills to move from crisis and poverty to stability and economic self-sufficiency.

We bring women together in a safe space to learn life, business, and vocational skills. Once enrolled, each receives a monthly stipend – a vital support that enables her to participate.

Women increase their ability to earn an income with new skills that are in-demand. They learn about their legal rights, and they become knowledgeable about health and nutrition. The result: stronger women, stronger families, and stronger communities. This ripple effect is profound.

Women for Women International delivers our programs through the generous support of individual, corporate and foundation donors, partners, and governments. Our work is regularly featured in international media, including BBC, CNN, MSNBC, The Guardian, The New York Times, 60 Minutes, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Recognized for our global impact Women for Women International was honored with the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 2006, and receives favorable ratings from independent charity groups.