Job Summary
FHI 360, a global nonprofit human development organization, seeks a full-time Senior Proposal Manager. This position will work across all technical areas and with staff in more than 50 countries worldwide leading proposal and capture teams through a structured process based on Shipley Associates and APMP best practices. This position will have experience facilitating capture activities and developing proposals ranging in size from $1M to $300M for a variety of funders including USAID, CDC, NIH, DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other public and private entities. Candidates will be proactive problem-solvers who enjoy working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with tight, ever-changing deadlines under minimal supervision and direction. While this position works autonomously on proposals, our close-knit Business Development and Diversification (BDD) team will be available and eager to provide support and guidance whenever needed, including providing backstopping support to ensure candidates have a healthy work-life balance.
This position is responsible for proposal development - ensuring security and integrity of all proposal documentation, coordinating internal flow and review of all proposal inputs, coordinating schedules, coordinating activities with cross functional business areas, and submission of the final proposal.
Reporting & Supervision:
This position sits within the BDD team, an “Enterprise Service” team, reporting to one of two Associate Directors for Proposals who report to the Director of Proposals. The position regularly interacts with Technical and Regional Operating Units and with other Enterprise Services teams including Finance, Contracts, Human Resources, and Global Security. The successful candidate will coach, train and mentor more junior proposal managers on the team and backstop for their supervisor as needed.
Expected Outcomes:
Manage teams to strategically position themselves during capture and subsequently develop high-quality, compliant and competitive proposals through the use of standardized tools and processes
Apply best practice proposal process elements (color reviews, etc.) appropriate to the size and complexity of each opportunity and apply lessons learned from previous proposals by facilitating internal and external debriefings
Proactive involvement and continued education within the proposal management profession and international development industry to support personal professional development and team learning by staying abreast of latest developments, innovations, and best practices.
Train and onboard new staff, mentor existing staff, support management, and drive internal business development process improvements
Primary Responsibilities:
Proposal/Capture Process Management:
Works with the technical lead, Capture Manager (CM)/Proposal Design Lead (PDL), to form Capture and/or Proposal Teams;
Develops proposal kick off materials, including the proposal calendar and compliance/ responsibility matrix;
Organizes and leads the Kick-off Meeting and all subsequent capture/proposal meetings, including regular check-ins as needed.
Enforces adherence to deadlines;
Liaises with sub-recipients and resource organizations to collect all required partner inputs
Schedules and leads Blue, Pink, and Red Team reviews as appropriate; assembles and circulates relevant documents to reviewers;
Ensures overall proposal responsiveness to, and compliance with, the solicitation; and
Oversees preparation of the proposal for delivery and submits the proposal to the client.
Proposal Strategy Support and Development:
Manage virtual cross-functional teams – including internal staff, sub-partners, consultants – to develop and communicate capture/proposal strategy.
Facilitate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis and win themes development
Organizes and facilitates capture strategy and proposal design sessions that result in agreed upon program strategy and design responsive to the RFP/A;
Serves as the “business development expert” on capture and proposal teams, communicating to Teams the latest developments, innovations, and best practices within the international development industry and proposal management profession
Mentoring, Training, Process Improvements:
Develop and lead business development and proposal related trainings aimed at other proposal managers and the organization as a whole.
Mentor more junior proposal managers, providing guidance and answering question as needed
Shadow more junior proposal managers on capture and proposal efforts and provide coaching and guidance as needed
Training/on-board new proposal managers
Spearhead business development process improvements initiatives such as updating/improving tools, developing new tools, or publishing guidance.
Required Knowledge and Skills:
Extensive knowledge of fundamental principles, terminology, and methodology of proposal development.
Experience managing U.S. Government (USG) proposals, particularly USAID, CDC, and NIH. Additional USG and non-USG proposal experience a plus.
Working knowledge of APMP best practices and the Shipley Proposal Process including color reviews.
Must be able to work independently with minimal direction/supervision, ability to independently organize and prioritize own work and to adapt to changes in priorities, workload, and workflow.
Must effectively multi-task and be flexible to meet competing needs and sensitive deadlines.
Proven ability to manage senior staff including holding them to deadlines and encouraging them to follow best practice.
Must feel comfortable standing up in front of a room of 20+ people to facilitate a meeting
Must have strong written communication skills so emails are clear and articulate and team members understand what is being asked of them and when it must be completed.
Must be able to exercise judgment within well- defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.
Supervision Given/Received:
Employee works under minimal supervision; handles problems and deviations in assignments in accordance with policies and accepted practices; confers with supervisor on unusual matters; broad latitude for unreviewed action or decision; work may be reviewed for technical soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to policy and goals.
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree or International Equivalent in a Related Field.
Master’s Degree Preferred
Experience/Qualifications:
Minimum of 5+ years of experience in a related field; at least 3 years in proposal development is preferred.
Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and/or Shipley Associates or other relevant certification preferred.
Knowledge of Non-governmental Organization (NGO) preferred.
Reputation as a critical and strategic thought-partner, with a demonstrated ability to identify and understand issues, problems and opportunities from disparate sets of information and provide clear conclusions and guidance.
Demonstrated skills in coalescing teams and teamwork and in building consensus;
Competent in using MS software, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint, experiencing using Salesforce preferred
Typical Physical Demands:
Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
Technology to be Used:
Personal Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.
Travel Requirements:
Less than 10%
Formed in 1971, Family Health International (FHI) is among the largest and most established nonprofit organizations active in international public health with a mission to improve lives worldwide through research, education, and services in family health. We manage research and field activities in more than 70 countries to meet the public health needs of some of the world's most vulnerable people. We work with a wide variety of partners including governmental and nongovernmental organizations, research institutions, community groups, and the private sector.
