Assistant Director, Humanitarian Development

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director, Humanitarian Development manages humanitarian assistance proposal efforts from inception to submission, including field assessments, writing technical sections, identifying and negotiating partnerships, and providing budget support across different technical sectors and geographic regions affected by emergencies. This role works closely with the Director, Emergency & Humanitarian Programs.

The successful candidate has a broad background and experience in emergency response and business development efforts, with demonstrated success performing lead roles in program design and a deep understanding of the proposal process.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Works with the Emergency Department, the Institutional Development team, regional staff and country offices to manage new business development and implementation efforts:
  • Identifies and analyzes new program opportunities for humanitarian assistance, working in close collaboration with regional staff, country offices and field teams, as well as other Emergency Department staff and headquarters departments, to make recommendations to senior management.
  • Conducts pre-capture and capture work.
• Supports or leads field assessments:
  • At the discretion of the Senior Director, Emergency & Humanitarian Programs, contributes to the planning and leading of field assessments in close collaboration with M&E teams.
  • Supports with the development of assessment tools, results analysis and drafting reports, as needed.
• Manages or serves on proposal teams:
  • As team lead on select opportunities, and in consultation with Emergency Department management and regional teams where HIAS has country offices, identifies proposal team needs, defines team member roles, manages overall process to ensure a competitive bid is presented to the donor and oversees team member inputs to ensure quality.
  • Coordinates with internal stakeholders and proposal partners to develop and articulate strategies for technical approaches, partnerships, budgets, management, staffing and M&E.
• Manages and supports pricing and budgeting processes for assigned proposals:
  • Coordinates with Operations staff and regional teams to develop proposal budgeting and pricing strategies for assigned proposals; provides cost/pricing input into the proposal development process, ensuring adherence to procedures, requirements and regulations; prepares budgets for assigned proposals and submits to appropriate staff for final review.
  • Writes complete budget narratives for the assigned proposal and other proposals as needed.
  • Works with Operations and Finance staff to respond to budget-related questions from the donor when needed.
  • Leads the budgeting process with proposal partners and ensures partner budget and budget narratives are consistent with the proposal submission.
  • Prepares budget and budget-related documents for final submission after review by appropriate staff.
  • Resolves budget and pricing issues for assigned proposals, internally and externally.
• Builds relationships with representatives of potential donors, clients and strategic partners:
  • Identifies new partners, sub-awardees/subcontractors and/or donors to enhance HIAS’ capabilities and expand programming.
  • Represents HIAS at meetings, conferences and workshops in close coordination with relevant HIAS departments.
• Works closely with the Director, Emergency & Humanitarian Programs, the Institutional Development team, regional staff and country office teams to develop and update country-specific and/or regional BD strategies, as needed:
  • In close coordination with regional teams, supports in-country teams with positioning efforts, donor communication and management.
  • In close coordination with regional teams, supports BD preparedness efforts, including engaging with and providing capacity building support to in-country teams, as needed.
• Undertakes all other duties and projects as may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Undergraduate degree in emergency management, international affairs or related field; graduate degree preferred.
• 5-7 years of related experience, with at least 1 year working in an international humanitarian setting, ideally in a leadership role.
• 3+ years of experience developing winning concepts and proposals targeting USG humanitarian donors, particularly USAID, USAID/BHA, PRM, as well as Multilateral Funding, ECHO or FCDO proposal processes.
• Demonstrated skills and abilities in coordinating relief, transition or disaster risk reduction activities with the international humanitarian community (e.g. donors, clusters, INGOs, NGOs) in the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian principles (core humanitarian standards, Sphere, etc.).
• Experience managing humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context across the entire disaster management cycle, including emergency response, early recovery and transition, disaster risk reduction and resilience.
• Strong leadership skills, including ability to manage proposal development processes and oversee the contributions of others.
• Ability to travel to difficult and challenging environments on short notice, for short and long-term field assignments, up to 40% annually.
• Ability to work on weekends and off-hours, as needed.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience developing, designing or evaluating proposed humanitarian interventions against response or disaster risk reduction strategies and identified need.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex humanitarian issues to a range of audiences through written products.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Suite; comfortable working with large amounts of data and Excel spreadsheets.
• Experience in providing briefings and communicating effectively in meetings.
• Experience designing rapid needs assessments and leading teams to assess, design and manage disaster response and early recovery activities.
• Experience coordinating with emergency and international humanitarian donors; strong interpersonal and listening skills, with ability to interact with internal and external stakeholders in a professional manner.
• Broad understanding of principled humanitarian action, emergency relief and resilience objectives and sectors, such as humanitarian protection, MPCA, economic recovery, MHPSS and food security.
• Strong critical thinking skills, sound judgment and excellent verbal and written communications skills; high level of organization and attention to detail.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as the ability to interpret documents and spreadsheets, analyze information and develop strategies.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment and meet conflicting deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; foreign language skills preferred, especially French or Spanish.

HIRING PROCESS:

We are committed to a fair and respectful hiring process, and we do our absolute best to respond to every applicant. We prioritize communication and transparency with all candidates, even those who are not moving forward. Here’s a snapshot of our hiring process:

Step 1: Submit your application!

Step 2: Phone screen with a HIAS recruiter.

Step 3: Video interview with the hiring manager.

Step 4: Video interview with a panel of HIAS employees.

Step 5: Online reference check with SkillSurvey.

Step 6: Offer and background check with Shield Screening.

Step 7: Start your professional journey with HIAS!

Note: Some of our hiring processes may vary, and not all candidates will advance to each step.

ABOUT US:

Over one hundred years ago, the Jewish community founded HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, our founders were guided by the traditions, texts and history of the Jewish people—a history of oppression, displacement and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence because of who they were, and HIAS remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, our clients at HIAS come from diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, as do our staff. We bring our experience, history and values to our work across five continents, ensuring that refugees today receive the vital services and opportunities they need to thrive.

HIAS is a learning community, committed to diversity and inclusion. We do our work with integrity, accountability, transparency and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We seek employees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join our teams located in the United States and across the globe. People who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experiences of forced displacement or immigration are all encouraged to apply. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our vision, mission and values.

VISION:

HIAS stands for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety and opportunity.

MISSION:

Drawing on our Jewish values and history, HIAS provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.

VALUES:

Welcome • Acogimiento • Hospitalité • Hachnasat Orchim

We Welcome the Stranger

Justice • Justicia • Justice • Tzedek

We Pursue Justice

Empathy • Empatía • Empathie • Chesed

We Approach our Clients with Empathy

Partnership • Compañerismo • Coopération • Chevruta

We Believe in Changing the World through Partnership

Courage • Coraje • Courage • Ometz

We Act with Courage to Build a Better World

Resilience • Resiliencia • Résilience • Ruach

We Adapt and Thrive, Continuously Demonstrating our Resilience

DIVERSITY:

HIAS is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, citizenship status, religious creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, familial status, pregnancy, childbirth, military status, protected veteran status, political orientation or other legally protected status.