Business Development Manager I, West Africa Region

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

Job Summary

The WARO Regional Business Development Manager (BDM) will support the expansion and diversification of revenue from institutional donors, foundations, the private sector, and other funding sources to achieve WARO’s strategic objectives. S/he is a member of the WARO Senior Management Team, and CRS’ global BD community. The BDM will lead a team of Business Development (BD) Specialists based in each of WARO’s eight country programs to ensure strategic mobilization of resources for programming in the region.

The BDM will ensure high-quality support to WARO country programs, coordinate closely with regional team members and liaise with headquarters-based donor-focused teams as the region pursues funding opportunities with a range of donors to advance CRS’ mission to serve the poor and vulnerable. The BDM will provide support in the areas of positioning, capture planning, and proposal development, and will use her/his knowledge and skills to provide specialized assistance in all dimensions of the CRS Business Development Cycle. In addition to displaying a high level of competency in business development and team leadership, the BDM will also demonstrate an aptitude for strategic thinking, data and trend analysis, process improvement, collaboration and relationship management, and training and capacity building.

S/he will strengthen CRS’ BD-related systems, processes, relationships, and staff capacities. The BD Manager will help country programs to ensure sound project design and proposals; develop and maintain a roster of CRS staff and consultants to serve on proposal teams; lead technical and compliance reviews of all proposals; and monitoring progress to ensure learning is plowed back into our work. The BDM reports to the West Africa Regional Office (WARO) Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality (DRD PQ).

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Mentor and coach country program BDS staff in the pursuit of strategic funding opportunities in the areas of positioning, capture planning, proposal coordination, proposal writing, budgeting, and compliance with donor requirements.
• Work with headquarters-based teams, regional technical advisors, the regional SMT, consultants and others to ensure coordinated support for funding opportunities. Provide direct support to priority bids.
• Lead all areas of the WARO business development processes including supporting proposal review panels. Manage CRS’ contracts bid review process, as well as other special bid review processes.
• Guide partner identification, negotiation of consortia roles, and review of teaming agreements.
• Support the cultivation and strengthening of institutional relationships with donors, partner organizations, and other collaborators.
• Participate in industry conferences and working groups to represent CRS with peer organizations as appropriate.
• Research and analyze intelligence about overall funding trends and new business opportunities; contribute to efforts to leverage this data to enhance CRS’ competitive position.
• Maintain accurate business pipeline and performance data through CRS’ online systems to inform senior management decisions.
• Collaborate with colleagues to maintain past performance and corporate capacity information.
• Lead initiatives to advance CRS’ business development processes, promote learning and sharing of best practices, and build the capacity of CRS staff in business development.
• Actively contribute to CRS’ Global Business Development Community of Practice, including playing a leadership role at biennial global BD Summit and growth and strategy meetings of regional BD leaders.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in International Development, International Relations, or another relevant field preferred; equivalent experience acceptable.
• Minimum of seven years of international development experience
• Three years’ experience in a developing country preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS.
• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.
• Experience with both USAID RFP and RFA funding mechanisms highly desirable.
• Comprehensive familiarity with a broad range of institutional donor technical and cost requirements a plus. This could include US Government (USG) agencies (USAID, USDOS, USDA, HHS, etc), non USG entities (DFID, Global Fund, EU, UN, etc), and foundations and corporations.
• Strong budgeting skills and experience with leading the development of strategic and competitive cost proposals highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and of exceptional quality.
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required, knowledge of Salesforce, Oracle, Web Conferencing Applications, and other systems a plus.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No direct supervises. Oversee a network of eight Business Development Specialists based in each WARO country program.

Key Working Relationships:

INTERNAL: WARO DRD PQ, WARO SMT, WARO technical advisors in operations and program quality, country program staff including BDS’, HOPs, CRs, etc., staff within the CRS Global Business Development Community of Practice; and other relevant HQ staff.

EXTERNAL: Business development staff from collaborating partner organizations; select donor representatives as appropriate.

Required Languages – English and French (Fluency in English or French required; strong French or English language skills.)

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship

*Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

EOE/M/F/D/V – CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. (For all US and International positions)