Business Development Specialist

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks, include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Business Development Specialist, as part of the Business Development team, will provide support to identify new funding opportunities and help develop and prepare donor specific proposal packages. The Business Development Specialist will also assume various roles on individual proposal teams. This position is based in Washington, DC and reports to the Deputy Director, Business Development.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate/graduate degree in political/social science, international relations or related field.
• Minimum three years of professional experience in the international development sector.
• Experience in business and proposal development processes, particularly in proposal design.
• Strong organizational skills, process management, execution of tasks, and attention to detail required.
• Experience working on competitive US Government and/or foreign funding opportunities required.
• Ability to manage diverse activities and to meet deadlines required.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, coordinate and effectively meet program goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience working with multiple teams across departments is preferred.
• Experience drafting and overseeing project budgets is preferred.
• Experience working on democracy and governance proposal development and implementation of grants preferred.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

• Serve as a proposal manager and/or proposal coordinator for select bids
• Serve as technical lead (writer/program design) for select bids
• Serve as a master editor for assigned proposal packages
• Serve as technical gate reviewer
• Coach program and proposal teams to incorporate Institute-level new business priorities into regional new business decisions
• Assist in coordinating and producing external affairs promotional material with business development priorities and when needed liaise with IRI’s External Affairs department
• Produce and/or revise technical content for institutional business development purposes or for key proposal sections
• Closely coordinates with capture captains in assigned regions
• Assist with recruitment efforts for new bids
• Assist with market analysis and Business Development portfolio management
• Network with business development professionals in peer organizations to enhance partnership development