Global Program Development Manager

Title: Global Program Development Manager

Department: Program Development

Location: London or Washington DC or (or remote based in UK or US)

Reporting to: Head of Program Development

Direct reports: none

Budget responsibility: none

* This role is classified as requiring advanced pre-employment checks

Travel

As needed, this role is expected to travel (at least 20%) to field sites as well as other countries for up to four weeks with willingness to mobilize on short notice.

Due to COVID 19, RI policy currently limits international travel and it expected this role will be initially based remotely from home. The organisation is undertaking regular reviews and risk assessments to review travel restriction on a global and local level.

ABOUT Relief International

Relief International (RI) is a leading non-profit organization working in 16 countries globally to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty.

RI combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact and resilience. We focus on health/nutrition, education, economic opportunity, and water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) programming while integrating protection, environment/climate change, and conflict mitigation in partnership with the communities we serve. We empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

RI includes the three corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, and MRCA/RI-France. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure.

About our Programs

RI is active in 16 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to communities in situations of vulnerability.

RI employs about 5,000 staff and auxiliary workers

97% of staff are local nationals and there are about 90 international (expat) staff.

2021 programs budget is about $125M.

RI receives funding from a broad range of institutional donors – US, UK, Europe, and the UN, to delivery lifesaving and resilience building programming with communities and local and international partners. RI supports solutions that reinforce and improve upon existing in-country systems. Where such systems do not exist or are chronically underperforming, RI’s crisis response lays the foundation for long-term, sustainable change.

Position Summary

The Program Development Manager (PDM) –is critical in bringing significant impact and opportunity of funding to our country programs. You will thrive in an entrepreneurial senior team dedicated to building high-impact programming. Your creative and relentless approach to driving results that will fuel RI’s strategy and impact.

The PDM role is to work collaboratively with the Regional Directors and Regional Program Directors, country teams and with a direct senior-level reporting to the Head of Program Development. Responsible for donor engagement and capture management (approximately 30%) and managing and/or assisting in proposal development (approximately 70%).

As a key member of the global Program Development team is dedicated to building high impact programming by raising income from institutional donors (like the USAID, FCDO, EC, GAC and the UN) as well as bilateral donors (like French MOFA, GFFO and SDC). The Program Development team is based across our global support office in Washington and London and supports RI Country Offices by helping them to design high-quality programs, and by raising funds from institutional donors needed to implement them. You will thrive in an entrepreneurial senior team dedicated to building high-impact programming

Reporting to the Head of Program Development, your role will be supporting country teams and will be key in leading in donor liaison and engagement and capture management. A large proportion of your time will be supporting country teams in proposal development.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Donor Engagement and Capture Management (approximately 30%)

• Coordinate with PDQS and Program Development (PD) team to monitor online forums and releases to notify HQ and country teams of upcoming RFA, RFP, Calls for Proposal opportunities

• In coordination with regional and country teams support development of RI PD strategy in assigned countries and ensure coordination with overall program development strategy

• Maintain regular engagement with donors, international organizations, to track donor trends and priorities and inform HQ of upcoming program priorities

• Represent RI to the donor community as needed and inform donors on RI country efforts

• Attend relevant meetings and networking events (e.g., regional and national coordination meetings, relevant RFA/P meetings, donor consultations) as needed for the performance of duties

• Maintain outreach with relevant international and local NGOs as well as private sector firms in order to facilitate partnerships needed for program development opportunities

• Develop capture plans and conduct completion analysis on upcoming priority proposals

Proposal Development (approximately 70%)

• Engage in needs assessment for project proposals as necessary

• Contribute to program design, for solicited and unsolicited programs, and for pilot and full-scale programs

• Where proposals are pending with donor agencies, meet with donor officers to ensure program plans represent a good fit with donor objectives

• Participate in the preparation of funding proposals, including leading proposal writing efforts as well as costing efforts

• Ensure that proposals meet technical requirements of donors including US government grants, EU grants, UN grants etc

• Track country proposal efforts and report to PD team on status

• Support effective go/no-go decisions and cost share analysis

• Maintain regular communication with CO focal points and, as needed, serve as PD focal point for assigned countries that RI works in that includes providing technical proposal development support to country office teams including in line with PD-GSO frameworks, RI Global standards and donor requirements

• Build the capacity of regional and country teams in program development

• Ensure review process and submission is completed, within submission deadlines

• Coordinate the proposal development and review process with input from different departmental focal points (i.e., awards management, regional program team, and technical focal points)

Additional responsibilities, not limited to:

• Support 6-8 countries, coverage will be assigned based on workload and pipeline

• Support building the PD Consultant Roster, identifying potential technical and non-technical individuals to be hired on a short-term basis.

• Coordinate with the PD Team to develop, update and deliver targeted trainings, as needed.

• Undertake travel as required in the pursuit of the above tasks

• Prepare regular activity reports for HQ

• Undertake other ad hoc tasks, as instructed by HQ

Safeguarding and culture

• Ensure that your behaviour inside and outside of work promotes the values outlined with RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies

• Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, contribute to all those who encounter Relief International staff and the communities we serve can be trusted to work safely with them

• Support systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse and promotes the implementation of the Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of diversity and cultural differences, gender issues and the commitment to equal opportunities

• Ability to uphold RI’s values and ethics

Role requirements

Experience and skills required for the role

• Track record of achievement in a previous, similar role and progressive responsibility

• Master’s degree in international relations, business administration or other relevant field or equivalent work experience

• Demonstrated proficiency with government grants, public/private donors and finance management

• Ability to work under pressure and to meet challenging deadlines

• Ability to work and manage a highly complex security situations within the regional context

• Ability to analyze complex organizational challenges and present innovative solutions

• Demonstrated proficiency to write clearly, insightfully and persuasively on tight deadlines

• A strong network of international donor contacts and relationships

• An outstanding ability to track donor trends that contribute to business development outcomes

• Excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills and strong writing skills in English

• A passion and ability to work with field teams for sustained period

• Proven experience INGO context, previous work experience with DFID, EU, ECHO, USAID, PRM required

• Proven success in grant writing, net-working and liaising with field and HQ staff when necessary

• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice, as required for the successful implementation of the role

RI Values

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

We value:

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability