Manager, Program Development – Middle East

Join our dynamic Program Development team and play a pivotal role in shaping our impactful initiatives across the Middle East. As a Program Development Manager, In close cooperation with regional and country program leadership, you will provide leadership for resource mobilization efforts to meet long-term goals and annual growth targets. You will also support the diversification of revenue from institutional donors and non-traditional funding sources to achieve Search’s strategic objectives. You will operate as a member of Search’s Middle East Regional Office team, providing direct support to strategic growth opportunities as well as helping to strengthen PD-related systems, processes, relationships and staff capacities.

As PD Manager, You will lead the production of high quality applications for funding in support of Search’s engagement with institutional donors and initiatives involved in peace building. Your knowledge and skills will allow you to provide specialized assistance in all dimensions of the PD cycle to cross-disciplines and cross-functional teams. This role is your opportunity to make a lasting impact by driving our program development efforts in the ME region, fostering collaborations, and contributing to the broader success of our organization. We invite you to join us in our mission to build peace and transform conflict. Embrace this challenging yet rewarding role, and become an integral part of our journey towards positive change.

Team Summary

The Program Development team creates new and repeat business for the organization in line with the Program Development Strategy. The Program Development team works closely with in-country Directors and Managers to ensure funding for programming that directly responds to the needs in Search’s conflict geographies. This function commences with scoping and pre-positioning for opportunities and completes with the signing of an award. This involves building program development strategies for conflict geographies, capturing opportunities, and leading Search’s engagement with institutional donors and partners. To develop successful bids the team works in close collaboration with other departments, including Finance, the Institutional Learning Team, Communications, and Human Resources. The Program Development team will build and strengthen the program development capacity within the organization.

This position is located in our Middle East Regional Office based in Amman, Jordan; or in one of our Country Offices in the ME region.

Responsibilities

• Manages the funding pipeline and Program Development Strategy for the Middle East portfolio.
• Leads donor and partner relations.
• Manages the allocation of time and resources for program development in a defined portfolio.
• Leads contract negotiations.

Contributions

• Strategy development: Leads the development of program development strategies for the portfolio. Uses organizational tools (Enterprise Risk Management, Health and Sustainability Framework) to assess the health of the portfolio. Participates in overall business planning in relevant conflict geographies.
• Business intelligence: Manages donor pipeline based on business intelligence with oversight. Ensures balances of risks and opportunities with the Shared Services team and at the country level.
• Positioning and donor relations: Leads donor engagement and positioning strategy with oversight. Ensures Search is seen as credible by the actors and on the issues identified in the strategy.
• Partnerships: Leads partner selection decision-making. Stewards peer relationships with key strategic partners. Reviews Pre-Teaming Agreements, Teaming Agreements, etc.
• Go/No-Go decisions: Facilitates go/no-go decision-making process with relevant program staff.
• Capture planning: Oversees capture strategy and implementation.
• Program design: Oversees design and bid process, developing tools, providing coaching and feedback, and quality control.
• Proposal development: Coaches and supports proposal leads. Assists in cross-organizational proposal development.
• Proposal reviews: Ensures review processes across departments. Ensures appropriate buy-in. Participates in strategic review processes.
• Contracting process: Oversees contract negotiations.
• Knowledge management and training: Ensures cross-fertilization of program development learning across teams. Identifies and addresses capacity needs and implements capacity development plans as needed.
• After Action Reviews: Tracks factors of success and failure for the program development process and adapts processes accordingly.
• Recruitment: Leads recruitment and efforts to attract talent.
• On-Boarding: Oversees on-boarding of senior program and Program Development staff.
• Budget: Budget owner.
• Other duties that are broadly in line with the above key contributions as assigned.

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Manages overall strategy and vision. Provides functional and program/project management. Anticipates and plans for needs and takes action accordingly. Provides guidance to direct reports or matrixed team members.
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search’s network of experts critical to the area of purview.
• Modifies a planned course of action in response to new information or new circumstances.
• Responds to changing circumstances and expectations readily.
• Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search. Develops program objectives that reflect broader Search strategies and approaches.
• Provides input for standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams and with a view from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
• Overcomes obstacles using ethical practices; formulates and evaluates morally and ethically justified solutions.
• Assesses risks and opportunities to lead decision makers to a favorable outcome.
• Checks the accuracy of one’s own and others’ work and sets up systematic checks and balances to support content and data integrity.
• Has knowledge of project management tools including technology as resources for efficiency and reduction of stress.
• Works with employees to set and communicate performance standards that are specific and measurable.
• Anticipates the consequences of situations and plans accordingly.
• Analyzes the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success in making a decision.
• Provides coaching and mentoring to staff.