Programme & Business Development Advisor

Job Context:This position is responsible for growing the institutional funding portfolio for the Bangladesh office, and supporting the country programme to ensure strong contract management on their funds from Islamic Relief Partners and institutional donors. The post holder will work closely with the head of Programmes & Programme Managers to initiate new donor engagements and sustain relationships with current donors; coordinate the development of funding applications; and provide support in ensuring compliance with donors and Islamic relief regulations. The postholder will be expected to travel regularly throughout the country.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Works directly with Head of Programmes, Country Director, Programme Manager, and Desk in the development of proposals and supporting donor compliance
• Work closely with Programme Funding and Partnership colleagues in HQ.
• Builds and maintains relationships with Donors, INGOs, Private Sector Actors, and government agencies
• Draws expertise from across the organization including MEAL, HR & Finance

SCOPE AND AUTHORITY:

Scope of the Role:

The postholder is expected to engage at a strategic level at both country and regional levels in representing Islamic Relief to donors and other external stakeholders and increase visibility as well as access and manage funds in support of their strategic priorities.

Responsibility for Resources:

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The job holder is accountable for fulfilling his or her roles and responsibilities in line with Islamic values and principles of fairness, humanity, honesty, respect, and fair treatment of his/her colleagues and staff.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Acquire and retain new donors and funding relationships from a range of institutional donors

• Actively identify and assess new opportunities by conducting in-depth donor and industry scans.
• To take responsibility for establishing, maintaining, and strengthening relationships with donors and creating opportunities to share the Islamic relief programme profile.
• Keep abreast of donor policy developments and represent Islamic Relief in relevant funding groups/networks.
• Ongoing analysis of donor funding strategies, opportunities, and alignment with Islamic Relief strategy.

Acquire and retain new donors and funding relationships from a range of institutional donors

• Actively identify and assess new opportunities by conducting in-depth donor and industry scans.
• To take responsibility for establishing, maintaining, and strengthening relationships with donors and creating opportunities to share the Islamic Relief programme profile.
• Keep abreast of donor policy developments and represent Islamic relief in relevant funding groups/networks.
• Ongoing analysis of donor funding strategies, opportunities, and alignment with Islamic Relief strategy.

Provide leadership on new proposals, manage proposal development teams, taking responsibility for high-quality proposals that respond to donors’ criteria

• Manage the preparation of programme funding applications to institutional donors, including DFID, ECHO, SIDA, G,AC and UN agencies.
• Develop high-quality programme and projects in line with regional and country strategy
• Develop and share competitive intelligence analysis and support country offices in deciding on consortia formulation or joint programme funding opportunities.

Strategy development both for local and regional funding.

• Develop and implement an institutional funding strategy in line with the local and regional opportunities/needs while in close collaboration with the head of the region, country director & Head of Programmes.
• Coordinate with functional programmes/departments in maintaining best practices in donor relations/engagement, sharing donor intelligence and updates regularly.
• Review and provide guidance on proposals to ensure high-quality standards and adherence to donor requirements.
• Contribute to each country’s office’s strategy and annual business plan development processes.

Build local capacity in maintaining donor relations, and identifying funding opportunities.

• Train staff in the adherence to donor and Islamic Relief guidelines to ensure continuous relationship and engagement with Donors and other INGOs.
• Develop staff capacity in writing high-quality proposals to illustrate to the prospective institutional donors of the impact and value for money.
• Provide guidance on donor policy and focus and identify institutional funding prospects beyond traditional donors.

Responsible for enabling compliance with donors’ requirements and ensuring timely and quality reporting to donors

• Ensure team and partner organizations included in funding applications are aware of donor requirements and advice on appropriate systems that may be required to ensure compliance.
• Provide technical oversight to country programme teams in relation to bilateral donors’ specific compliance requirements
• Regular representation at the regional & national level within bilateral and multilateral organizations.
• Support effective monitoring and evaluation of programmes and ensure that donor reports are of high quality

Deliver continuous guidance and support to achieve fundraising income, programme delivery, and compliance targets on donor-funded programs

• Collaborate with the team to develop the strategic focus on programme development and funding initiatives to maximize income from existing and new institutional donors
• Build the capacity of teams in programme development, proposal writing, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Strengthen programme funding strategy in collaboration with other associated actors.

Others:

• Take initiatives to ensure the security of staff and participants during the intervention.
• Willing and able to travel frequently to areas of the projects & different external bodies.
• Ensure the safety of team members from any harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation to achieve the program’s goals on safeguarding implementation and as well as Act as a key source of support, guidance, and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment.
• Being a member of Islamic Relief as a child-friendly organization, it is the core responsibility and obligation of each staff member to understand and obey IR Child Protection & PSEA Policy and respond accordingly as and when required.
• Perform any other duties assigned by Supervisor.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, international relations, business administration, Social Science, or a related discipline
• At least 18 years (s) of experience in a relevant field/sector
• Knowledge and expertise in working with institutional donors including EC, DFID, SIDA, and UN agencies
• Significant and proven experience of successful bid leadership across development and/or humanitarian grants
• Communication and networking skills for relationship building and facilitation in a multicultural environment
• Ability to facilitate, maintain and manage good working relationships between staff, volunteers, partners, and donors.
• Ability to work on short-term assignments with tight deadlines while managing multiple projects
• Capacity building experience including training and skills development.
• Ability to work independently, and function effectively as a member of a regional team and adhere to strict deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills, including written, verbal, and presentation skills

Desirable:

• An in-depth understanding of international development and Bangladesh’s economic, social, and development context
• High level of numeracy and understanding of financial controls and procedures
• Project Cycle management and monitoring, evaluation, and learning methodologies
• Fluency in English
• Self Development & Adaptive behavioral Skills, Mental Health Stability