Business Development Specialist II, Niger

CRS Background

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS’s mission is to save lives and alleviate suffering, accelerate the end of poverty, hunger, and preventable disease, and cultivate just and peaceful societies, always placing the dignity of the human person at the center. Among CRS’s key aspirations in its Vision 2030 is strengthening local leadership and empowering local communities and the institutions that support their development to be effective and impactful leaders.

Country Background

CRS has been supporting program activities in Niger since 1991. Currently, CRS Niger has approximately 400 national staff and 10 international staff, with an annual budget over $30 million. CRS Niger implements multiple projects including: a USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Affairs-funded RFSA project, a Global Fund nationwide malaria project, KFW and PATRIP-funded stabilization projects, as well as humanitarian response and recovery projects in Diffa and Tillabéri with funding from multiple donors. CRS Niger has sub-offices in Zinder, Diffa and Tillabéri. The integration of social cohesion and land restoration are key components across CRS Niger programming.

CRS is renewing and reinvigorating its commitment to local leadership and accelerating this transition in Niger. CRS Business Development/Program Quality staff will play a key role in this transition, supporting new partnership models under business development opportunities, and providing direct support to local organizations in the identification and pursuit of funds (that may not result in direct revenue for CRS). CRS’s vision is to support the local Caritas and other local implementing organizations to pursue funding opportunities and to receive and then manage those donor resources directly.

Job Summary:

As Business Development and Program Quality Specialist (BD/PQS) II, you will work closely with the Head of Programs, Country Representative and other CP stakeholders to ensure strategic positioning and resource mobilization in-line with Niger Country Program Strategies, strengthening PQ through KML systems that leverage program results, and support capacity strengthening of key partners and staff.

The BD/PQS will be expected draw on experience, expertise and industry standards to lead positioning and resource mobilization efforts in the CP. The BD/PQS will effectively collaborate with diverse internal and external stakeholders to lead and produce high-quality funding applications. The BD/PQS will work closely with the Head of Programs and other CP stakeholders (MEAL, technical staff) to strengthen PQ knowledge, management and learning (KML) systems to leverage program results for more effective and strategic communications, positioning, and integration of learning and innovation in future program design. As part of these KML efforts, the BD/PQS will strengthen the CP reporting system to increase quality of written reports, monitoring of trends and reflection on program data.

The BD/PQS will also work closely with CRS staff working on local leadership and the Country Representative to support local Caritas and other local implementing organizations to identify and pursue funding opportunities based on their organization’s priorities and strengthen partners’ capacity in resource mobilization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Job Responsibilities:

• Oversee CRS Niger’s resource mobilization strategy and priorities and lead Country Program business development pipeline tracking and analysis, including trends in donor investments, proposal submissions, and performance, and resource mobilization targets.
• Provide BD expertise in positioning, capture planning, and proposal preparation for specific opportunities with institutional as well as non-traditional donors. This would include leading the assembly of Proposal Teams, serving as Coordinator or other lead roles, and/or leading proposal writing for specific opportunities.
• Review new opportunities in collaboration with local partners so as to support them with positioning, capture planning and proposal preparation for their submission to donors.
• Support senior management to cultivate and strengthen institutional relationships with institutional donors, partner organizations, non-traditional donors and other stakeholders.
• Work closely with the Head of Programs and other CP stakeholders (MEAL, technical staff) to establish and strengthen PQ knowledge, management, and learning (KML) systems to leverage program results/learning, track donor knowledge for more effective and strategic communications, positioning, and integration of lessons learned and innovation in future design/proposal development processes.
• Drawing on experience and expertise, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, strengthen the Country Program donor and project reporting system and capacity in order to increase quality, timeliness, and compliance of written reports, monitor trends and reflect on data for learning and adaptive management.
• Lead capacity strengthening of key partners and staff to improve their skills in specific areas and tools of the BD cycle, including leveraging of results, proposal development, representation to donor and partner organizations, and intelligence-gathering.
• Promote familiarity with and strengthen application of Compass and PM standards by CRS staff and partners;
• Support PMs to establish systems to capture, document, and share learning with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support CP-wide dialogue on cross-cutting priorities, including gender, protection, and peacebuilding, and create cross-sectoral linkages to share and apply learning.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity in order to provide timely information for proposal submissions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in international development, international relations, or related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar.
• Fluency in French
• Minimum five years of international development experience, with at least three years’ experience in a developing country; previous experience as Project Manager and/or Business Development Specialist desired
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive applications and proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS.
• Familiarity with USG funding mechanisms and proposal requirements. Specific experience with food security programming and with non-USG public donors highly desirable.
• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.
• Experience in successfully collaborating with and supporting capacity strengthening of local organizations, especially in areas related to fundraising .
• Demonstrated experience organizing and facilitating trainings and workshops to peers and colleagues required; knowledge of instructional design and adult learning principles and/or direct training experience highly desirable
• Experience with CRS programming approaches, standards of quality and tools preferred
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Personal Skills

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally, and in multi-cultural settings. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Very good interpersonal, communications and presentation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Required Language: English and French

Travel Required: 15-20% travel, both in-country and internationally

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: The BD/PQS II will directly supervise a Business Development or PQ Project Officer.

Internal: Country Representative, Niger Deputy Head of Programs, Program Managers, Regional BD Manager, Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality, HQ IDEA team, HQ PIQA team

External: CADEV (Caritas Niger), USAID, other donors and partners

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. 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.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

***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.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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