Business Development Specialist I-Ethiopia (Remote)

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

About CRS in Ethiopia

For over 60 years, CRS Ethiopia has taken the lead in responding to natural and human‑made disasters affecting Ethiopia’s most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS’ disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought‑ and flood‑prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food interventions in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance.

Job Summary:

As Business Development (BD) Specialist I, you will contribute to the production of high-quality applications for funding in support of CRS’ engagement with institutional donors and initiatives involved in international development to serve the poor and vulnerable. Through both internal and external networking, you will keep up to date on the major trends in donor funding, partnership opportunities and operating context of Ethiopia. Your knowledge and skills will allow you to contribute to improving aspects of the BD cycle for the country program.

NOTE: This is a remote position; CRS will give preference to candidates who are based in countries where we have existing offices. CRS does not sponsor visas for remote employees.

**Preference for candidates in or within 8 hours of the East Africa Time Zone.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to proposal development processes to ensure timely submission of high-quality proposals that are responsive to donor requirements, applicable regulations, and CRS’ technical and cost standards.
• Contribute to non-technical writing on proposals and proposal review panels. Integrate inputs from staff and partners into a responsive, coherent proposal.
• Research new opportunities and CRS’ competitive position within the marketplace.
• Help develop and maintain tools, guidelines, templates and donor intelligence information.
• Track and report on proposal submissions; assist with analysis of successes and failures and dissemination of lessons learned. Assist in developing analytical reports for internal and external use, including portfolio trends and growth.
• With the business development team and others, refine or create appropriate staff development materials (training, distance learning, self-study) to support building of capacity in resource acquisition, such as assessment and proposal development skills, basic elements of donor compliance, intelligence-gathering, etc.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity, in order to provide timely information for proposal submissions.
• Support senior management to cultivate and strengthen relationships with institutional donors, partner organizations, government, private sector, academia, and other stakeholders.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity, in order to provide timely information for proposal submissions.
• Liaise closely with East Africa Regional Office (EARO) and Global BD community of practice, linking up with additional support as needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture.
• Good relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally.
• Good negotiation skills.
• Very good communications and presentation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Preferred Qualifications

• Very strong writer with expert command of English grammar and AP style.
• Demonstrated experience with competitive proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS.
• Familiarity with USG funding mechanisms and proposal requirements. Specific experience with food aid programming and with non-USG public donors highly desirable.
• General experience and skills in Agriculture/Livelihoods, Social Cohesion/Peacebuilding Humanitarian Response & Recovery, Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation, or Health & Health Systems Strengthening 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.

Required Languages- Excellent spoken and written English.

Travel - up to 30% to Ethiopia and during that time, within Ethiopia

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: CRS/Ethiopia Deputy Country Representative-Programs, CRS/Ethiopia Deputy Country Director- Operations, Program Managers, Chiefs of Party, regional East Africa Program Quality and Business Development Team and CRS headquarters’ IDEA team.

External: BD counterparts at key partner organizations (INGOs, Caritas partners, other local implementing partners, prospective partners, academia and private sector leaders). Points of contact at key donor and prospective donor organizations for Ethiopia.

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, international relations, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum three years of international development experience, with at least two years’ experience in a developing country.

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. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

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.

To ensure the safety of our staff, our partners, and the people we serve, CRS requires that staff be vaccinated against Covid-19. CRS complies with all federal and state laws to allow for accommodations, as needed with supporting documentation. However, accommodations may limit the roles that candidates are eligible for based on role requirements (e.g., travel, meetings with staff, partner, donors).

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 working remote, 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

To apply please click here.