Job Description
Job Title: Business Development Specialist II — Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau
Job Type: Regular, full-time
Reports To: Senegal Country Representative
Job Location: Dakar, Senegal
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.
Country Background
As one of the first international NGOs invited to work when Senegal gained independence in 1960, CRS has been actively working in the country for more than 55 years. CRS’ long-term presence has allowed us to respond effectively to changing conditions within the country. With two regional offices and a central headquarters in Dakar, CRS Senegal also maintains programming in neighboring The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. Working closely with various partners, CRS Senegal provides assistance in Health & Nutrition, WASH, Emergency Response, Microfinance, Agriculture, and Peace-building.
This is an exciting and dynamic post for an experienced Business Development professional with the drive to represent and lead CRS programming transformation and growth
The Business Development Specialist II (BDS) will operate as a member of both CRS’ West Africa team and CRS’ global BD community, providing direct support to strategic growth opportunities as well as helping to strengthen BD-related systems, processes, relationships and staff capacities in Senegal. While based in Dakar, Senegal, the BDS will also be responsible for leading external fundraising for The Gambia and Guinea Bissau, traveling to those countries as needed.
This is an exciting and dynamic post for an experienced Business Development professional with the drive to represent and lead CRS programming transformation and growth.
Job Summary:
As BDS you will lead 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. Your knowledge and skills will allow you to provide specialized assistance in all dimensions of the BD cycle to cross-disciplinary and cross-functional teams.
Job Responsibilities:
Prepositioning
- Collaborate with Country Program staff to develop and maintain key relationships with donors, collaborating organizations, and private sector actors with an eye toward opportunity identification, shared value creation, strategic alliance formation, and global brand positioning.
- Research, analyze and plan for new funding opportunities, competitive intelligence, and CRS’ competitive positioning on a continuous basis within the marketplace in a timely manner. Support effective internal communication and information management processes to ensure access and use of BD information by relevant stakeholders within the agency, including maintaining an up-to-date opportunities matrix.
- Work with the WARO BD Manager, CR, and HoP to identify international partners and negotiate CRS’ role on proposal consortia, ensuring a competitive position for CRS that adheres to the agency’s partnership principles and strategic directions.
- Foster a culture of business development within the country program by contributing to the development and dissemination of standardized BD materials (learning resources, guidelines, tools and templates, and online information) and build capacity of country program staff on their application, through staff mentorship, modeling of good practices, and training.
- With the country programs’ functional teams to develop appropriate and effective fundraising and positioning strategies involving donor research and intelligence, product development, marketing, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, as needed.
- Lead the country programs’ opportunity pipeline tracking and analysis, including portfolio trends, proposal submissions and performance, and growth projections.
Capture Planning and Proposal and Concept Note Development
- Apply BD skills to guide and/or lead teams in opportunity analysis, capture planning, proposal preparation (includes proposal development budget, human resource needs, proposal development timeline, coordination with WARO and HQ, partner management, etc.), proposal development, proposal review, and after-action review.
- Lead the country teams to manage proposal processes, often as the Proposal Coordinator or Lead Writer, to ensure timely submission of high-quality proposals that are responsive to and compliant with donor requirements and CRS’s technical application and cost application standards. This includes coordinating review timelines with Regional and Headquarters’-based staff, support personnel recruitment, budget development, non-technical proposal writing, and/or editing/packaging as part of proposal team.
- Provide internal reviews of technical and cost applications prepared by other staff, reviewing for clarity, responsiveness, presentation, and compliance, in coordination with the HOP and Finance Officer.
Documentation of results, reporting and marketing
- Work with relevant staff to leverage CRS’s programmatic and operational results for marketing, positioning, and direct fundraising purposes, including maintaining data on past performance and agency capacity, publications and dissemination, and donor visits.
- Participate in quarterly program reviews and evaluations to ensure systematic documentation of program best practices and lessons learned by program staff, maintain a centralized system with access by all staff and disseminate as appropriate.
- Conceptualize and oversee the production of appropriate marketing materials for the CRS portfolio in collaboration with programming and administrative staff. This is likely to include the Annual Report for local Bishops and other interested parties, project fact sheets, sectoral and/or geographic focus brochures, past performance documentation, and others.
Shared services
- Provide specialized expertise in select areas of the BD cycle, priority program sectors and funding sources, and/or relevant cross-cutting skill sets, as a member of CRS’ global pool of BD talent. Contribute effectively to global strategic initiatives through a shared services structure.
Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, international relations, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum five years of international development experience, with at least three years’ experience in a developing country.
- Demonstrated experience utilizing diverse, proactive strategies to competitively position his/her organization for new funding and productive institutional relationships.
- Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar and AP style.
- Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS.
- Comprehensive familiarity with a broad range of institutional donor technical and cost requirements.
- Experience with USAID, European Union and DFID RFP and RFA funding mechanisms highly desirable.
- Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.
- Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes, leading teams to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and at exceptional quality.
- 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. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
- Excellent negotiation skills.
- Strong communications and presentation skills.
- Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
Required/Desired Foreign Language
Travel Required: Approx. 30% to locations within Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau
Key Working Relationships: Internal: Head of Programs, Country Representative, CRS/Senegal and The Gambia Program Managers, Regional Business Development Manager, West Africa Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality, Regional Information Manager, IDEA, HQ Marketing and Communications staff
External: Project partners, Catholic Church, Donor Agencies, Peer NGO agencies
Supervisory: N/A
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
- 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.
- Integrity
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Builds Relationships
- Develops Talent
- Strategic Mindset
- Accountability & Stewardship
What we offer
CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, generous retirement savings plan and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.
****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.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
EOE/M/F/D/V – CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
More Information
- Job City Dakar
