Cost Proposal Design Officer at African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) 188 views0 applications

African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) works with the people of Africa to ensure its wildlife and wild lands thrive in modern Africa. The organization is seeking a high-performing individual to fill the position of Cost Proposal Design Officer who will contribute to AWF’s Program Design (PD) Department by helping raise funds for key programs.

The Cost Proposal Design Officer will be responsible for developing cost applications, budgets and budget narratives for project proposals in coordination with country, program and finance teams in order to raise public funds for existing and planned program activities. Tasks include developing templates and cost reference materials as well as researching, budgeting, writing and submitting cost proposals to public donors. The Cost Proposal Design Officer will also maintain Salesforce records to drive cultivation and pipeline management.

Responsibilities

Proposal Development and Budgeting (80%)

• Conduct the full range of activities required to prepare, submit, and manage grant proposals with a specific focus on cost proposals to secure public funding as a part of the proposal development team within PD and in very close collaboration with the finance team.
• Work under the leadership of “account managers” on the PD team, and support responding to Requests For Proposals.
• Coordinate proposal development teams.
• Work with team leads from finance and programs, developing professional and compelling cost proposals and budget narratives.
• Put together designated sections of proposal packages, such as organizational background, certifications and representations, qualifications summaries and past performance.
• Assist in executing proposal development team meetings, including agenda development, meeting facilitation, documentation, and follow-up items.
• Maintain proposal development calendars and the scheduling of external and internal meetings
• Develop and standardize internal budgeting/costing processes for cost proposals, working closely with the Senior Finance Manager.
• Create budget templates compliant to donor requirements.
• Develop and update a database for cost figures relevant for AWF offices and landscape/field programs for easy utilization during project budgeting.
• Liaise with Human Resources department on costs of employment for staff and keep track of existing and projected level of efforts of staff for proposal budgeting purposes.
• Assist in executing project development team meetings, including agenda development, meeting facilitation, documentation, and follow-up items.
• Maintain proposal development timelines and the scheduling of external and internal meetings.
• Provide or secure PD input into technical and financial reports to public donors.
• Gather data on financial flows relevant to strategic planning for program design.
• Create fundraising reports requested by PD “account managers”.
• Assist with other research assignments, as assigned.

Project Grant Management Support (20%)

• Work closely with “account managers” as assigned, ensuring PD activity is properly recorded in Salesforce/Box and that grants management and financial reporting activities are completed on time.
• Assist in the processing of grants in coordination with PD “account managers”, finance and program/country teams.
• Support grant management teams to ensure compliance and that contractual obligations to donor are met.
• Review financial project reports.
• Log data relevant to current and prospective funder tracking into PD’s online and offline tracking tools.
• Liaise with account managers and PD team members in Nairobi to support proposal development and cultivation activities as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting, business or other relevant field.
• Excellent budgeting skills are a must, including the ability to work with technical leads to build accurate cost proposals.
• Must possess database management skills.
• Must possess strong skills in Microsoft Excel.
• Must be proficient in research, interpreting, and analyzing diverse data and processes.
• Must possess the ability to work collaboratively and independently to achieve stated goals.
• Must be highly organized with the ability to implement systems and follow-up process.
• Must possess strong analytical skills.
• Must pay attention to detail.
• Must have the ability to meet deadlines.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. French or German language skills are preferred.