Position Summary
Search for Common Ground (Search) seeks a highly qualified, motivated and innovative Programme Associate to work in Search’s Guinea office to develop and submit high quality donor proposals and tender bids that are aligned with Search’s priorities and demonstrate impact. S/he will be responsible for supporting the Country Director in overseeing reporting, reviewing project content and approaches, and leading new business development for the country programme. S/he must be proactive in identifying new and non-traditional sources of funding from a range of institutional donors and working with Search’s country staff and other fundraising teams to leverage Search’s funding prospects. S/he builds the capacity of Search country offices to develop and manage strategic consortium partnerships with other NGOs.
S/he will work under the direct supervision of the Country Director and closely with the project leaders and other programme staff and finance staff.
Project Description
For this section, you will enter a description of the relevant project for this position if applicable.
Key Responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities include:
Project Reporting
- Develop and update Guinea programme donor reporting calendar and report tracking system;
- Coordinate project reporting for all active projects by developing and setting internal report development, review processes and internal deadlines;
- Work with project teams to review, edit, and finalise results-oriented project reports;
- Support Country Director, and project teams to develop “success stories” from project activities and documenting project impact; and
- Build the capacity of the project teams to write high quality results-oriented reports.
Business Development
- Support the Country Director and the Regional Programme Development Coordinator in leading proposal development process including consultations, programme design, and proposal writing;
- Liaise with finance teams to develop proposal budgets;
- Liaise with design, monitoring and evaluation (DM&E) plus communication and learning teams to include DM&E and communications plans and strategies in proposals;
- Coordinate with regional team to ensure proposal budget compliance with Search requirements; and
- Support the Country Director in business development meetings with partners, donors, and other potential stakeholders.
- Work with staff from Search offices (including programme, finance, fundraising, and M&E) to develop and submit large scale proposals and tender bids (£500k and more) ensuring that applications are high quality, aligned with Search’s priorities and demonstrating impact
- Review and provide feedback on proposals and tender bids ensuring compliance with proposal development guidelines
- Provide ongoing guidance on donor policy and focus and identify institutional funding prospects beyond Search’s traditional donors
Donor relationship building and influencing
- Support Search country staff as well as Search international fundraising and programme staff to develop and manage strategic consortium partnerships with appropriate CSOs, academic organisations and private sector firms to leverage Search’s chances of success in competitive calls for proposals and tender bids
- Support Search’s Country Programmes to conduct donor scoping exercises and develop programme-led fundraising strategies
- Support Search’s programme experts and senior leaders by identifying and facilitating opportunities for relationship building with key donors
Project Support
- Support project leaders on project and activity strategies and assist in identifying relevant Search resources and best practices;
- Review project activity work plans and approaches to ensure project elements are in line with the overarching project goal while also ensuring ‘Do No Harm’ and conflict sensitivity;
- Work with project and DM&E teams to review and analyzing project results;
Support project managers in planning, coordinating, and implementing activities where needed;
Qualifications
You meet the following qualifications:
Education
- First degree in peace building, conflict, security studies, political or social science, international studies, public administration, development studies and experience in a related area. Master’s degree preferred.
Experience
- Minimum three years of progressively responsible professional experience in reporting, project design, proposal and concept note design and development;
- Experience in reviewing call for proposals and reports; Experience in programme design and implementation tools such as Log frames, Grant chats, critical path theory, problem and objectives trees, stakeholder mapping and analysis tools, results chains among others.
- Excellent writing, reasoning and analytical skills
- Capacity building experience including training and skills development
- Experience of developing successful proposals and tender bids to institutional donors including but not limited to the EU, USAID, CSO, GIZ and the UN
- In-depth understanding of logical frameworks as a tool to develop theory of change and intervention logic
Skills and Competencies
Required
- Excellent French and English language skills (written and spoken)
Preferred
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment, often at a distance
- Ability to prioritise own workload and work with minimal supervision
- Ability to lead complex proposal development teams
- Knowledge of and exposure to a wide range peace; conflict transformation; human rights, governance and development-related issues;
- Ability to work under pressure and in a stressful environment;
- Willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field;
- Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to draft/edit a variety of written reports and communications and to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style;
- Ability to plan own work, manage conflicting priorities and work under pressure of tight and conflicting deadlines;
- Ability to review and interpret calls for proposals and translate proposal call guidelines into cogent and logical activities, outputs, outcomes and impact statements;
- Understanding of, and experience in developing cogent Theories of Change;
- Fully proficient computer skills and use of relevant software and other applications;
- Very good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations.
This position will close on September 17, 2019.
To apply, interested candidates should send the following items to our employment portal here:
- Current resume
- Cover Letter (which includes expectations of compensation and projected start date)
- 3 references’ contact details (name, position and institution, e-mail, telephone)
Please compile your writing sample and resume into one document as the system only has the functionality to upload two documents per application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.
All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Shared Humanity – Empathy – Impartiality – Inclusivity – Courage – Hope – Humility – Audacity. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest and Anti-fraud.
View our privacy policy here and our code of conduct here.
More Information
- Job City Conakry