Senior Business Development Officer (Grant Acquisition) 324 views0 applications

Back ground

World Vision Uganda is a Christian relief, development and advocacy non-government organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. We currently work in over 82 districts in Uganda implementing projects in health & nutrition, water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH), livelihoods & community resilience, education and child protection. World Vision (WV) is committed to the protection of children and adult beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse and will not employ people whose background is not suitable for working with the beneficiaries above. All employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible.

Due to expansion in scope of our programmes, we are now seeking for qualified and passionate individuals willing to share in our vision and join our team in the position below.

Position: Senior Business Development Officer (Grant Acquisition)

Report to: Senior Resource Development Manager

Location: Kampala – National Office

Purpose of the position:

The Senior Business Development Officer will work within the Resource Development Unit and alongside technical leads on the development of quality project proposals. He/she will lead program and proposal development and design for high-value, competitive, complex funding opportunities, in line with World Vision Uganda’s strategy. This includes pursuing grant and private funding opportunities for multi-sectoral and multi-area relief, recovery and development programs. The job holder will also support the creation and promotion of strategic alliances with donors, multilateral agencies, and other NGOs for purposes of resources mobilisation. As this is a senior role, the job holder is expected to work on complex funding opportunities (including proposals in consortia) and to lead overall coordination processes with World Vision support offices, donors and partners.

Key Outputs/Responsibilities.

Resource Acquisition and Proposal Writing

• Research and review possible funding opportunities and prepare grant opportunity synopses.
• Coordinate Go/No Go meetings to evaluate funding opportunities with key senior staff.
• Play a lead role in coordinating with World Vision Uganda technical leads and support offices to develop high quality, innovative proposals.
• Act as overall coordinator between support offices, partners, technical leads, the grant finance unit and other relevant departments (HR, security, M&E, procurement) during the design process until project start up.
• Be the lead writer on grant proposals.
• Work closely with finance and technical staff to develop budgets.
• Review and improve concepts from field offices to proposal level.
• Coordinate and lead proposal design workshops/meetings.
• Coordinate proposal writing processes with external partners in consortia.

Grant Acquisition Business Planning

• Conduct ongoing monitoring and analysis of new grant opportunities by researching on donor websites, newspaper postings and through support offices.
• Maintain up-to-date mapping on donor contacts, trends and opportunities.
• Contribute to mapping of all funding sources with key stakeholders.
• Identify public and private (for profit/not for profit) partners that map against World Vision Uganda’s strategy and establish relationships for prepositioning.
• Support the program strategy and planning process with all functions to ensure alignment with the context, humanitarian needs and strategy as well as operational feasibility and technical quality.

External Engagement & Partnership Development

• Represent World Vision Uganda to local donor delegations and build/maintain relationships with other NGOs.
• Liaise with partners and donor, as appropriate, throughout the grant application process.
• Participate in external events such as donor meetings, working groups, etc. as required.
• Work closely with the Partnerships Specialist to conduct due diligence and forge formal agreements with new partners.

Information Management

• Maintain proposal archives and databases.
• Compile and analyse relevant information to inform proposal design and promote learning.
• Map and compile program information for sharing as required with internal and external stakeholders.

Other

• Be flexible to undertake additional tasks, from time to time, in order to enhance the overall performance of the Programme Quality Division and World Vision Uganda in general.

Qualifications: Education/Knowledge/Technical Skills and Experience

• The ideal candidate for the World Vision Senior Business Development Officer job opportunity should hold a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, International Development, International Relations or related field.
• Five years of field-based experience in international development in East African region and demonstrated knowledge of relevant sectorial and operational areas.
• Experience with proposal development including support and writing with various donors, particularly US Government, European Union, UN agencies, private foundations and corporations required.
• Understanding of donor proposal requirements (EuropeAid/USAID/DFID, corporates, etc.).
• Track record of success in grant fundraising, including donor relations and proposal writing.
• Note: given the seniority of this role within the unit the job holder will be allocated the proposals that are of higher-than-average complexity, budget and strategic importance.
• Highly skilled in program design, including development of log frames, results frameworks, and budgeting.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching, as well as the ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, donor agencies, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public.
• Self-starter who can work independently under pressure.
• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).
• Excellent writing skills.
• Ability to work under pressure in a rapidly changing and insecure environment.
• Advanced computer competence (Microsoft Office).
• Proactive personality, self-driven and strongly motivated.
• Capacity/potential in leadership, relationship management/networking, and coordination.
• Good interpersonal skills, strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Proven conceptual & analytical skills, ability to take an evidence-based approach to programme design.
• Team player.