KENYA PROGRAM
Position Title: Consultant - Business Development (Ref.2013/C/26) Dept./Location: EARO/Nairobi, Kenya Area of Interest: Business Development Position Type: Consultant
NOTE: We are seeking candidates already living in Kenya!
“About CRS”: Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.”
BACKGROUND: CRS Kenya has in recent years benefited from a Business Development Manager to support the Country Program’s growth efforts. The Country Program has a diversified program portfolio covering areas including, agriculture and livelihoods, emergency response and support to IDPs/refugees, justice and peace, and WASH, education and health. Although funding for CRS from the USG and other sources has been strong over the past few years, the Country Program is facing an increasingly competitive donor environment, and capacity to develop high-quality proposals is becoming ever more critical. CRS Kenya has a full-time business development manager to support business development efforts and is looking for a short-term business development consultant to assist with proposal development
JOB SUMMARY: The Business Development Consultant will assist the BD Manager in pursuing current and future opportunities for all donors, including USAID, Global Fund, US based foundations and corporate organizations; private US-based donors; as well as non-traditional UN, national organizations and other European donors, with an emphasis on competitive mechanisms. They will help create strategic resource acquisition plans, identify and respond to funding opportunities, and oversee the donor cultivation cycle. This will include monitoring the evolution of donor regulations, funding mechanisms, and application requirements to ensure the compliance and responsiveness of CRS proposals. As a member of the agency’s broader business development community of practice, they will also provide staff with information and informal training to improve their skills in proposal development, representation to donor and partner organizations, donor and partner intelligence-gathering, and marketing of CRS’ capacities to enhance our competitiveness.
Timing: The consultant is expected to begin in January and the expected duration is approximately four months.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: Pre-positioning • Stay abreast of trends in new business development and share those within the Kenya team.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity in order to provide timely information for proposal submission. • Monitor regulatory revisions, proposal guidelines, and application requirements for priority donors together with BD manager to ensure that new proposals adhere to them. • Identify programming ideas and areas of technical excellence with which CRS can cultivate donor interest • Support country program to develop appropriate and effective fundraising strategies involving donor research and intelligence, product development, marketing, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Develop/cultivate relationships with for-profit and other organizations to increase CRS’ opportunities for partnering and consortia building for funding opportunities. • Strengthen intelligence and market research to identify potential donors and develop marketing strategy to pursue funding from non-traditional donors (Foundations, Embassies, INGOs, EU, U.N., European, Australian, Canadian and other donor agencies, World Bank etc.). • Maintain an up-to-date Intel matrix reflecting donor priorities and upcoming opportunities. • Develop and implement proactive capture plans for upcoming opportunities. • Work with technical business development candidate to complile technical positioning research. • Work closely with Kenya Business Development Manager, Regional Business Development Manager and the EARO Business Development Community through communication and coordination of all national and international funding opportunities and trends, detailed monthly tracking reports, capture planning and other strategies to track and influence donor strategies.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity in order to provide timely information for proposal submission. • Monitor regulatory revisions, proposal guidelines, and application requirements for priority donors together with BD manager to ensure that new proposals adhere to them. • Identify programming ideas and areas of technical excellence with which CRS can cultivate donor interest • Support country program to develop appropriate and effective fundraising strategies involving donor research and intelligence, product development, marketing, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Develop/cultivate relationships with for-profit and other organizations to increase CRS’ opportunities for partnering and consortia building for funding opportunities. • Strengthen intelligence and market research to identify potential donors and develop marketing strategy to pursue funding from non-traditional donors (Foundations, Embassies, INGOs, EU, U.N., European, Australian, Canadian and other donor agencies, World Bank etc.). • Maintain an up-to-date Intel matrix reflecting donor priorities and upcoming opportunities. • Develop and implement proactive capture plans for upcoming opportunities. • Work with technical business development candidate to complile technical positioning research. • Work closely with Kenya Business Development Manager, Regional Business Development Manager and the EARO Business Development Community through communication and coordination of all national and international funding opportunities and trends, detailed monthly tracking reports, capture planning and other strategies to track and influence donor strategies.
Pursuing Opportunities • Work with proposal team to develop and maintain timelines reflecting respective responsibilities of team members and due dates. • Lead and coordinate processes and provide direct technical assistance to staff for timely submission of high quality concept notes and proposals that are responsive to and compliant with donor requirements and with CRS technical application and cost application standards. • Compile and edit technical information from technical staff, produce budgets, and produce attachments, as required depending on complementary capacities of proposal development team. • Provide specific support to proposed management and staffing plans, resource management plans, cost applications, and proposal appendices/annexes. • Assist with recruitment of high quality candidates who meet donor requirements for proposals.
AGENCY-WIDE COMPETENCIES (for all CRS Staff) These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results. • Serves with Integrity • Models Stewardship • Cultivates Constructive Relationships • Promotes Learning
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS: Internal to CRS: Business Development Manager, Head of Programming and all program staff, particularly unit managers. Management Quality staff, particularly Head of MQ and finance manager. All Regional Technical Advisors, Business Development team, particularly Regional Business Development Specialist.
External to CRS: Officials in USAID, and other government organizations; Representatives from for-profit and other non-profit organizations; Representatives of non-traditional public donors including UN, World Bank, and others.
PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: • Experience and proven track record of successful proposal development with USG and other donor agencies • Listening, mediation, and facilitation skills • Sound judgment, assertiveness, and commitment to the Agency's mission • Self-motivated, with the ability to motivate others and coordinate a large amount of activity • Strong organizational and planning skills • Knowledge of CRS program quality standards, partnership principles and Catholic Social Teaching principles is preferred
QUALIFICATIONS: • Master's degree in international development, or related field, or equivalent experience. • Experience developing USAID, USDA, State Department, ECHO, CDC, and UN proposals and familiarity with their policies, procedures, and priorities. • Have both contract and cooperative agreement experience • Minimum two years of professional NGO experience, preferably CRS experience, working in a developing country managing US Government funded projects in integrated community development in two or more of the following areas: food security, livelihood, HIV/AIDS, Water and Sanitation, disaster mitigation and emergency response. • Exceptional communication skills and superior writing ability. • Demonstrated successful experience in project design with local partners through participatory processes. • Strong representation skills. • Strong analytical and conceptual skills. • Experience with and commitment to working in a team structure. • Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) required, preferably experience with Microsoft Publisher. • Demonstrated cost application development skills; extensive experience with proposal budgets and budget notes. • Experience with consortium development and competitive partnership building. • Experience with staff and partner capacity development • Experience with working in a team structure • Ability to represent the Agency with partners, local government, donor organizations & funding organizations, etc., as needed • Excellent communication and interpersonal and networking skills required
Submission • Letter of expression of interest and demonstration of capability • Evidence of past experience in undertaking similar assignments (three most recent documents) of similar works done • At least three previous clients and their contacts
How to apply:
Applicants are kindly requested to send their CV along with a cover letter to CRS Office by e-mail (see below) by Monday January 6, 2013.
Human Resources Manager Catholic Relief Services – Kenya Program E-mail: hr@ke.earo.crs.org
Note: Please indicate the Reference Number of the position you are applying for on the ‘email subject.
