Program Development Specialist At Siren Associates

Job Description:
Program Development Specialist
2024

About Siren Analytics
Siren Analytics helps organisations accelerate their digital transformation journey. We blend holistic change management support with cost efficient technologies so our partners become more responsive, efficient and impactful. We are a joint venture between CME, a multinational company providing digital services to Fortune 1000 companies, and Siren Associates, a change management advisory that has been reshaping the public sector across the Middle East for over a decade. Working at the intersection of technology and international development, Siren Analytics is helping organizations in the MENA region and beyond better serve their communities most pressing needs.
To learn more, visit https://materials.sirenanalytics.com/brochure.

Our Opportunity
Siren seeks to hire a Program Development Specialist that will work hand-in-hand with our Program Development Lead to accelerate our growth at the regional and international level.
You are a go-getter with a can-do attitude, with the ability to produce concise and highly relevant research and market analysis under pressure. You think best on your feet and thrive in contexts where you are given novel tasks or are asked to wrap your ahead around new subject matter areas. You have the confidence and capability to take workstreams from conception to completion – given a broad objective, you can translate it into tasks and then execute those tasks with little to no oversight. You are results driven, and not afraid to abandon practices or processes when they stand in the way of achieving those results.
As a key member of Siren Analytics’ vibrant Program Development Team, you will report to the Program Development Lead and work closely with senior leadership in developing our program development strategy. The role will be fast-paced and varied and will occasionally require working outside of office hours as we push for proposal submission. In return, we offer a working environment that is centred around employee wellbeing, flexible working arrangements, and the opportunity to leave a tangible positive impact on the communities we work with.
You will have the opportunity to help design innovative, out of the box, and impact-driven projects, learning from senior leadership what it means to be driven by first-principles thinking. You will work with software developers, data scientists, and AI specialists as well as public policy and subject matter experts from sectors ranging from education to environment to media and beyond, helping to translate their big ideas into tangible realities.

You Will
• Need core Responsibilities: Research, Market Analysis, and Proposal Design Support.
• Produce concise research products analyzing our markets, donors, clients, and partners that help us to identify entry points for program development; research to be produced rapidly on an on-demand basis in preparation for consultations with potential clients, helping translate existing leads into successful project proposals.
• Produce more in-depth research in support of the development of concept notes and full proposals; research should demonstrate to potential clients our understanding of 1) their needs 2) the context and 3) how Siren’s unique offering responds to both.
• Under the creative direction of the Program Development Lead, produce concept notes / project pitches that concisely articulate our understanding of the client’s problem, our proposed solution, and why Siren is best positioned to help them solve it.
• Under the direction of the Proposal Development Lead, draft sections of full proposals using concise, clear language, as required, ensuring alignment with the overall project theory of change.
• When necessary, lead on the development of smaller-scale proposals, coordinating various Siren resources (finance, compliance, M&E, technical experts) to produce winning proposals.
Additional Responsibilities
• Support the Program Development Lead in all phases of developing new program opportunities, including planning networking engagements, developing client approach strategies, and driving a results-based culture.
• Assist in networking and maintaining client relationships, utilizing interpersonal skills and a focus on building connections and fostering long-term relationships.
• Implement internal processes related to program development, demonstrating strong organizational skills and a thorough approach.
• Contribute to strategy development and identification of new program opportunities, staying abreast of emerging trends and technologies and reflecting a forward-thinking and growth-oriented approach.
• Adhere to the highest ethical standards in all activities, displaying integrity and transparency.

To be Successful in the Role, You Need

Competencies
• Go-getter attitude: The ability to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities, jumping on such opportunities and producing, in short order, the necessary products – pitches, research, and the like – that will allow Siren to convert those opportunities into projects.
• Results driven: The ability to set priorities against Siren’s objectives despite having imperfect information, and then execute against those priorities, with an unrelenting drive to deliver quality and, ultimately, results.
• Exceptional research skills that combine rigour and attention to detail with the ability to produce concise, clear, and relevant research that will drive executive decision-making.
• The confidence and capability to excel under pressure, work independently, and take a workstream from conception to completion; given a broad objective, you can translate it into tasks and then execute those tasks with little to no oversight.
• A structured, analytical, and systematic mindset with strong organizational and coordination abilities that allows you to develop credible concept notes, project pitches, and full project proposals.
• Strong English and Arabic writing ability, with the ability to write compelling, cogent, and concise proposals or pitches quickly with confidence.
• Interpersonal skills that allow you to manage relationships with donors, clients and partners.
• Strong ethical values.
• Experience or expertise in monitoring and evaluation is a plus.
• Good knowledge of the context of Lebanon and the MENA region considered a plus.
• Knowledge of the technology sector a plus.
• Knowledge of bilateral and multilateral donor processes for grants and tenders a plus.

Qualifications
• A bachelor’s degree in business administration, international development, public policy, or equivalent.
• 3 to 5 years professional experience in business/program development in NGOs or private sector – a mix is considered a plus.