SPECIALIST, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT at CARE USA

CARE is seeking the Institutional Funding and Strategy (IFS) Business Development Specialist (BDS), who will play a key role in assisting in the development of proposals, primarily to the US Government. This position will report to the Senior Business Development Manager. The Business Development Specialist is self-motivated, detail-oriented and energetic with a strong work ethic. This key team member is well organized and has excellent written and verbal communication skills to assist with the day-to-day operations within IFS.

The BDS will be responsible for the administration, production, and configuration of proposal submissions. On large or complex development bids, the BDS will play a supporting role to the Business Development Manager(s). In addition, the BDS will lead small proposals, as well as sub opportunities. The BDS works closely with the other members of IFS and with Member, Country Office, and HQ staff to ensure responsiveness to the requirements of the RFP/A and consistency with CARE’s best practices and Country needs and interests. Like all of IFS’ proposal managers, the Business Development Specialist plays an important role in advocating for proposals to reflect CARE’s commitment to rights-based programming.

This position is the first position in IFS’ business development career pathway and is specifically designed to provide a strong foundation and experience in business development as preparation for growing into IFS’ Business Development Manager role.

Responsibilities:

Proposal Development:

• Supports the Business Development Manager in coordinating large/complex proposals, including support in facilitating design sessions, coordinating and maintaining team documentation, coordinating inputs from Country Offices and technical teams, and ensuring the completion of all annexes for final submission.
• Supports the Business Development Manager in making an initial assessment of CARE’s ability to effectively compete, and factors required to assure a successful bid.
• Supports the Business Development Manager in identifying potential partners and plays a supporting role in the negotiation of teaming agreements.
• Supports the Business Development Manager in providing guidance to the proposal team on proposal content, strategy, staffing, partners and budgeting; and keeping the proposal team on time with deliverables according to the proposal calendar.
• Supports the review of draft proposals for responsiveness and competitiveness; completing compliance checks; leading the development of annexes and supporting documents; and other proposal tasks as assigned.
• Supports the Business Development Manager in providing accurate and timely information to Talent Acquisition to inform job descriptions and profiles required for proposal writing, key positions and consultant assignments.
• Support After-Action Review process after each proposal to ensure proposal lessons learned are captured and will help develop business development guidance documents to capture such knowledge and learning from proposals.
• Leads the development of smaller opportunities, including RFI response, Concept Notes, and sub bids.

Research and support:

• Research competitors and document and store in appropriate SharePoint database for broader use.
• As assigned, provide research and support to the Business Development Manager overseeing the portfolio on the following tasks and deliverables:
  • Planning with program counterparts (or other technical counterparts as assigned) to anticipate and plan for opportunities relevant to assigned portfolio.
  • Annual reviews, strategic planning, and operational plans for assigned portfolio.
  • Researching and gathering business intelligence for the purpose of identifying opportunities in advance; tracking and responding to donor trends; and engaging with partners and donors to promote CARE.
  • Proposal Development Learning and Capacity Building Efforts.

Business Development Process: Support ongoing IFS efforts to improve its business development processes, particularly those relevant to their position. This includes contributing to the development, maintenance, and promotion of IFS BD guidance as well as supporting development of training models, guidance documents, and best practices for capacity building in areas relevant to their position.

Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in development studies or related, or field that emphasizes critical writing and thinking skills
• At least one year of experience in USG business development
• Excellent writing skills with special emphasis on clear, persuasive language; strong editing skills; knowledge of US government proposal requirements; and ability to work under tight deadlines

Desired:

• Two years of experience in proposal development or program design
• Facilitation and training skills; foreign language capabilities; and familiarity with CARE or similar organizations