MANAGER, COST PROPOSAL At CARE USA

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

CARE is seeking a Cost Proposal Manager (CPM) who will report to the Director for Business and Cost Proposal Management of the Institutional Funding & Strategy (IFS) unit of CARE USA. As an integral member, s/he will lead and package the assigned cost and pricing proposals in the pursuit of new business with the US Government and other institutional donors estimated up to $650m annually.

This individual works on multiple teams with simultaneous deadlines and collaborates with proposal response teams and CARE’s external teaming partners while ensuring that CARE’s costs are fully recovered in budgets, remain competitive, and meet donor and CARE requirements. The CPM shall support complex and major cost and pricing proposals for opportunities valued at $30m to $50m or higher. As CPM, s/he possesses the requisite cost and pricing technical and communication skills, models effective coordination and leadership of the cost proposal teams, and a strong champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The CPM also supervises and builds the capacity of Cost Proposal Specialist/s to ensure effective business practices and standards are consistently applied in determining the essential cost elements for each proposal submission in relation to the donor’s requirements and regulations, Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) for contracts and OMB Circulars and CFR’s for grants and cooperative agreements, as well as the applicable Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) and CARE cost recovery policies. The position holder also plays a key role in collaborating across functions within IFS and other key stakeholders (legal, compliance, finance, etc.) to address proposal risks, compliance and competitiveness concerns.

Responsibilities:

• Cost and Pricing Lead – provides technical advisory and assistance to Country Offices and HQ proposal teams and independently leads the preparation and consolidation of the cost and pricing proposal on major and complex USG and non-USG institutional opportunities.
• Management of proposal risks, compliance and competitiveness concerns – stays updated on donor regulations, industry best practices, as well as CARE policies.
• Staff Management – manages the Cost Proposal Specialist/s (CPS) and coordinates with the Senior Cost Proposal Manager in providing effective leadership in delivering quality cost and pricing support to proposal teams.
• Others – support and/or provide backup for the Senior Cost Proposal Manager and/or Director for Business and Cost Proposal Management.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Public/Business Administration or related field
• 4 years of grant/contract experience
• 5 years of budget development experience
• 5 years of financial analytical experience and proven skills
• 3 years of experience coordinating proposal development activities
• 2 years of managing direct reports/staff
• Communicating technical information to non-technical audience
• Providing guidance and technical expertise