Overview
About Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organization committed to the relief, assistance and advancement of the poorest people in the least developed countries of the world. Founded in Ireland in 1968, Concern Worldwide has nearly 4,000 personnel working in 24 countries across the globe. Concern believes in a world where no one lives in fear; where all have access to a decent standard of living and the opportunities essential to a long, healthy and creative life. Our mission is to help people living in absolute poverty achieve major improvements in their lives, improvements that are sustainable without ongoing support from Concern.
Concern envisions a world where no one lives in poverty, fear, or oppression where everyone can exercise their rights to a decent standard of living with equal access to opportunities. We believe in creating a culture of inclusion where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to the workplace. Building a diverse and inclusive team is an absolute necessity to deliver the solutions needed to achieve our core mission, because without promoting justice and equality, we cannot eliminate extreme poverty.
Concern Worldwide US (CUS) is an independent affiliate of Concern Worldwide, with offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. CUS advances the Concern Worldwide mission through mobilizing financial and human resources, as well as influencing and activating networks in the US to elevate programs globally.
The Business Development unit in New York provides proposal development support, coordination, and technical assistance to raise new business from the US Government (USG), as well as leadership in the cultivation and management of strategic partnerships with US-based foundations, private sector entities, and other institutions.
The Role:
Concern Worldwide US seeks a highly motivated team player to help us develop high quality programs and proposals in order to raise new funds from and expand our partnerships with institutions, with the ultimate aim to maintain and expand support for Concern Worldwide’s global humanitarian and poverty alleviation programs. This is an exciting opportunity to play an important role on a growing team, and to contribute to strategy, proposal development, and negotiation with donors and partners. As a member of the Business Development unit, the Senior Business Development Specialist will report to the Senior Director of Business Development & Institutional Partnerships and work closely with colleagues in and across departments as well as with Concern colleagues worldwide.
Responsibilities: Including but not limited to
· Lead on the development of high quality proposals and supporting documents for proactive pitches, as well as responses to competitive solicitations for a variety of US institutional donors (US government, US-based foundations, and US-based corporations);
· Serve as a lead or support writer, contributing both technical and non-technical content and integrating inputs from staff and partners into a responsive, coherent proposal with a compelling vision and clear win themes;
· Conduct thorough reviews of technical proposals, and support reviews of financial proposals with Concern US Finance team, to ensure they are programmatically sound, meet high copy and quality standards, and maintain donor compliance (including USAID and State Department) and solicitation- or donor-specific guidelines and deadlines, with a particular focus on proposals from USAID, USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), and US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM);
· Liaise with International Program Directorate in Ireland and Concern country program staff to provide guidance, coaching, and technical assistance on all aspects of business development, including pre-positioning/capture, program design, pitch/proposal development, and negotiation with donors and partners;
· Support and guide identification of partners and negotiation of Concern’s role on proposal teams (in prime and subrecipient roles), ensuring competitive and strategically aligned teams;
· Travel to strategic countries to assist with priority program and proposal development efforts important to Concern’s growth targets, as requested and jointly approved;
· Work with colleagues on the BD team to ensure the knowledge management systems are up-to-date;
· Collaborate with various teams, both in US office as well as worldwide, such as Communications, Marketing, Development, and Finance, to support the achievement of Concern’s mission;
· Conduct other duties in the Programs function as needed.
Qualifications:
· A minimum of five years’ experience working in international development, humanitarian, or social sector;
· Demonstrated track record in securing and/or managing high value awards from US or other governments, private institutions, multilateral and/or other donors;
· Knowledge and experience of US Government business development processes, specifically those of USAID and/or US State Department;
· Proven ability to write clear, logical, articulate, and persuasive proposals, including cost proposals and budgets;
· Excellent English language editing skills and exceptional attention to detail;
· Demonstrated ability to multi-task and handle multiple and often competing deadlines, which involves working with colleagues in different time zones;
· Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous research and analysis, and present insights in a clear, concise manner;
· Strong interpersonal skills (e.g., facilitation and conflict management) and the ability to work in a culturally diverse team environment;
· Commitment to the work and values of Concern Worldwide;
· Eligibility to work in the US.
Desirable:
· Track record of securing awards from BHA and PRM;
· Experience leading USAID opportunity tracking, pre-positioning, intel capture, and partner negotiation;
· Ability to travel overseas on short-term assignments with minimal notice;
· Overseas living and/or professional experience;
· French or Arabic language skills