Overview

itle:  Business Development Manager/Director 

Reports to:  Co-President

Location:  Syracuse, NY

Travel:  Occasional (10-15%)

Eligible for Relocation Assistance:  Yes

Salary:  Position grade and corresponding salary will be based on relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

 

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking experienced candidates for an open Business Development Manager/Directorposition to be based in its Syracuse, New York headquarters. NEF is a non-profit international development organization that has supported livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to improve livelihoods and local governance among conflict and crisis-affected groups, while maintaining neutrality and ensuring inclusiveness in our approach. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. Our programs are organized around three themes: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

As part of NEF’s Business Development team, the Business Development (BD) Manager coordinates efforts to identify, track, and respond to institutional funding opportunities. Current donors include USAID, U.S. Department of State (PRM, MEPI), the Government of the Netherlands, UKAID, the EU, and the UN. The BD Manager will play a key role in diversifying NEF’s sources of revenue while continuing to grow all revenue streams.

The BD Manager will work closely with HQ program team and fundraising team in Syracuse and London and with country leadership to (1) build and manage a robust pipeline of funding opportunities, (2) maintain business development systems and coordinate overall proposal workflow, (3) serve as coordinator for select proposals, and (4) track business development performance and contribute to refining NEF’s systems and practice. The BD Manager will also contribute to formulating program strategies and project design; building strategic partnerships; preparing BD-related communications materials (e.g., capacity statements, past performance references), and representing NEF to donors and partners. 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Capture and Pipeline Management (30%)

  • Maintain NEF’s proposal pipeline on Salesforce, ensuring all relevant funding opportunities are captured and annotated;
  • Develop and maintain a list of key procurement portals and monitor them regularly for new opportunities in NEF’s area of work, including grants.gov, USAID business forecast, DEVEX funding tracker, and equivalents for key European and other non-USG donors;
  • Undertake landscape research and analyses for specific opportunities, donors, or countries, to include information about donor activities, personnel, active organizations, and potential planned activities;
  • Develop capture plans for specific opportunities, with associated timelines, resources, and expected outcomes, including advanced partnering and recruitment, and oversee their effective implementation;
  • Conduct research on donor priorities, programs, strategies and initiatives and share findings and recommendations with the team;
  • Offer analysis for specific opportunities to help assess strategic fit and facilitate go/no-go or partnering decisions;
  • Manage the collection, compilation, and submission of questions for the USAID quarterly business forecast Q&A; attend the call and disseminate relevant information to the team;
  • Monitor industry newsletters and social media for relevant updates on donors, partners, and competitors;
  • Periodically seek out updates on pipeline opportunities that appear to have been stagnant.

Proposal Development and Management (60%)

  • Ensure capture and proposal efforts are appropriately resourced with either NEF staff or consultants;
  • Engage with lead writers and country teams to plan proposal processes and deadlines. Draft and format proposal sections and supporting documents as required. Facilitate the compilation of full narrative and cost applications;
  • Serve as coordinator and editor on proposal initiatives. Ensure the highest quality and compliance of all proposals;
  • Provide editing, writing, work plan coordination, assessment and research and/or other support to proposals led by other team members;
  • Ensure accountability to NEF and donor requirements as outlined in relevant calls for proposals and donor rules and regulations;
  • Support adherence to international standards for relief and development in all program designs and proposals;
  • In consultation with the Global HR Manager and proposal technical lead, develop personnel recruitment strategies and facilitate recruitment of Key Personnel for specific capture opportunities (as necessary for the donor);
  • Develop partnership recruitment strategies (local and global) and facilitate the recruitment of key partners for specific capture opportunities;
  • Support the use of NEF’s business development toolkit and continued refinement of BD practices, tools, and procedures;
  • Write, update, and organize tailored organizational capability statements and marketing materials.

Strategy and Planning Support (approximately 10%)

  • Support the Program Directors and country leadership to develop program development strategies that will ultimately guide resource mobilization;
  • Build and maintain positive working relationships with all HQ and country teams;
  • Clearly and effectively communicate information about NEF experience, expertise, and effectiveness to external audiences;
  • Perform other duties as assigned in support of NEF’s Mission and 2020-2027 Strategic Plan.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Basic Qualifications:Band 1: Manager position; Band 2: Director position

  • BA/S in relevant field;
  • Demonstrated experience in international relief and development; demonstrated knowledge of grant-based funding models, proposal development, emergency response and development strategies and operational challenges in the sector [Band 1: 5-7 years of experience; Band 2:  7 years including 5 years’ experience in a manager level];
  • Broad experience in the proposal writing and/or management in economic/market development, climate resilience, agricultural and natural resources management, peacebuilding/stabilization, humanitarian response, and/or women’s empowerment/protection projects [Band 1: 5-7 years of experience; Band 2:  7 years of experience];
  • Proven experience contributing to winning proposals;
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English;
  • Functional competencies that show flexibility and ability to multitask, establish priorities taking into consideration special assignments, deadlines, and available resources;
  • Flexibility and ability to work under pressure in a deadline-driven environment;
  • Proficiency with MS Office software required (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent;
  • Proficiency in French and/or Arabic; 
  • Familiarity with collaborative working/project management platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Google Docs).

Position Criteria:

  • Demonstrate advanced organizational and communication skills;
  • Build highly effective working relationships with field and HQ teams;
  • Possess curiosity and be committed to the pursuit of continuous learning and professional development;
  • Demonstrate effective communication that enables and encourages robust discussion and participation in programming and resource mobilization; 
  • Demonstrate the expertise, experience, and ideas of NEF’s diverse teams to build buy-in and joint ownership for business development.

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