This position provides leadership for cost proposal development of new business development, assisting the agency to secure large-scale, multi-million dollar grant and contract funding from USAID and other institutional donors. S/he will sit on the Proposal Pricing Team within the New Business Development Unit (NBD) of the Portfolio Growth & Performance department. The position will interact most closely with Proposal Managers, Technical Leads, Award Managers, Finance Managers and consortium partners in both the U.S. and in the field.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
- Exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters related to functional area
- Objectives and milestones are determined jointly by employee and supervisor and implemented with management support
- Functional based policy and practices exist. Incumbent is provided with the "what", but is most likely to determine the "how"
- Provide information to their Manager or to other Senior Managers so that they can make accurate decisions
- Build effective relationships with peers and managers. Relates well to all kinds of people
Cost Proposal Development (60%)
- Lead, support or review cost proposals either individually or by supporting other members of the Proposal Pricing Team while working with staff in Country Offices and technical teams in the headquarters office. This will include:
- Review and analyze solicitation documents;
- Create and outline cost and price strategy in collaboration with Proposal Manager;
- Develop complex Microsoft Excel-based budget templates, Microsoft Word-based budget narratives, partner instructions and other cost documentation as required;
- Negotiate budget matters with consortium partners to produce a compliant cost proposal.
Tools and Templates (20%)
- Update current tools and templates and identify the need for new tools, templates and guidance for cost proposal development for U.S. Government (USG) proposals (for both Cooperative Agreement and Contracts). This will include:
- Monitor and continually improve intranet-based resource library;
- Collaborate with Proposal Pricing Team to ensure team’s internal document library is up to date with latest versions of commonly used tools and templates;
- Have a vision for continuous improvement of Proposal Pricing Team’s tools and templates (identify need for revision/overhaul or creation of new solutions as business practices evolve).
Knowledge Management and Learning (20%)
- Participate in the execution of the NBD Learning Strategy, which sets forth a targeted learning and training plan to develop and enhance core business development competencies, specifically for multi-year, high value and high risk USG funding. This position will contribute to the Learning Strategy’s component focused on development of appropriate and complaint cost proposals, which will include:
- Adapting existing content or creating new content for the Cost Proposal curriculum;
- Addressing appropriate (and pre-defined) skills, knowledge and attitudes gaps for priority audiences (finance, award management and senior management staff);
- Delivering learning initiatives and trainings through a variety of modalities (in-person instructor-led trainings, virtual instructor-led trainings, mentoring and coaching, job aids, and on-the-job learning).
Required Qualifications
- Three to five years’ experience in preparing cost/business proposals with different cost structures, especially in response to USAID grant and contract solicitations.
- Advanced proficiency in and knowledge of budget development in Microsoft Excel.
- Experience working and negotiating with international and local consortium partners.
- Delivering training and capacity building in cross-cultural environments.
- Knowledge of pertinent US government regulations, trends and practices, including OMB Circulars, FAR and AIDAR.
- Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with accuracy and attention to detail, and work under pressure with flexibility for competing/evolving priorities
- Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced and intense, deadline driven work environment.
- Excellent written/verbal English as well as communication skills required.
- Proven interpersonal skills and ability to work successfully as part of a cross-cultural team.
- 15-25% travel anticipated.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ability to create and write macros and/or VBA code.
- Foreign language skills (especially French) preferred.
- Experience working with other institutional, multi-lateral, corporate and foundation donors.
- Meaningful work, with a knowledge that you are changing the lives of children all around the world
- A family friendly work environment
- Highly collaborative and innovative teams
- Generous paid vacation days, holidays, family leave days, and sick time
- Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions
- Structured and formalized management development and coaching programs for mid and senior level managers
- Extensive e-learning opportunities on a variety of topics offered through our affiliation with several prestigious universities and with the American Management Association, as well as language learning opportunities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.