Organization: Management Sciences for Health
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 24 Sep 2015
The Business Development Specialist (BDS) works in collaboration with the staff of the Business and Resource Development (BRD) unit, Cost Proposal Unit, Human Resources, Technical Centers and countries to ensure the successful completion and responsiveness of MSH’s solicited and unsolicited competitive proposals. S/he provides support for the development of proposals, is responsible for a number of proposal deliverables, and ensures proposal submissions. The BDS also plays a support role in coordinating MSH positioning activities for specific new business opportunities, which may require travel to the field. The BDS may have lead responsibility for special BRD-related projects or initiatives as required. The BDS may also assist with general department administrative duties as needed.
Once the incumbent is fully competent with the core scope of work, s/he will provide guidance and depending on the size and complexity, occasional leadership for the development of proposals. An experienced BDS will also partner with the Senior Business Development Specialists and Business Development Managers to take on a more strategic and hands on role regarding positioning activities for specific new business opportunities.
Proposal Coordination and Development (70%)
- Coordinate/Lead the Proposal Process: In support of the Proposal Manager, coordinate proposal development process and all internal and external inputs to the proposal, including:
- Develop and manage a calendar and outline for the technical and cost proposals.
- Coordinate team communications through meetings and email, and ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities of team members.
- Collect and track proposal-related information, and disseminate information to team members.
- Compile questions to donors.
- Support Communications with Partners: As assigned by the Proposal Manager, communicate with partner organizations about MSH proposal policies, procedures, standard forms, and requirements and facilitate communications within the proposal team. Solicit partner and collaborator inputs and assist in planning joint business opportunities. Contribute to building local partners’ capacity through working with them to complete proposal deliverables.
- Technical Proposal: Coordinate logistics for strategy meetings. Draft management plans, institutional capability and past performance statements, staffing sections, CVs, and implementation plans as needed.
- Cost Proposal: Facilitate communication between the cost and technical team members to ensure the technical strategy/proposal is integrated with the corresponding cost proposal.
- Annex/Attachments, Diagrams, and Figures: Work with technical team to develop annexes/attachments, diagrams, and figures to meet the requirements of a solicitation and showcase the work of MSH. Collect personnel and technical documents which appear in the annex/attachments. As requested, prepare and coordinate past performance references and skills matrices. As assigned, responsible for developing organizational charts, results framework, and other graphics and charts.
- Technical Proposal Reviews: Coordinate reviews of proposal drafts by internal and external reviewers. Ensure reviewers’ availability and provide background documentation, set up review meetings as needed, and compile comments to deliver to the proposal team. May also be assigned to review drafts for issues of presentation, compliance of response, and responsiveness to bid document.
- Finalization and Submission of Proposal: Responsible for ensuring the proposal is complete, compliant, and delivered on time. This includes coordinating with editor and production staff to ensure copy-edit and formatting of the technical proposal, ensuring and scheduling final sign off, ensuring that all materials are included in the final proposal, managing delivery arrangements through shipping or travel, and ensuring the client acknowledges receipt of the proposal.
- Proposal Close Out: Organize electronic proposal documents according to BRD procedure. Coordinate after action review. Update proposal-related materials in BRD file systems.
- Following Notification of Award: Ensure partners, proposed candidates, and the proposal team members are all notified of the proposal result. Coordinate final proposal debrief and compile summary notes including recommendations for process improvements.
- Development of Concept Papers: In support of Proposal Manager and Technical Strategy Lead, may assist in the development of concept papers*.*
Positioning Activities (20%)
- Coordination of positioning activities for assigned bids: In support of the Technical Strategy Lead and Proposal Manager, propose and develop positioning activities, manage logistics and payment of consultants involved in positioning activities, conduct research and draft materials as necessary, monitor trends and information pertinent to a specific bid, a specific donor, or a geographic region.
- Support Proposal Manager in cultivating relationships with specific partners and coordinate regular communications with strategic partners, including IQC partners, as necessary.
- As part of development within this role, incumbents with more experience and tenure will:
- Serve as a liaison with the Business Development Team on the initial screening of upcoming USAID and other donor market opportunities related to MSH. To be well informed, this will involve conducting research and drafting materials as necessary, monitoring trends and information pertinent to a specific bid, a specific donor, or a geographic region;
- Recommend to the Business Development Managers, and the BRD team realistic and efficient projections of resource requirements for successful proposal development;
- Working under the guidance of the Business Development Manager, and in close collaboration with the Technical Centers, identify business proposal teams, define time lines from earliest market identification, through technical idea development, to proposal preparation to submitting technical and cost proposals to clients to meet their specifications.
Proposal Production (10%)
On an as needed basis contingent upon current experience in the role and the resources available at the Business Development Associate level:
- Proposal Production: May be responsible for production of the final technical proposal, including proposal formatting using Word and saving proposals in PDF, as well as printing and binding the final document and ensuring the proposal package is complete.
- Annex/Attachments, Diagrams, and Figures: Work with technical team to develop annexes/attachments, diagrams, and figures to meet the requirements of a solicitation and showcase the work of MSH. Collect personnel and technical documents which appear in the annex/attachments. As requested, prepare and coordinate past performance references and skills matrices. As assigned, responsible for developing organizational charts, results framework, and other graphics and charts.
- Finalization and Submission of Proposal: Responsible for ensuring the proposal is complete, compliant, and delivered on time. This includes coordinating with editor and production staff to ensure copy-edit and formatting of the technical proposal, ensuring and scheduling final sign off, ensuring that all materials are included in the final proposal, managing delivery arrangements through shipping or travel, and ensuring the client acknowledges receipt of the proposal.
- Proposal Close Out: Organize electronic proposal documents according to BRD procedure. Coordinate after action review. Update proposal-related materials in BRD file systems.
- Minimum of 3 years of work experience, with experience in international public health desirable.
- 4 – 6 years of experience is preferred with some experience in proposal development and experience in international public health.
Knowledge and Skills
- Ability to initiate and organize work, and establish priorities in a time-sensitive environment, and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.
- Strong interpersonal and English language communication skills; demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff, clients, and consultants.
- Demonstrated writing skills.
- Experience in proposal development desirable.
- Knowledge of or interest in proposal management standards.
- Strong knowledge of the Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Willingness to work extra hours during proposal preparation.
- Foreign language capabilities in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic highly desirable.
Physical Demands
- Availability to travel up to 15%
- Keyboard use, pulling drawers, lifting papers, 10lbs.
Management Sciences for Health is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status.
PI91660328
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