Organization: Plan USA
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 30 Sep 2015
The Business Development Associate (BDA) is a member of the Business Development Team and is responsible for prospecting, networking, and identifying new opportunities for funding from the U.S. Government and Multilateral Donors to maximize new business and revenue potential for the organization. The BDA will work with senior staff and team members to research opportunities across relevant technical areas and participate in all aspects of pre-solicitation and pre-proposal activities. The BDA will also participate in all facets of the proposal process and will be assigned various roles and ownership for selected proposals from inception through submission. The BDA may also be expected to represent Plan at external events and with Country Office staff; and may make presentations to peers, donors and potential donors.
Principal Responsibilities
· Conduct technical desk reviews for major bids (upcoming and live), including compiling annotated bibliographies, briefs, design workshop materials, and documentation on existing programming and best practices.
· Conduct research on competitive and potential partner landscape (using secondary sources).
· Identify and track relevant upcoming USAID funding opportunities – through intelligence gathering, partner relationships, and other available resources – and inform Country Offices (COs) and relevant Plan technical and other partners.
· Conduct prospecting visits to Plan’s Country Offices to identify and prepare for upcoming funding opportunities. Gather and analyze intelligence to inform proposal strategy.
· Manage Calendars for pre-solicitation proposal preparations and bid planning including: partnership building, bid strategy, development of win-themes, oversight of and contribution to technical design, drafting management and other sections of the proposal in advance of the solicitation.
· Support the development of USAID-funded proposals and ensure proper submission of quality, responsive bids. Participate in a variety of different proposal roles as assigned, including but not limited to, proposal manager, proposal coordinator, sub-liaison coordinator, pricing, and recruitment. This includes activities such as: Oversee the development of teaming agreements; Provide oversight of technical design and cost proposal; Prepare PPRs, capacity statements and other relevant documents/sections; Prepare cost proposal documents; Ensure proper internal review/quality control processes.
· Represent Plan International USA’s business development interests at relevant meetings, events, and within resource mobilization or donor-specific peer networks, as it relates to USG funding streams.
Skills and Competencies
· Experience with USAID solicitations is preferred. Other relevant experience in proposal development with other multilateral or bilateral donors will also be considered.
· Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
· Ability to effectively communicate with and coordinate activities of multiple partners, including field-based staff.
· Excellent mix of technical skills in writing, editing, formatting, research, negotiation, finance/budgets, and verbal communications.
· Excellent interpersonal skills.
· Working knowledge of a second language: French, Spanish preferred.
· Ability to collaborate with others and work as part of a team.
· Willingness to travel, often on short notice, for specific assignments in country offices.
Education and Experience
Master’s degree in International Development or related field required.
A minimum of 1-2 years’ work experience in a business development setting or related field.
Field experience a plus.
Physical and Mental Demands
Business Development work is often very time sensitive and can be extremely stressful. The successful candidate must therefore be sufficiently resilient, and capable of maintaining a calm, professional focus under such conditions. In turn, Plan strives to create a flexible work environment that includes compensatory time for extensive travel and the privilege to work remotely, at times, in line with our policy.
Work Environment
Plan offers a collaborative and engaging work atmosphere with the opportunity to exchange ideas, opinions, and views with a diverse and passionate workforce. International travel is required to any of the 50+ countries where Plan works, including to those countries with difficult or challenging working environments. Travel may be up to 30 percent of time.
How to apply:
Plan seeks to fill this position as quickly as possible. Interested and qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and resume via our website: www.planusa.org.
EmoticonEmoticon