Jobs at Save the Children

ROLE PURPOSE

The Proposal Development Specialist  will support the Head of Program Development and other country programme staff to grow Save the Children funding and partnerships at country level in order to resource the Country Strategic Plan.

To achieve the country’s programme ambitions in line with SC’s Global Breakthroughs, the Program Development Specialist will be responsible for supporting the Head of Programme Development in the proposal development process and ensuring the final product is responsive, competitive, and timely. S/he will be responsible for working with the Programme Quality and Development (PDQ) and Operations team to coordinate the proposal design process and collaborating with the Finance team to integrate the proposal budget into the final submission to the donor. The Programme Development Specialist will also be responsible implementing donor engagement plans and continuous learning processes where applicable.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Fundraising strategy

• In close coordination with the Head of Programme Development, PDQ/TS, and Operations, to implement fundraising plans for each of the Country Office’s four strategic goals for 2022-24 to assist in growing the Kenya portfolio over the next 3 years in alignment with the Country Strategic Plan and child rights.
• Develop a monitoring system to track progress of the fundraising plans per strategic goal on quarterly basis and capture learnings for continuous improvement

Proposal Management

• Supports Head of Programme Development to coordinate the proposal development process in line with CO procedures for all funding opportunities with PDQ, Technical Specialists including MEAL, Operations (for field team inputs, logistics requirements, costings, etc.), Security, Awards Management, Finance, and HR (for staffing requirements).
• Produce proposal development schedules and track timelines, ensuring and facilitating coordination amongst teams (i.e. PDQ/TS, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, HR, and Security).
• In collaboration with Head of Programme Development, Members, and Regional Office, broker technical assistance, compliance information/guidance, and other resources to support proposal development needs.
• Support the Finance team, PDQ and TS, Operations, Supply Chain, and other necessary stakeholders to develop proposal budget.
• Draft key sections of the proposals that are standard inputs – such as capability statements, country context, and programme experience, while drawing on the expertise of technical specialists, MEAL, Operations, Finance, HR and Security.
• Strengthen CO capabilities to facilitate effective in-person and COVID-adapted online proposal design workshops, and undertake design workshop facilitation when called on to do so, including developing work plans and lessons learned.
• Represent Save the Children as a generalist, alongside PDQ and TSs, in proposal development meetings and discussions.

Donor engagement and capture planning

• Work with Head of Programme Development to develop proactive donor engagement strategies and plans for key donors in Kenya.
• Work with Head of Programme Development, PDQ/TS, and Operations to gather and assess donor, partner, and internal information relevant to upcoming major opportunities.
• Proactively address challenges that may hinder the proposal development process.

Continuous Learning & Knowledge Management

• Ensure all donor opportunities and engagement are tracked and updated on the shared informational management systems.
• Ensure that all appropriate donor and Save the Children resources, templates, and tools are available to relevant staff, as well as a clear understanding of donor requirements.
• Maintains strong knowledge management systems (OneNet, SharePoint, Teams, etc.) to support intra-country office communication and continuous learning.
• Ensure all proposals and related documents are saved and circulated and work with Awards and Operations teams to share programme results and lessons learned.

Humanitarian Response

• Support effective and joined-up strategic resource mobilisation for Category 1&2 Emergencies within the country.
• When possible, deploy immediately to support funding coordination in the first phase of major regional responses as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field is required.
• Background in proposal development and coordination required.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and facilitating the development of major proposals to institutional donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors, and/or foundations.
• INGO, NGO, or non-profit experience and an excellent grasp of operational issues.
• Experience in developing project or proposal budgets.
• Familiarity with local context and funding landscape.
• Proven ability to write persuasive, competitive, and compliant narrative proposals for institutional donors. 
• A detailed understanding on funding mechanisms for development work such as Save the Children’s.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex issues through critical thinking, analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in.
• A high degree of attention to detail and the ability to lead key tasks (eg. proposal development) to on-time completion under significant pressure.
• Highly developed networking skills and ability to form productive working relationships with a wide range of internal colleagues and stakeholders (eg. programme, technical, awards, compliance, finance, program operations).
• Good personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills including communicating with impact, influencing, negotiation, and coaching.
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability in order to respond to changing needs.  Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major emergencies including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time.
• Experience in project and change management related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results.
• Commitment to Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child Safeguarding policy.

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The role will lead on program development of new business for the Regional Programming Unit. It will oversee all aspects of BD including identifying, generating, cultivating, and pursuing funding opportunities aligned with our Country Strategic Plans and Account Strategies by building strategic relationships, strengthening RPU’s competitive position, developing and implementing win strategies, and preparing for and developing strong proposals. Embedding NBD best practice and improving RPU’s capacity by building a robust NBD culture and discipline and instituting highly strategic NBD functions.

This role will work collaboratively and closely with members, partners and other departments of RPU to ensure smooth management of awards, sub-awards and contracts, focusing on donor compliance and accountability. This position will also be responsible to build the capacity of staff on strategic portfolio planning and coordinates such information across departments.

In order to be successful, you will bring/have:

Essential

• Professional qualification in Business development, International Development, Finance/Accounting, Strategic portfolio analysis and planning and change manage similar
• 5+ years demonstrated experience identifying and securing funding from DAC government donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors and/or foundations.
• Demonstrated experience in leading assessments of funding landscapes, and developing programme funding strategies to meet strategic goals.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex issues through critical thinking, analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in.
• Highly developed networking skills and ability to form productive working relationships with external donor agencies.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including communicating with impact, influencing, negotiation, and coaching.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills, able to effectively manage both direct reports as well as lead staff in all countries around the region in a matrix management relationship.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a senior management team, contributing constructively beyond the role’s specific resource mobilization remit.
• Experience in project and change management related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results.
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability in order to respond to changing needs.  Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major emergencies including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time.
• Fluency in English

Desired

• INGO experience and an excellent grasp of operational issues.
• A detailed understanding on funding mechanisms for development work such as Save the Children’s.