CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Catholic Relief Services
Country: Madagascar
Closing date: 01 Dec 2014

Job Title:PM II-Strategic Growth and Business Development (SG & BD)

Dept/Location:SARO/Antananarivo, Madagascar

Reports To:Country Representative

About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Background:

CRS began working in Madagascar in 1962 and has a diversified program portfolio in several sectors including emergency response and recovery, agriculture, agro-business, health and nutrition, good governance, climate change, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The Country Program supports about three large projects in the East, Southeast, and Southwest regions country with an annual budget of approximately $10 million dollars per fiscal year, implemented by approximately 15 local partner organizations. This program is managed by about 70 national staff and four international staff and reaches an estimated 500,000 direct beneficiaries. Funding sources to the country program include US Government (USAID Food for Peace, OFDA), UNDP, European Union, Developpment & Paix, and other private donors. CRS Madagascar has recently started to more intentionally engage private companies in potential or proposed partnerships. The PM for Strategic Growth and Business Development (PM/SG-BD) will contribute significantly to CRS Madagascar’s annual growth targets by providing strategic direction and leading the resource-mobilization efforts for the country program. This includes, providing guidance and leadership for strategic growth planning, maximizing CRS’ competitive position to attract new funding, managing functional teams to identify and capture funding opportunities, incorporating best practices into growth-related business processes and proposals, and building relationships with current and prospective donors. Program and proposal development in Malawi will involve developing and maintaining strategic alliances and/or coalitions with other organizations. CRS Madagascar has also formed several Cross Sector Engagement (CSE) partnerships including with multinational and local corporations, international non-profits, and Universities. CRS Madagascar wants to continue to pursue strengthening these CSE relationships, and CRS is also actively exploring additional funding sources, as well as USG sources, as restrictions to USG aid have been lifted in May 2014. CRS programming covers multiple sectors and serves poor and marginalized communities in over half of the geographic regions in the country. The country program priority is set to roll out strategic growth approaches that lead to long-term funding initiatives using innovative approaches and having an impact on a variety of beneficiary groups.

Job Summary:

CRS Madagascar seeks an experienced development professional with expertise and interest in resource mobilization to lead a creative and dynamic initiative for growing the country program. This position offers an opportunity to demonstrate initiative and leadership skills, and to help shape the direction of the country program. It is an excellent opportunity for program managers to demonstrate an increasingly sought-after skillset for many senior-management positions, as well as for those interested in a career path within business development to take on a more strategic role.

The PM/SG-BD will be part of the CRS Madagascar program team, supporting and coordinating long-term strategic growth as well as business development activities: growth planning, long-term positioning, intelligence gathering, capture planning and pursuit of new opportunities; and serve as lead writer when needed. S/he will strengthen systems, coordinating tool development with the SARO region and other Country Programs in the region. This will include coordinating intelligence, developing standards and templates for materials, and also liaising with other program staff to contribute to proper documentation of successful results of programs. S/he will also ensure proper documentation of successful results, as well as responses to donors in proper format and meet donor requirements. The PM/SG-BD will lead teams to write concept papers and proposals reflecting agency-wide program quality principles and based on robust contextual analysis on the ground. Finally, the PM/SG-BD will liaise closely with the SARO Regional Technical Advisor RTA/SG-BD and Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality (DRD/PQ): working as a BD Team within SARO, periodically supporting outside their country program on large multi-country initiatives, an ensuring a regional and agency perspective as opportunities arise.

Primary Functions:

• Collaborate closely with the Head of Programs, Regional Technical Advisor for Strategic Growth-Business Development (RTA/SG-BD), Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality and Growth and the Country Representative in the identification of potential funding opportunities for Madagascar and representation of the country program to potential donors through the development of strong marketing tools;
• Assist CRS’ Madagascar staff in producing well-developed, polished English and French marketing materials for external donors. Support CRS/CP with communication pieces for stakeholders (one page project information pieces, updates, reports, case studies, newsletters) in coordination with the Head of Programs and Program Managers, to enhance visibility and serve external information needs.
• Under the leadership of the CR and HoP, support and coordinate CRS’ prepositioning activities in Madagascar, including intelligence gathering and capture planning;
• Work closely with RTA/SG-BD and other PMs/SG-BD colleagues around the region on planning, intelligence gathering, sharing lessons learned, and pursuing opportunities.
• Ensure that high-quality studies, research components, and documenting of innovations are completed and presented to donors and other interested audiences.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary teams (including finance and administration) in the development of high quality proposals and concept notes;
• Manage the project development budget including cash forecasting, monitoring spending, and budget maintenance.

Specific Responsibilities:

Planning and Prepositioning

• In coordination with senior management, develop and regularly update a strategy for resource mobilization; liaise closely with the RTA/SG-BD on the regional Resource Mobilization Action Plan (RMAP), providing information on how the country program is contributing to the accomplishment of tasks in the regional level plan
• Assist with positioning CRS as a leader in local partner institutional strengthening with potential donors highlighting concrete results and approaches; take actions to position CRS for specific opportunities which may arise;
• Lead research and identification of potential donors (foundations, embassies, bilateral organizations, INGOs, other non-traditional sources) and proactively monitor websites and listservs for useful information on donor priorities, requirements, and funding opportunities.
• Liaise with SARO RTAs and HQ-based Corporations and Foundations staff to keep them up to date on CRS’ portfolio and upcoming funding needs; keep country program portfolio information updated on CRS website for communication and visibility purposes.

Capture Planning and Proposal and Concept Note Development

• Develop specific plans for preparing to pursue key opportunities as they become known, coordinating closely with the Head of Programs, Country Representative and regional staff on go/no-go analysis and decisions.
• Lead proposal development processes including writing· Builds and maintains a basic level of technical competence in the strategic technical areas
• Participate in the review of Project Idea Notes (PINs), concept papers, and proposals ensuring adherence to program quality standards
• Also, develop PINs, concept papers and proposals in participation with program managers, donors and partners ensuring the use of all program quality tools.
• Support programming staff and potential local partners in the design of high quality programs through the use of Integrated Human Development (IHD), Propacks, Technical Application and Cost Application Guidance, and other program quality tools.
• Develop strong internal review systems for project reviews before soliciting regional approval for submission, in collaboration with the Head of Programs and programming staff.
• Coordinate the submission of concept papers and proposals for review through the regional technical review process.

Documentation of Results, Reporting and Marketing

• Conceptualize and oversee the production of appropriate marketing materials for the CRS portfolio in collaboration with programming and administrative staff; including the Annual Report for local Bishops and other interested parties, project fact sheets, sectoral and/or geographic focus brochures, past performance documentation, and others.
• Take the lead in organizing, writing, and publishing success stories and case studies. This may include managing an external consultant if needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:N/A

Key Working Relationships:

Internal:Head of Programs, Country Representative, Deputy Country Representative, and Program Managers, SARO Regional Technical Advisors with emphasis on coordination with the RTA/SG-BD, HQ, Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality and Growth; Public Donor Liaison, HQ Business Development Unit; Corporations and Foundations, Direct Response Fundraising, Web Services

External: Church and other Partner Organizations in CP, government ministries, UN Agencies, local bilateral institutions, other funding agencies, local/international NGO offices

Personal/Professional Skills:

· Strong team-player

· Sound judgment and patient

· Assertive, yet culturally sensitive

· Strong interpersonal and networking skills

· Efficient and highly productive

· Excellent writing skills in English

· Speaking and writing proficiency in French

· Commitment to the Agency's mission

Program Manager Competencies*These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each program manager to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.*

· Sets clear goals and manages toward them

· Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders

· Manages financial resources with integrity

· Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)*These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results*.

· Serves with Integrity

· Models Stewardship

· Cultivates Constructive Relationships

· Promotes Learning

Qualifications

• Master's degree in business management, public health, international development, or related field
• Five years of experience working in a development setting managing projects and/or resource mobilization
• Understanding of U.S Government grant provisions and guidelines, including proposal formats and reporting requirements; as well as those of UN agencies and Caritas organizations
• Demonstrated capacity in establishing and maintaining strong working and representational relationships with partners, donors, government officials, international NGOs, local organizations, communities and other stakeholders
• Proven development for various donor types and funding amounts
• Familiarity with gender concepts and their application in program design and implementation;
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in strategic planning initiatives.
• Capacity to work closely with and understand local partners
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Native fluency in oral and written English, with proficient communication skills in French and intermediate writing skills in French
• Experience designing and developing successful proposals and strategic alliances
• Strong computer skills: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint; Microsoft Publisher preferred
• Experience in staff development and local partner capacity preferred
• Knowledge of CRS’ program quality standards and Catholic Social Teaching principles preferred

Physical Requirements/Environment: The position is based in Antananarivo with occasional travel and to be available for up to 20% of travel to support other regional and country program proposal development processes.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

EOE/M/F/D/V

How to apply:

Please create an online profile and submit your cover letter and resume to www.crs.org/about/careers. Req. #I 1997. Thank you.