Job Title: Business Development Specialist 

Country Office: Ethiopia

Duty Station: Addis Ababa

Application Deadline: April 25, 2022

Availability: As Soon As Possible

Salary Scale: EMS - 09

Insurance - (Life, Group Personal Accident and Medical Insurances are covered upon the organization policies).

Seniority Allowance – paid depending up the years of service.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger-USA is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. We save the lives of malnourished children and we enable entire communities to be free from hunger. With more than 8,000 staff in over 50 countries, our programs reached 17 million people in 2019.

About the Country Program in Ethiopia

Action Against Hunger has been operational in Ethiopia since 1984 responding to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support activities are integrated to have a meaningful impact on people’s resilience. Action Against Hunger currently operates in 5 different regions (Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, and Gambella) with a portfolio of 20m USD/year of emergency, resilience building, research, and innovation programs. We have a country team of around 600 staff in 17 regional and satellite offices. Our main donors in Ethiopia in 2020/2021 are BHA, ECHO, Euro paid, UNHCR, UNICEF, GFFO, BPRM, SIDA, EHF, WFP, CIAA, and others.

 I.  Summary of Position

Action Against Hunger in Ethiopia needs a dynamic and results oriented Business Development Specialist. S/he will work with the Business Development Lead to proactively seek for information on new funding opportunities and cultivate excellent relationships with donor agencies and partners. The Business Development Specialist will facilitate, donor research, drafting proposals and supporting project design, ensuring proposals are compliant with internal and donor standards.

The Business Development Specialist role’s purpose, engagement and deliverables are:

Purpose

The Business Development Specialist will support in the donor research, proposal development, project designing as well as handling Business Development Administrative tasks.

Actively works both on humanitarian and development project proposals. Support the expansion of the development and resilience portfolio by leading the design of new long-term programs including Private Public Partnerships in collaboration with Business Development Lead, program as well as support team, as and when required with the Program Director, Business Development teams in the US and Nairobi Regional Office.

Engagement

The Business Development Specialist will collaborate closely with, Business Development Lead, as and when required with Program Director, Business Development teams in the US and Nairobi Regional Office

Externally, s/he will cultivate and maintain excellent relationships with donor agencies, partners and other INGOs in Ethiopia as and when required.

 Delivery

The Business Development Specialist will coordinate and prepare proposals and concept notes in a quality and timely manner in line with donors’ rules, regulations and standards.

II.     Essential job duties

Donor research and relationship building (10%)

• Support the Business Development Lead in conducting research on donors and draft summariesAssist in seeking and tracking donor intelligence on prospective new opportunities or partnerships, particularly for long-term funding opportunities
• Prepare capacity building and past project experience to support donors’ research
• As and when required attend donors meeting
• Liaise with the Action Against Hunger’s International Donor Relationship Unit as required

Coordinate a horizontal proposal development process (70%)

•  Draft and/or solicit proposals and concept notes by identifying new opportunities, studying calls for proposals, and sharing information to Business Development Lead
• Draft Bid Summary and Bid Justification when new call arises
• Coordinate proposal development, including identifying key stakeholders in proposal development process, developing work plans and tracking each step of the process to ensure that the proposal team is meeting agreed deadlines
• Ensure coordination between operations and technical advisors, ensuring that proposals are technically sound
• Check that all concept notes and proposals follow the internal procedures and are compliant with internal and donor standards, including the latest donor formats.
• Work closely with the Finance Department to ensure the alignment of budgets, implementation plans, budget narrative and technical narrative sections of all proposals
• Track and ensure the incorporation of all feedback and edits throughout the proposal revision stage in order to ensure that a high-quality finished product is submitted to the donor
• Keep yourself abreast with latest donor requirements and proposal development guidelines
• Draft budget split allocation for program and operations 
• Business Development Administration (20%)
• Prepare and up-date proposal tracker, funding-gap dashboard, implementation area tracker, resource tracking and any relevant tracker and dash board that is required for Business Development;
• Document electronically and if required hard copies of proposals submitted/ approved,
• Prepare any relevant document as and when required in consultation with Business Development Lead to strengthen the Business Development administration.

III.   Supervisory Responsibilities

Not Applicable

IV.    Gender Equality Commitments  

•  Foster an environment that supports values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion. race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status. 
• Value and respect all cultures. 

V.   Fiscal Responsibility

Budgets and all grants are implemented in compliance with Action Against Hunger and donor regulations.

VI.   Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

VII.  Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required and in line with Labor Law.

Must be able to travel as required for standard domestic and international business purposes. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases. 

Job Requirements

I.  Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in social science, development studies or related academic field.
• 4 years’ experience in an INGO or similar environment including experience with developing emergency and resilience building programs
• Experience in at least one of Action Against Hunger’s core technical sectors: Nutrition and Health, WASH, Food Security and Livelihoods in development and/or emergencies.

II.  Required Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrable experience in writing winning proposals for donors including USAID including BPRM, BHA, UN Agencies, SIDA, GAC and EU/ECHO and others;
• Familiarity with project design methods and tools (including theory of change, logical framework, work plans etc.) and strong appreciation for local and international partnerships as part of project development.
• Analytical skills with ability to positively influence cross departmental and cross sector working.
• Strong results orientation, with ability to meet deadlines and produce high-quality products.
• Strong cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability and willingness to adapt your work practices and hours, and work with incoming proposal development teams to meet deadlines.
• Fluency in English (business level), both verbal and written

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply by using THIS LINK

NB: Only shortlisted applicants will be communicated and the selection process includes a technical test and an interview.