Internews – Business Development Officer, Technical Diversification

The Business Development Officer, Technical Diversification works within the Global Development team to increase funding in support of Internews’ mission by managing, writing and finalizing proposals and concept notes that are submitted to donors related to non-DRG funding sources, including health, humanitarian, environment, youth and economic development. This position will track and review U.S. government, European and foundation Requests for Application (RFA) and/or Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to determine strategy for application and lead cross-functional teams to design and write proposals, both from DC and in the field.  Working under the leadership of the Director for Technical Diversification, they will contribute to a strategic approach to business development at Internews to ensure the organization raises over $70,000,000 annually from public sector donors, including USAID, the US State department, the Canadian government and AusAid among others, as well as over $3,000,000 from large private foundations.

Logistics

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Internews’ Headquarters offices are currently closed, and staff are working remotely until at least 1 July 2021. Until the situation meaningfully changes, this role will also function remotely. Ultimately, this position may be based remotely or in our Washington, D.C. headquarters office.

This position will require some flexibility to coordinate with colleagues in the Europe, Africa, and Asia regions, as well as with those on the East Coast of the United States (GMT -5). The ideal candidate will be based either in Washington, D.C., London, Nairobi, or Bangkok. However, remote candidates will also be considered. Candidates who would prefer an office-based position should feel free to express this preference. This position does not qualify for for international posting allowances.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Core Business Development Functions:

• Reviews U.S. government, European and foundation Requests for Application (RFA) and/or Requests for Proposals (RFPs), to determine strategy for application and lead cross-functional teams to design and write proposals, both from DC and in the field.
• Develops timelines, writing guides and compliance matrixes for proposals and concept notes.
• Leads cross-functional teams to both design and write high quality proposals and concept notes for targeted donors.  Manages the kick-off and/or design meetings for assigned proposals as required.
• Takes the lead in generating final text for donor solicitations, working with program and technical staff members and others in the Global Development team to finalize proposals, through following a structured review process in line with Internews’ policies and guidelines.
• Writes, reviews and edits proposals and concept notes to donors, including development of the technical approach, conducting basic desk research, document formatting, and the development of situation analysis, capacity statements, past performance references, and formatting of CVs/resumes/short biographies.
• Supports partnerships with other local and international partners through timely communications with regards to particular opportunities.  Manage partner expectations during the proposal process.
• Works with the Business Managers to ensure that the budget/cost submission is proceeding in line with the technical application and that the program design is consistent between the technical and the cost submission.
• As needed, supports other Global Development leads on particularly large proposal opportunities.
• As needed, represents Internews at donor and partners meetings or events.
• Participates in quarterly positioning meetings for each program management unit, and in weekly Global Development coordination meetings.

Other Duties:

• Serves as the main point of contact for Global Development with one or more program management units.
• Contributes to annual strategic planning for Global Development at Internews
• Contributes to monthly updates on Global Development activities.
• May be asked to supervise interns working on Global Development related activities.
• Works as needed (~10%) on proposals opportunities related to Democracy, Rights and Governance (DRG) and 90% on proposals related to health, humanitarian, and environment issues.
• In all duties, demonstrated commitment to upholding Internews’ Core Values.

Required Qualifications

• At least 5 years of prior work experience, preferably in the non-profit, communications or international development field.
• At least 2 years of Business Development experience.
• Passion for the role of media and increased access to information in changing lives.
• Relevant undergraduate University degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Excellent oral communication and presentation skills.
• Superior writing skills with demonstrated ability to translate complicated technical material into easy to read and compelling text. Ability to both edit others’ writing and accept feedback on written text with both grace and humor.
• Extensive and demonstrated prior experience with successful proposal writing (at least two plus years), including leading proposal opportunities from start to finish.
• Proven organization skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Proven ability to multi-task and prioritize within the context of a flexible and shifting workload.
• Ability to handle sensitive donor information with the utmost discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the demonstrated ability to maintain a sense of calm and project a sense of humor in the face of strict deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a working group/team to achieve a high-quality proposal.
• Must be able and willing to work well with a diverse range of colleagues to achieve ambitious fundraising targets. Proven ability to operate effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed both to domestic and/or international destinations, possibly to difficult international environments. (Travel is not expected to exceed 20% LOE for this position.)
• Proficient with Microsoft Outlook, MS Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word and internet research.

Find more information here.