Background

The CRS Europe, Middle East, Central Asia (EMECA) region consists of 10 country programs and 20 outreach countries. This includes 18 countries in Europe, 10 in the Middle East and North Africa, and 2 in Central Asia, reflecting recent expansion amid the Ukraine crisis and registration in Pakistan and Yemen. EMECA is home to many complex environments along the humanitarian-development spectrum with populations reflecting immense religious and ethnic diversity. Many countries are beset by protracted conflicts, including the world’s worst humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Gaza. Other countries are recovering from prior conflicts, and working toward resilience and development, such as Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Successive crises have led to large refugee flows and long-term displacement.

Job Summary

The Business Development and Program Technical Advisor III will play a crucial role in advancing EMECA’s strategy. The position requires a blend of business development and technical expertise, along with a strong inclination to lead, bid and win complex, high-priority opportunities. From opportunity identification and assessment to project design, the position will provide strategic positioning and capture planning guidance to country program and regional teams. Efforts will include developing technical win strategies, conducting competitive assessments, and preparing strategic capture plans. Working with CP senior management, you will lead responses to Requests for Information, provide competitor and gap analysis, carry out stakeholder mapping, lead technical design and negotiations with partner teams. The Business Development and Program Technical Advisor III will also lead strategic regional initiatives, supporting CPs to identify opportunities to catalyze outcomes at scale and pursue non-traditional funding streams.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

Strategic Positioning: 

• Support country programs to position for large and complex proposals that advance our regional strategy.
• Support country programs in developing a collaborative understanding of systems and underlying drivers for change. Reinforce country programs’ capacities in effective stakeholder engagement as a foundation for effective collaboration and sustainable systems change.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of country program influence and scaling strategies.

Capture Planning and Technical Design: 

• Lead capture activities for large and strategic opportunities, setting a plan with CP SMT to meet with donors and stakeholders and position us as the preferred organization.
• Lead internal and external data gathering and analysis to inform go/ no go decisions and support strategic decision-making throughout the capture lifecycle, including decisions related to teaming, staffing and technical design. This includes leading the identification of partners and negotiation of CRS’ role on proposal consortia and developing and maintaining a network of potential key personnel
• Lead the development of the technical design for high-priority complex funding opportunities, ensuring timely high-quality submissions that are responsive to donor requirements, applicable regulations, and CRS’ technical and cost standards.
• Build and maintain strong working relations with CRS’ PIQA, IDEA, and Marketing and Communications (MarCom) departments to support regional and country program teams to advance key positioning and capture initiatives.
• As needed, provide other surge support to country programs business development efforts.

Capacity Strengthening:

• Lead and/or support development of EMECA capture planning and design tools, resources and guidance.
• Train and mentor regional and country program staff to improve their skills in capture planning and design, including in successful donor and partner engagement, intelligence gathering and marketing of CRS’ technical and programmatic achievements.
• Train and mentor regional and country program staff on identifying opportunities to catalyze outcomes at scale and pursue non-traditional funding streams.
• Support senior country program management to cultivate and strengthen institutional relationships with donors, partner organizations and other stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal: Regional staff, Country Representatives, Heads of Programming,  the Business Development Community, country program staff, program quality staff, management quality and finance staff
• External: Business development staff of collaborating partner organizations; select donor representatives as appropriate.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, international relations, or related field.
• Minimum seven years of international development experience, with at least three of those years having been as a region- or country-based position.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical assistance and application of technical principles and concepts across sectors
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing complex institutional donor proposals in programming contexts similar to those in which CRS operates, including experience leading complex USAID Mission proposals.
• Comprehensive familiarity with a broad range of institutional donor technical and cost proposal requirements, with a strong preference for those of key US government donor agencies (USAID, USDA, Department of State).
• Fluency in business development terminology, standards and best practices, including win themes and discriminators.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation and training applying adult learning principles and practices.

Required Languages – Fluency in English required

Travel – Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Extensive familiarity with standard proposal requirements, including structure and content.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes, leading teams to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and at exceptional quality.
• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Very strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment.
• Very strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts and ideas in compelling, audience-focused prose.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.
• Extensive familiarity with Microsoft 365 suite of tools (MS Windows, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams), and information management systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.
• Experience providing remote support to diverse teams strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people – especially children and vulnerable adults – to live free from abuse and harm.

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

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements