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.

Country Background

Catholic Relief Services began working in Ghana in 1958. For more than sixty years, CRS Ghana has enjoyed a tradition of cooperation and partnership with the Catholic Church and Government Ministries. Over the years, CRS’ operations have evolved from relief to social development by improving health status, advancing the quality of and access to basic education, social justice, global solidarity and the enhancement of food security in Ghana.

CRS employs an integrated approach to help poor and vulnerable people lead full and productive lives with a focus on our signature areas of agricultural livelihoods, health, youth engagement and WASH. We plan and coordinate programs in the country’s 19 Dioceses and one Vicariate, bringing public- and private-sector actors together for community-based development. CRS implements programs through partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including the Government of Ghana, local NGOs, international NGOs, churches, and public and private sector partners.

CRS has been operating in Liberia since 1990 and has a programming portfolio that includes Peacebuilding, Youth Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion. The country program is in a period of expected growth and diversification of its donor base. The BD Specialist II will support the entire BD life cycle with a particular focus on innovative approaches, inclusion of the private sector, as well as new financing models.

The Business Development Specialist II (BDS) will operate as a member of both CRS’ West Africa team and CRS’ global BD community, providing direct support to strategic growth opportunities as well as helping to strengthen BD-related systems, processes, relationships and staff capacities in Ghana and Liberia. While based in Accra, Ghana, the BDS will also directly support the CRS Liberia office, both remotely and through regular travel to Monrovia.

This is an exciting and dynamic post for an experienced Business Development professional with the drive to represent and lead CRS programming transformation and growth.

Job Summary:

As BDS you will lead the production of high-quality applications for funding in support of CRS’ engagement with institutional donors and initiatives involved in international development to serve the poor and vulnerable. Your knowledge and skills will allow you to provide specialized assistance in all dimensions of the BD cycle to cross-disciplinary and cross-functional teams.

Job Responsibilities:

• Provide BD expertise in positioning, capture planning and proposal preparation for specific opportunities with institutional donors (government and inter-governmental award issuing organizations, as well as foundations, corporations and other awarding non-governmental organizations).

• Coordinate proposal development processes to ensure timely submission of high-quality proposals that are responsive to donor requirements, applicable regulations, and CRS’ technical and cost standards. Lead and support proposal budget processes and propose recommendations to develop a competitive proposal.
• As appropriate, serve as proposal coordinator or other lead role in proposal team, and participate in bid analysis and proposal review panels. Serve as a lead or support writer on proposals, contributing both technical and non-technical content and integrating inputs from staff and partners into a responsive, coherent proposal with a compelling vision and clear win themes.
• Train and mentor staff, as needed, to improve their skills in proposal development, representation to donor and partner organizations, intelligence-gathering, and marketing within their country program or portfolio.
• Support and guide identification of partners and negotiation of CRS’ role on proposal consortia, ensuring a competitive position for CRS that adheres to the agency’s partnership principles and strategic directions. Research, track and analyze new opportunities and CRS’ competitive position within the marketplace.
• Support senior management to cultivate and strengthen institutional relationships with institutional donors, partner organizations and other stakeholders.
• Work with appropriate staff to maintain data on past performance and corporate capacity, in order to provide timely information for proposal submissions.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, international relations, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum five years of international development experience, with at least three years’ experience in a developing country.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing diverse, proactive strategies to competitively position his/her organization for new funding and productive institutional relationships.
• Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar and AP style.
• Demonstrated experience leading and producing competitive proposals in programming contexts similar to CRS.
• Comprehensive familiarity with a broad range of institutional donor technical and cost requirements.
• Experience with USAID, European Union, DFID RFP and RFA funding mechanisms highly desirable.
• Familiarity with relevant institutional donor regulations, policies, procedures and priorities.

• Demonstrated experience managing teams and processes, leading teams to produce deliverables under tight deadlines and at exceptional quality.
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus.

• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems.

Personal Skills

• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally. Strategic in how you approach each relationship.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Strong communications and presentation skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.

Travel Required: Approx. 30% to field visits and Liberia

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: N/A

Internal: Head of Programs, Country Representative, CRS/Ghana and Liberia Program Managers, Regional Business Development Manager, West Africa Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality, Regional Information Manager, IDEA, HQ Marketing and Communications staff

External: Project partners, Catholic Church, Donor Agencies, Peer NGO agencies

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff) 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.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship