Program Development Manager
at TechnoServe
Reporting Unit: Program Development
Supervisor: Senior Director, Program Development
Location: Washington DC
Travel: International up to 30%; Domestic up to 10%
Grade: 9
FLSA Classification: Exempt
I. About TechnoServe:
TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital, and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs, and wealth for their families and communities. With five decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.
II. Program Description:
The Program Development (PD) team provides centralized support and guidance to TechnoServe’s divisions and country offices in the identification, design, and development of new business initiatives that support our mission and help us achieve our targets. We work closely with program development managers in each geographic region and country field offices to develop winning proposals with a range of public funders and foundations.
III. Position Description:
The purpose of this position is to manage and support all aspects of new business development that will result in increased impact and revenue. The position, Program Development Manager (PDM), will be responsible for managing select new business opportunities with our priority donors, in particular the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development (DfID), and other funders, including public-private partnerships. The PDM will be involved in all phases of new business development, from pre-positioning efforts to designing projects and managing and writing proposals through the award stage, and will provide mentorship and guidance on field-based proposal efforts. In collaboration with the Senior Director of Program Development, the PDM will identify and promote global standards in program development through specific initiatives aimed at improving internal systems and strengthening the organization’s program development capacity.
Specifically, the PDM will:
1. MANAGE BIDS FOR PRIORITY DONORS (40%)
In the role of Proposal Manager (PM), the individual is responsible for ensuring that TechnoServe submits compliant, responsive, high-quality proposals on large and increasingly complex bids that are of strategic importance to the organization, both competitive and non-competitive. S/he will provide a range of management and support efforts throughout the proposal development process, including: pipeline development; finalizing bid decision-making documents; developing and managing the proposal calendar; scheduling, convening, and facilitating kick-off and review meetings; developing the proposal outline with compliance guidelines; leading or supporting partner negotiations, including teaming agreements; managing partner inputs; coordinating questions for donor clients; identifying and engaging technical consultants as needed; convening and chairing partner design meetings as needed; participating as a key member of the project design team; ensuring full and final submission of complete proposal and addenda; and convening and facilitating post-submission debriefs. In addition, the position will provide support and mentoring to country directors, regional program development managers, or other field-based staff throughout the proposal development process.
2. FUNCTION AS PROPOSAL WRITER AND INTEGRATOR FOR PRIORITY BIDS (30%)
The PDM will be expected to serve as a proposal writer and be responsible for writing and integrating specialized inputs into the technical proposal narrative and supporting annexes (executive summary, technical approach, management plan, organizational capacity, monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan, etc.) on select priority bids.
3. SUPPORT IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT (15%)
The PDM will contribute to improving TechnoServe’s program development performance through knowledge sharing and capacity building in close coordination with the PD Senior Director. The position will support the development of initiatives aimed at promoting knowledge management in program development across regions and country platforms. Responsibilities may include providing customized training and mentorship to other program development colleagues in proposal development, project design, and other identified areas of need or developing tools, resources, and/or templates for proposal development.
4. SUPERVISION (15%)
This position will have oversight over one associate-level staff and will be expected to build the PD capacity of young professionals on the team and others within the organization involved in Program Development.
IV. Preferred Skills and Experience:
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Master’s degree in a relevant discipline preferred.
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At least 4 years of experience in proposal development with a proven track record of managing and writing winning proposals.
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Strong written and oral communication skills with an enthusiasm for writing.
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Familiarity with project design and implementation in the international development arena and knowledge of the international development donor landscape.
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Ability to develop and use Logical Frameworks, results chains and/or other structured approaches to program design.
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Familiarity with USAID, USDA, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DfID, and public-private partnerships preferred.
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Strong critical thinking, problem solving skills.
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Attention to detail, orientation to quality and high degree of follow-through.
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Excellent planning skills, including developing and executing comprehensive team work plans.
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Ability to perform under pressure, be flexible, work independently, manage multiple tasks, and work effectively as a manager and team member in a fast-paced multi-cultural environment.
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Experience working with or leading geographically dispersed colleagues and project teams.
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Experience managing a relationship with a funder.
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Demonstrated experience managing and/or coaching more junior professional colleagues.
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Experience in agricultural development/agribusiness/economic growth/enterprise development preferred. Fluency in Spanish, French, and/or Portuguese strongly preferred; additional language skills are desirable.
TO APPLY: Submit your cover letter and resume to recruitment@broderickhaightconsulting.com with the subject line "TechnoServe - PDM"