Specialist II, Food Security Unit Team Leader
Job Title: Specialist II, Food Security Unit Team Leader
Dept/Location: Overseas Support Department/Public Resource Group, Baltimore
Reports To: Business Development Director
Req#: D303
Background:
The Business Development Team (BDT) supports HQ and field staff to identify and develop new public donor funding relationships and increase the agency’s capacity to respond to funding opportunities from various public donors. The team members are collectively responsible for managing information to support proposal development; carrying out research on, and building relationships with, new donors and other potential growth partners; providing assistance to field programs in proposal development; and monitoring progress towards the unit’s objectives and the agency’s public growth agenda.
Within the HQ BDT, the Food Security Unit (FSU) supports resource acquisition specifically in the area of food security, with an emphasis on high-value and strategic funding opportunities from USAID, USDA, the United Nations, and other major public donors. In so doing, the FSU collaborates closely with multiple units in CRS’ Overseas Operations division: country and regional staff (responsible for program development and implementation within CRS’ decentralized management structure); PQSD sectoral teams (responsible for supporting and promoting CRS technical excellence in core program areas); and PRG Strategic Issues Advisors (responsible for policy analysis and advocacy on key issues including global hunger). The FSU also supports the BDT’s broader relationships with other CRS divisions – HR, Finance, USOPS, and CGA – to guide and strengthen the agency’s resource acquisition efforts and maintain its position as a well-resourced, influential, and highly regarded actor in the fields of humanitarian aid and development.
Primary Function:
The FSU Team Leader (TL) is the lead position in a five-person sub-unit of the HQ BDT comprised of the TL and four Specialists. The TL supervises the Specialists and manages the workload assignments among the staff of the unit and/or consultants. S/he also coordinates closely with the HQ Business Development Manager (responsible for non-food security growth opportunities and overall leadership on BD capacity-building within CRS), the Business Development Director (responsible for agency-level strategic leadership, senior inter-divisional coordination, overall trend and competitiveness analyses, and overall BD support to the field), and the other units mentioned above to support CRS’ competitiveness for food security resources and its visibility as an industry leader in global hunger.
The FSU TL will supervise and oversee the FSU Specialists’ support to OverOps’ public fundraising efforts in the food security sector. S/he will coordinate the unit’s response to field requests for assistance on food security resource acquisition, including the deployment of unit Specialists on specific proposal assignments and the ongoing development or improvement of technical and non-technical proposal content. S/he will manage the work load across all team members, engaging consultants as needed to fill gaps for strategic proposal support. S/he will also provide proposal co-leadership and design/writing support to country program Proposal Coordinators. Finally, s/he will strengthen CRS’ non-proposal-specific business intelligence and competitiveness on food security resources, tracking and analyzing donor trends that influence CRS’ access to funding, and establishing/maintaining collaborative linkages with other actors in the food security community, in collaboration with PQSD, OSD, and field teams.
Job Responsibilities:
1. Supervise the FSU Specialists, including performance planning, coaching and appraisals as well as distribution of work load across the team.
2. Track and prepare for upcoming strategic funding opportunities, including USAID (Title II non-emergency and emergency programs, Feed the Future programs), USDA (Food for Progress, Food for Education, and Local/Regional Purchase), UN World Food Program, and/or other priority donors as determined.
3. Organize in-house planning/design workshops in preparation for food security proposals; coordinate PQSD, OSD, and regional involvement.
4. Review all incoming requests for BDT assistance on food security opportunities and prioritize as appropriate, with input from Regional and Country staff as well as HQ personnel.
5. Provide direct support to field and HQ staff in development and production of proposals, in an on-the-job training capacity. Serve as proposal “co-coordinator” with Country Program or Regional staff on highly strategic priorities.
6. Oversee and contribute to technical and non-technical project design frameworks and narratives, including cost applications; ensure compliance with donor requirements, recognition of donor priorities, and adherence to technical and management quality standards.
7. Support field and HQ staff in negotiating consortium arrangements based on lessons from similar experience. Coordinate closely with PQSD, OSD, and field staff to identify new and non-traditional partnerships, including universities, for-profit companies, research institutes and other actors.
8. Oversee FSU’s collaboration with PQSD, OSD, and staff overseas to develop future proposal content, updated capacity statements, past performance references, and design tools and resources reflecting evidence-based project design elements and implementation methodologies.
9. Together with other staff in OSD, PQSD, and USOPS, cultivate and maintain relationships with appropriate personnel in priority donor agencies including USAID, USDA, and WFP. Track evolving trends, priorities, key issues and budget levels within these agencies and assist CRS senior management to engage at policy levels.
10. Contribute to BDT efforts to coordinate with HR, Finance, and other CRS units on broader business development initiatives that affect the agency’s competitiveness for public resources.
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.
• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning
Key Working Relationships:
INTERNAL: HQ Business Development Team; Overseas Support Department; Program Quality and Support Department; USOPS Policy and Legislative Affairs team; Regional and Country Program staff.
EXTERNAL: Representatives of public donors, implementing agencies including local government ministries, research and technical assistance organizations, and other influential actors in food security.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
The FSU TL will supervise a team of four Specialists.
Qualifications:
1. Masters degree in Development, International Relations, or relevant field required.
2. Eight plus years international development experience, including at least 4 years of work in a developing country.
3. Recent experience managing USG-funded food aid programs required. Leadership of large-value multi-year food security programs preferred.
4. Familiarity with current funding and implementation policies, procedures, and priorities of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace required. Comparable familiarity with USDA, WFP, or other relevant donors preferred.
5. Recent experience designing and preparing Title II applications required; experience with other USG Requests for Applications (RFAs) and USG RFPs preferred.
6. Project design and implementation experience in core food security sectors: Agriculture, Nutrition, Natural Resource Management, Community Resiliency, and Disaster Preparedness.
7. Design and implementation experience in food aid management: commodity transport, storage, and handling; USG pipeline planning and resource request processes; food distribution and uses of food aid in both emergency and non-emergency contexts.
8. Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
9. Exceptional technical and non-technical writing ability in English.
10. Strong analytical skills.
11. Demonstrated team leadership skills: experience with and commitment to working in a team structure.
12. Knowledge of and comfort level with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet) required, experience with Access or other data base programs is a plus.
13. Ability and willingness to travel up to 40% of job time.
14. Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles, a plus.
15. Fluency in English required; working ability in French preferred.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, efforts, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
NOTE: All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.
EOE/M/F/D/V
Dept/Location: Overseas Support Department/Public Resource Group, Baltimore
Reports To: Business Development Director
Req#: D303
Background:
The Business Development Team (BDT) supports HQ and field staff to identify and develop new public donor funding relationships and increase the agency’s capacity to respond to funding opportunities from various public donors. The team members are collectively responsible for managing information to support proposal development; carrying out research on, and building relationships with, new donors and other potential growth partners; providing assistance to field programs in proposal development; and monitoring progress towards the unit’s objectives and the agency’s public growth agenda.
Within the HQ BDT, the Food Security Unit (FSU) supports resource acquisition specifically in the area of food security, with an emphasis on high-value and strategic funding opportunities from USAID, USDA, the United Nations, and other major public donors. In so doing, the FSU collaborates closely with multiple units in CRS’ Overseas Operations division: country and regional staff (responsible for program development and implementation within CRS’ decentralized management structure); PQSD sectoral teams (responsible for supporting and promoting CRS technical excellence in core program areas); and PRG Strategic Issues Advisors (responsible for policy analysis and advocacy on key issues including global hunger). The FSU also supports the BDT’s broader relationships with other CRS divisions – HR, Finance, USOPS, and CGA – to guide and strengthen the agency’s resource acquisition efforts and maintain its position as a well-resourced, influential, and highly regarded actor in the fields of humanitarian aid and development.
Primary Function:
The FSU Team Leader (TL) is the lead position in a five-person sub-unit of the HQ BDT comprised of the TL and four Specialists. The TL supervises the Specialists and manages the workload assignments among the staff of the unit and/or consultants. S/he also coordinates closely with the HQ Business Development Manager (responsible for non-food security growth opportunities and overall leadership on BD capacity-building within CRS), the Business Development Director (responsible for agency-level strategic leadership, senior inter-divisional coordination, overall trend and competitiveness analyses, and overall BD support to the field), and the other units mentioned above to support CRS’ competitiveness for food security resources and its visibility as an industry leader in global hunger.
The FSU TL will supervise and oversee the FSU Specialists’ support to OverOps’ public fundraising efforts in the food security sector. S/he will coordinate the unit’s response to field requests for assistance on food security resource acquisition, including the deployment of unit Specialists on specific proposal assignments and the ongoing development or improvement of technical and non-technical proposal content. S/he will manage the work load across all team members, engaging consultants as needed to fill gaps for strategic proposal support. S/he will also provide proposal co-leadership and design/writing support to country program Proposal Coordinators. Finally, s/he will strengthen CRS’ non-proposal-specific business intelligence and competitiveness on food security resources, tracking and analyzing donor trends that influence CRS’ access to funding, and establishing/maintaining collaborative linkages with other actors in the food security community, in collaboration with PQSD, OSD, and field teams.
Job Responsibilities:
1. Supervise the FSU Specialists, including performance planning, coaching and appraisals as well as distribution of work load across the team.
2. Track and prepare for upcoming strategic funding opportunities, including USAID (Title II non-emergency and emergency programs, Feed the Future programs), USDA (Food for Progress, Food for Education, and Local/Regional Purchase), UN World Food Program, and/or other priority donors as determined.
3. Organize in-house planning/design workshops in preparation for food security proposals; coordinate PQSD, OSD, and regional involvement.
4. Review all incoming requests for BDT assistance on food security opportunities and prioritize as appropriate, with input from Regional and Country staff as well as HQ personnel.
5. Provide direct support to field and HQ staff in development and production of proposals, in an on-the-job training capacity. Serve as proposal “co-coordinator” with Country Program or Regional staff on highly strategic priorities.
6. Oversee and contribute to technical and non-technical project design frameworks and narratives, including cost applications; ensure compliance with donor requirements, recognition of donor priorities, and adherence to technical and management quality standards.
7. Support field and HQ staff in negotiating consortium arrangements based on lessons from similar experience. Coordinate closely with PQSD, OSD, and field staff to identify new and non-traditional partnerships, including universities, for-profit companies, research institutes and other actors.
8. Oversee FSU’s collaboration with PQSD, OSD, and staff overseas to develop future proposal content, updated capacity statements, past performance references, and design tools and resources reflecting evidence-based project design elements and implementation methodologies.
9. Together with other staff in OSD, PQSD, and USOPS, cultivate and maintain relationships with appropriate personnel in priority donor agencies including USAID, USDA, and WFP. Track evolving trends, priorities, key issues and budget levels within these agencies and assist CRS senior management to engage at policy levels.
10. Contribute to BDT efforts to coordinate with HR, Finance, and other CRS units on broader business development initiatives that affect the agency’s competitiveness for public resources.
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.
• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning
Key Working Relationships:
INTERNAL: HQ Business Development Team; Overseas Support Department; Program Quality and Support Department; USOPS Policy and Legislative Affairs team; Regional and Country Program staff.
EXTERNAL: Representatives of public donors, implementing agencies including local government ministries, research and technical assistance organizations, and other influential actors in food security.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
The FSU TL will supervise a team of four Specialists.
Qualifications:
1. Masters degree in Development, International Relations, or relevant field required.
2. Eight plus years international development experience, including at least 4 years of work in a developing country.
3. Recent experience managing USG-funded food aid programs required. Leadership of large-value multi-year food security programs preferred.
4. Familiarity with current funding and implementation policies, procedures, and priorities of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace required. Comparable familiarity with USDA, WFP, or other relevant donors preferred.
5. Recent experience designing and preparing Title II applications required; experience with other USG Requests for Applications (RFAs) and USG RFPs preferred.
6. Project design and implementation experience in core food security sectors: Agriculture, Nutrition, Natural Resource Management, Community Resiliency, and Disaster Preparedness.
7. Design and implementation experience in food aid management: commodity transport, storage, and handling; USG pipeline planning and resource request processes; food distribution and uses of food aid in both emergency and non-emergency contexts.
8. Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
9. Exceptional technical and non-technical writing ability in English.
10. Strong analytical skills.
11. Demonstrated team leadership skills: experience with and commitment to working in a team structure.
12. Knowledge of and comfort level with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet) required, experience with Access or other data base programs is a plus.
13. Ability and willingness to travel up to 40% of job time.
14. Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles, a plus.
15. Fluency in English required; working ability in French preferred.
This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, efforts, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
NOTE: All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.
EOE/M/F/D/V
How to apply
www.crs.org/about/careers
Post a Comment