Program Development Manager

Reports to: Senior Director, Program Development, Washington, DC

Location: Washington, DC

Travel: Up to 25%

Level: 9


I. TechnoServe Background:

TechnoServe is an international, non-profit economic development organization founded in 1968 out of a conviction that a vibrant private sector is an essential foundation for economic growth and poverty reduction. TechnoServe undertakes targeted, catalytic technical assistance and other programming to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs, businesses and industries that in-turn provide sustainable employment, inclusion of the poor and increased incomes. TechnoServe operates in 25 developing countries with over 1000 employees. A substantial portion of our work is in agriculture, enhancing farm productivity and commodity quality and addressing gaps in processing and other agribusiness capacities. Our programs increase smallholder access to new technologies, aggregation and storage mechanisms, markets, critical information and finance. TechnoServe also undertakes structured programs to identify and support high potential entrepreneurs in various sectors through leadership mentoring networks, formalization support, access to capital and development of sustainable business services such as accounting, finance, marketing and human resource management.


II. Position Description:

The goal of the position is to lead and support the development of new business and design of new programs that will result in increased impact and revenue. The position is responsible for responding to major, priority new business opportunities, from bi-lateral, multi-lateral agencies, private foundations and/or private sector corporations. This will include leading proposal teams and processes to design projects and develop winning proposals, and writing competitive proposals. The PD Manager will be key in designing projects and will regularly lead the development of Logical Frameworks.

Specifically, the Program Development Manager will:

1. Lead competitive bids for priority, large, complex bids as the Proposal Manager.

The Proposal Manager (PM) is responsible for ensuring that TechnoServe submits a compliant, responsive, quality proposal. S/he is responsible for overall project management of the proposal development process and plays an important role in project design and the development of the logical framework. The PM will revise the final lead summary (bid decision making document), develop and manage the proposal calendar, propose the final proposal team (with support from Regional Directors, and Senior PD Directors), schedule, convene and facilitate kick off and review meetings, develop the proposal outline with compliance guidelines, lead or support partner negotiations including teaming agreements, develop partner packets, manage partner inputs, coordinate response to donor request for questions, identify and contract technical consultants as needed, convene and chair partner design meetings as needed, coordinate project design meetings, convene and facilitate post-submission debriefs, project manage revising the proposal if requested by the donor, and organize victory celebrations.

2. Function as Proposal Writer for priority bids.

The Proposal Writer is responsible for writing, and coordinating specialized written inputs, into the technical narrative and the supporting annexes for the narrative volume (executive summary, technical approach, management plan, organizational capacity, monitoring and evaluation plan, implementation plan, etc.), as required.

3. Function as Bid Advisor for select bids.

The Bid Advisor will provide support and mentoring, usually to Country Directors or other field based staff, for capture planning, intelligence gathering, and/or proposal development. The Bid Advisor will also provide support or lead teaming negotiations with US-based partners, as needed, and act as a proposal reviewer during proposal development.

4. Knowledge management/capacity building.

As a key member of the HQ-based Program Development team, the PD Manager will have a role to play in ongoing mentoring and capacity building of field and US based staff in their knowledge of donors, and in best practice in program development including project design and proposal development. Further, this role will play a critical role in capturing and sharing information gleaned during specific proposal work between country offices and headquarters and across regions and country platforms. The PD Manager will engage in the assessment and updating of processes, structures and systems for program development and contribute to learning and improvement. S/he will monitor and evaluate the success of proposals, and disseminate key learnings and best practices.

5. Perform other tasks as required by the Senior Director, Program Development.


III. Required Skills & Experience:

• Master’s Degree in a relevant discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience in analytical and strategic roles within the private sector and/or development spheres. At least 2 years of work experience working in international development; either in new business development or project implementation; experience in agricultural development/agribusiness/economic growth/enterprise development preferred.
• At least two years of professional experience in a developing country is required.
• Knowledge of the international development donor landscape is required; proven track record of developing winning funding proposals is strongly preferred.
• Ability to use or aptitude for the Results Based Management/Logical Framework Approach is required.
• Strong critical thinking, problem solving, coaching and mentoring skills.
• Ability to perform under time pressure, be flexible, work independently, manage multiple tasks and work effectively as a leader and team member in fast-paced multi-cultural environment .
• Passionate about market-led approaches to helping the poor improve their livelihoods.
• Strong focus on results.
• Must be detail oriented, with strong project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with an enthusiasm for writing.
• Good sense of humor.
• Fluency in one of French, Portuguese or Spanish strongly preferred; additional language skills are desirable.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of time internationally and domestically.



APPLY NOW

TechnoServe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women are encouraged to apply.