Business Development Specialist
Date: 02-Mar-2021

Location: CONAKRY, Guinea

Company: Plan International

Plan International est une organisation indépendante de développement et d'aide humanitaire qui fait progresser les droits des enfants et l'égalité des filles.

Nous croyons au pouvoir et au potentiel de chaque enfant.
Mais cela est souvent influencé par la pauvreté, la violence, l'exclusion et la discrimination.
Et ce sont les filles qui sont les plus touchées.
En travaillant avec les enfants, les jeunes, nos sympathisants et nos partenaires, nous luttons pour un monde juste, s'attaquant aux causes profondes des défis auxquels sont confrontées les filles et tous les enfants vulnérables.
Nous soutenons les droits de l'enfant depuis la naissance jusqu'à l'âge adulte.
Et nous permettons aux enfants de se préparer et de réagir aux crises et à l'adversité.
Nous pilotons les changements de pratiques et de politiques aux niveaux local, national et mondial en utilisant notre portée, notre expérience et nos connaissances.
Nous construisons de puissants partenariats pour les enfants depuis plus de 80 ans et sommes maintenant actifs dans plus de 70 pays.

Dimensions of the Role

[This section provides a summary of the size and authority of the post.
It covers the size of the budget held, the numbers of direct reports, other key stakeholders who may depend on it, the type of communication required, the external representation involved and the reach of the role.]

To acts as a resource to support the business development at Plan International Guinea and support the realization of Plan Guinea’s CS objectives.
Lead the development of CN and proposals and the acquisition of Grants
To ensure the development of the GIN Grants portfolio.
The holder of this position will be actively seeking and maximizing opportunities for additional funding from a variety of sources.
Report to the Head of Business Development Unit
Works closely with Grants team, Technical advisors, projects managers, PIIA Managers

Accountabilities
[This section is critical for clarifying expectations of the role, providing the framework for its relationship with colleagues and providing areas of accountability against which performance can be managed.

This should include a series of brief statements that define the end results required. E.g. drive, contribute, identify, manage, responsible for, advise/coach, build, develop, provide, conduct, oversee, establish, participate etc.

Statements should ideally be worded so that they will lead to thoughts of measurement.
For example, it is better to state something like "achieve maintenance standards" than "undertake maintenance".
The former leads to a measure against the maintenance standards.]

Provide Specialist support in Resource mobilisation
- Support the RM strategy development as well as it’s implementation
- Lead on the development of a resources mobilisation plan including donor engagement plan to support the GIN’s CS objectives
- Lead the development of concept notes and proposals and actively identify grants opportunities in line with agreed organizational procedures and in close coordination with technical advisors, Program/Project managers, Program Influencing & Impact Area Managers, finance, logistics and other stockholders from relevant departments and units within Plan International Guinea and National offices.
- Act as point person for the development of CN and proposal in the unit
- Ensure high quality funding submissions are prepared in line with program priorities
- Support the GO/ No Go decision making regarding funding opportunities and to coordinate the development and acquisition of new funding
- Coordinate the accurate and timely submission of grant proposals to donors and National Offices.
- Ensures the portfolio is increased
- Lead on researching where potential opportunities for grants funding can be found;
- Developing and maintaining the pipeline of new projects and turn them into increased portfolio
- Coordinate the acquisition of grants together with the Business development team and Program team
- Ensure the Development of the Donor mapping (local, international) in collaboration with the Donor Engagement Specialists (NO and Local)
- Produce and regularly update a comprehensive mapping of all donor opportunities (by sector and geography) in Niger
- Ensuring successful on-going donor relationship management and ‘ownership’ of relations with donor representatives locally for possible grant funding
- Monitor donor and call intelligence including EC information coming from the EU office
- Create a system to ensure regular dialog with NO’s on NER priorities, experience, pipeline, challenges and successes as well as providing NER with NO intelligence and coordination
- Ensure all concept notes and/or proposals meet donor requirements and funding priorities.
- Review Donor agreements and facilitate submission and approval of the proposal as required.
- Ensure all funding submissions have a strong gender focus, and that all submissions are graded either 2a or 2b against the IASC gender marker. Where possible opportunities should be taken to design gender transformative funding submissions.
- Update the funding tracker ensuring current and potential funding are clearly shown.
- Develop a resource mobilisation plan in support of the Emergency Response strategy.
- Coordinate input in to the UNOCHA managed Financial Tracking Service (FTS)

The person will lead the exchanges with the National Organisations during grants development stages
- Support FAD stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 approval processes
- Contribute and work closely with finance the cost recovery improvement
- Ensure that all categories of program costs are taken into account at the conceptualization and submission stage of grant preparation.
- Identify and prepare relevant information for senior management of the total grant portfolio, such as pipelines
- Coordinates external inputs into the development of grants
- Develop and conduct capacity building of Grants related and resource mobilisation issues at country Office and Prog Implementing Area level

Lead on developing and packaging grant proposals to suit the requirements of different donors, including working with the programme communications team to develop separate marketing collateral aimed at different audiences (NOs, Institutional donors, Corporates etc.).
- Ensure good branding, telling the Organization story
- Ensure, that strategic partnerships with local donor missions, including bilateral and multilaterals are developed, managed and maintained.
- Make sure a strong and professional image of Plan International Niger among relevant donors.
- Building successful, proactive relationships which align donors priorities with program needs;
- Assure that exact templates, formats are used for the proposal development and that experts/specialists are well aware of requirement before proposals are drafted,
- Organize the start-up workshops of acquired grants in collaboration with the Donor Engagement Specialists
- Make sure that all categories of requirements of the donors, Plan and local authorities are taken into account at the conceptualization and submission stage of grant preparation.

Lead together with program specialists in the preparation of CN, grant proposal including formatting of text, preparation of budget and required supporting documents.
- Ensure that document are translated correctly (CN, proposals, budgets, log frame…)
- Contribute to the documentation of all grant funded programs and projects including documents archiving

Registration of new CN in GPMT and ensure their regular update
- Assist to the grant monthly meetings
- Attend to Business Development Unit weekly meeting
- Consolidate relevant grant information and disseminate it where relevant within Plan Niger.
- Conduct Project /field visits
- Help in generation of grants update
- Carry out any other activity related to the sphere of work and in the interest of the organization when needed.
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility.
This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships
[This section refers to people inside and/or outside of the organisation that the post-holder needs to have contact with, and why.
This should include virtual presence.]

- Lead the development and maintenance of partnership with local actors, including bilateral, multilaterals, corporate donors and external networks. Coordinate the link between Program Influencing Areas (PIAs) and corporate donors / external networks.
- Works closely with the Head of Business Development Unit, the Grants Compliance Officer, the Donor Engagement specialists, the Program technical Specialists, the Grants Accountants, Project managers, PIAMS, Head of Programs
- Lead exchanges with NO partners during concept notes and proposal writing period
- Excellent working relationships
- Regularly inform the Head of Business Development Units of strategic funding information and trends to ensure Plan has necessary information to secure funding.
- Networking with peer INGOs, Corporate sector, UN Agencies and Other donors,.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
[This section details the skills, knowledge and expertise the postholder will be required to demonstrate in doing the job well.
This should include clear levels of technical expertise and skills that support our work at national, international, and global level.]

Dealing with Problems:

- Key challenges include dealing with different/conflicting demands from a variety of clients and responding to tight deadlines
- Engaging with donors and representing the organization in a professional manner which reflects positively on Plan as an organization;
- How to match donor opportunities with the Resource Mobilization Strategy.
- Ability to understand and assimilate the complexity of Plan’s grants business development and systems and procedures and organisational structures decision-making processes;
- Capable of building constructive working relationships with other units
- Managing external relations in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable operating environment
- Adherence to policies and procedures, and promoting a culture for delivery of results, both short and long term.
- The post holder will demonstrate the ability to solve the challenges through innovative and strategic thinking.
- He should be able to demonstrate high degree of prioritization

Essential/ Desirable
- Knowledge
- Bachelor’s Degree in sociology, social sciences, economic or related field.
- Preferably with experience in proposal development, fundraising, alliances and partnerships
- Familiarity with financial and administrative requirements of a variety of large grant donors
- Excellent level of English, both oral and written
- Public relations and representation skills at an advanced level.
- High Proficiency in computer software particularly Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Access, Word and accounting software packages.
- Professional experience spent in a resource mobilization in the development and humanitarian sector.
- Demonstrated track record of writing project proposals and obtaining grant funding for development projects from institutional donors.
- Experience in identifying and developing fund raising opportunities
- Knowledge of donors such as EU, USAID, SIDA (Sweden), World bank, DFID, Master Card, African Development Banks, GFFO (German Federal Fund), JICO (Japanese Fund), EAC (Qatar Foundation). AFD (French Development Agency), bilateral funds from 22 countries, such as: USA, Canada, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Spain, Netherland, corporate, foundations, private national institutions & government of Niger.

Skills
- Negotiation skills at an advanced level.
- Conceptual and analytical skills.
- Coaching, training and facilitation skills.
- Marketing skills.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to maintain effective and satisfactory working relationships with people from diverse cultures across all levels of the organization.
- Capacity to work under pressure, prioritize multiple tasks, and meet inflexible deadlines.
- Proficiency in computer software particularly Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Access, Word and accounting software packages.
- Positive attitude, desire to be a part of a diverse team,
- Knowledge of Project management including planning and scheduling, process design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation
- Well-developed written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of Plan, including proven networking skills.
- Understanding how to effectively represent the organization;
- Behaviours
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Excellent written and oral communication, representation and influencing skills
- Excellent inter-personal skills and good team player
- Flexible to change
Communicates constructively and humbly in a way that builds credibility to other Plan offices and Plan’s external stakeholders

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering:
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.

Physical Environment
[In this section, state “typical office environment”, or conditions such as “must work outside in an extremely hot and humid climate”.
Also note if any protective equipment is required.]

The holder of this position will be based in Plan International Niger’s Country Office (Niamey) with field visits whenever necessary
Level of contact with children
Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction

Organizational structure
Plan International est une Organisation qui prône l’égal accès à l’emploi, une politique de Tolérance Zéro à la fraude et est engagée pour la sauvegarde des enfants et des jeunes et l’équité du genre ; les procédures de recrutement reflètent ces valeurs.

Les candidatures féminines sont fortement encouragées.
Plan a adopté des politiques de protection de l’enfant et de l’équité du genre qui font partie intégrante de ses procédures de recrutement.