Senior Technical Manager, Business Development

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence– We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom– We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy, and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion, and the power of global collaboration. Transparency– We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Senior Technical Manager, Business Development (BD) will provide technical expertise for IRI program and proposal development. The Senior Technical Manager, BD will coordinate with technical teams across IRI to guide technical design, shape approaches, and contribute technical writing that advances programmatic design and innovation. They will contribute to business development and organizational strategy development and prioritization while also guiding teams within IRI to ensure their efforts align with organizational strategies and best practices.

This is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC. Preference given for local candidates living within 100 miles of Washington, DC.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in international development, political science, international relations, business management, or related field; Graduate Degree preferred.
• 6-8 years of professional experience designing and implementing international democracy and governance programs. Non-profit experience preferred.
• Demonstrated understanding strategies to address a variety of democracy and governance challenges.
• 3+ years of experience in business development including program design, proposal management, and technical review.
• Experience design and writing proposals for USAID-funded grants.
• Experience with M&E and Program Design preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and written/oral communications skills with diverse stakeholders**.**
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team to coordinate and lead the efforts of other professionals to effectively meet institute-wide goals.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

Technical Design and Leadership

• Work closely with the Director and Deputy Director for Business Development to provide technical direction and assistance to identify, capture and win new funding opportunities for the organization.
• Provide technical direction to teams to capture high-profile funding opportunities.
• Define and shape the strategy, technical approach, and proposed results for specific proposals, especially competitive proposals; this will include engaging with other IRI technical experts as needed to draw on as much relevant knowledge and experience as possible to put together a winning offer.
• Facilitate and promote innovation in programmatic design concepts, and ensure they are meaningfully translated into written content, in consultation with technical experts in the Center for Global Impact.
• Serve as a proposal writer and master editor for assigned proposal packages.
• Serve as technical gate reviewer as needed.
• Produce and/or revise technical content for institutional business development purposes or for key proposal sections.

Organizational and BD Strategy

• Oversee the development and implementation of institute-wide capture strategies and tools.
• Coordinate the tracking, updating, and implementing of the BD Strategic Plan
• Track, analyze and advise staff on donors changing priorities, strategies, and funding mechanisms, ensuring the organization is well-prepared and strategically positioned for emerging opportunities.
• Build the capacity of Business Development staff on leading program design sessions.
• Guide and coach program and proposal teams to incorporate Institute-level new business priorities into regional new business decisions, ensuring alignment with the organization’s goals and Division strategies.
• Strategize and assist in coordinating and producing external affairs promotional material with business development priorities.
• Guide and assist with market analysis and Business Development portfolio management, making sure of its alignment with the organization’s growth vision.
• Network with business development professionals in peer organizations to enhance strategic partnership development.
• Support the Institute’s Communities of Practice (CoP), as interested.
• Guide and assist with market analysis and Business Development portfolio management, making sure of its alignment with the organization’s growth vision.
• Network with business development professionals in peer organizations to enhance strategic partnership development.
• Support the Institute’s Communities of Practice (CoP), as interested.

Proposal Management

• Serve as a proposal manager, leading a proposal team and facilitating the entire proposal process including the capture efforts, implementing proposal schedules, overseeing the development of technical approaches, and ensuring a proposal’s successful and compliant on-time submission.
• Collaborate closely with Cost & Pricing, Grants and Program teams to ensure cost proposals are highly competitive, responsive to the solicitation and capture all technical components.
• Lead in the identification and selection of partners for specific proposals, including stakeholder mapping and engagement, competitive analysis, and strategic planning.
• Strategize and assist with recruitment efforts for new bids, including key personnel positions.