Head of Business Development, WACAR

Head of Business Development, WACAR | IRC - International Rescue Committee

Head of Business Development, WACAR

IRC - International Rescue Committee

Nairobi

International

Executive level

Speaks English, French

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Summary by Impactpool

The Head of Business Development (HBD) for WACAR leads IRC's business development efforts to support country programs in West and Central Africa. This role involves strategic planning, donor engagement, and overseeing the business development process from opportunity identification to proposal submission. The HBD collaborates closely with regional and global teams to ensure alignment with IRC's global business development strategy. The position requires significant

Experience

in humanitarian and development proposals, particularly with institutional donors.

Candidate

in leading large proposal teams

in developing humanitarian and development proposals

Strong proficiency in English and French

Knowledge of government donor strategies and proposal processes

collaborating with national and community-based partners

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively

Willingness to travel internationally (approximately 20% of time)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

This position is open to internal candidates in the WACAR Region, or other IRC locations in GMT and EAT time zones, who have significant

working in West and Central Africa countries. Candidates based in these countries are encouraged to apply.

The Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD) Department

The Crisis Response, Recovery and Development (CRRD) Department has a growing portfolio of humanitarian relief, post-crisis recovery, and development programs under their remit. This work focuses support in five key areas: ensuring safety from harm, improving health, increasing access to education, improving economic well-being and ensuring people have the power to influence decisions that affect their lives. In all these programs, there is a drive to address the unique needs of women and girls (who represent the majority of those displaced) – and the universal barriers they face.

The Awards Management Unit (AMU)

Established in January 2016, the Awards Management Unit (AMU) is a global department with the responsibility for identifying, securing, and managing all funding from statutory/government donors. The AMU is a bridge between donors and country programs: providing expert technical advice to the country teams, while maintaining portfolio-level visibility to ensure consistency and compliance and manage risk. This unit ensures that donor compliance policies and procedures are implemented consistently and supports all staff working across the award management cycle for all restricted funding from global government sources.

West and Central Africa Regional Overview:

The West and Central Africa Region (WACAR)

supports effective, efficient, and high-quality programming by strengthening capacity around client outcomes, program quality, strategic positioning, and business development. It addresses overlapping humanitarian and development challenges—conflict, weak governance, and environmental degradation—through integrated, impactful approaches.

WACAR prioritizes cross-learning, innovation, and harmonized technical strategies, especially in high-need areas. It ensures continuity of care and coordinated service delivery for clients on the move, while advancing strategic donor engagement through cohesive fundraising and regional collaboration.

The region responds swiftly to country program needs, filling critical gaps and navigating access constraints, emergencies, and security shifts. It amplifies client and frontline voices to inform global advocacy and fosters strong team cohesion to enhance program delivery. WACAR focuses on cost-efficient and adaptive approaches to the evolving humanitarian and donor landscape, with a clear focus on resourcing country programs.

WACAR comprises Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon and CAR, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Mali, Niger, Nigeria.

The Purpose of the Role

Reporting to the Director, Awards Management (DAM) and working in close collaboration with BD leadership, the Head of Business Development (HBD), WACAR leads IRC’s business development efforts in support of the WACAR region’s country programs and is a key part of IRC’s global business development team, serving as the Region's representative in developing and implementing IRC’s global business development strategy. HBD plays a strategic role in the planning, identification, and successful pursuit of new business in line with country Strategy Action Plans (SAP). HBD support includes all phases of the business development process, including strategic planning, donor outreach and engagement, pre-positioning (capture), partnering, proposal development, due diligence, issues letter and agreement negotiation.

The HBD is responsible for maintaining regional level oversight of all business development for institutional donors in the IRC’s WACAR.

Scope and Accountability

The Head of Business Development exercises overall leadership for business development in the region and line management of the regional Program Development Advisor (PDA). The role oversees the regional pipeline and supports country business development strategies and planning, including reviewing the pipeline and individual opportunities and ensuring appropriate resourcing for successful bid submissions, in coordination with the Senior Program and Award Advisor, (SPAA) as relevant. The HBD provides development oversight of regionally assigned opportunities and serves as a key regional focal point for global opportunities, which are supported by the Business Development team.

Key Working Relationships

The HBD manages the regional Program Development Advisor(s) (PDA) and works closely with the regional management team (RMT), all Regional Program and Award Support (RPAS) team members, and the wider Global Business Development Team. The HBD also works closely with country program teams, collaborates with other teams within the Awards Management Unit, including the Compliance and Policy (C&P), and Awards management Systems (AMS) teams; the wider Crisis Response Recovery and Development Department including Technical Excellence; External Relations; Finance; Global Supply Chain; Finance; Office of General Counsel; and other key departments within IRC who contribute to regional business development efforts. The HBD serves as point of contact with external donor and partner stakeholders during the pre-award stage, as applicable per region.

Direct Reports:

-Program Development Advisor (PDA)

and a successful track record leading large proposal teams on complex, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal supervision.

developing and supporting humanitarian and development proposals for NGOs.

Strong proficiency in English and French.

with strategies and proposal processes of key government/statutory donors – US Government (USAID and Department of State), FCDO, EU institutions (ECHO, INTPA), and other donors (GAC, Sida, GFFO, BMZ, SDC, etc.).

collaborating with and supporting national and community-based partners.

in proposal budgeting is a plus.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively collaborate across a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.

Demonstrated ability to collaborate equally effectively with colleagues in remote and diverse teams, including as team leader for proposals.

Clear, compelling writing skills, preferably with previous

with proposal writing.

Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively.

Ability to travel internationally (approximately 20% of time).

Ce poste est ouvert aux candidats internes de la région WACAR ou d’autres sites de l’IRC situés dans les fuseaux horaires GMT et EAT, qui possèdent une expérience significative de travail dans les pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest et d’Afrique centrale. Les candidats basés dans ces pays sont encouragés à postuler.

CONTEXTE

Le département « Réponse aux crises, relèvement et développement » (CRRD)

Le département Réponse aux crises, relèvement et développement (CRRD) gère un portefeuille croissant de programmes d’aide humanitaire, de relèvement post-crise et de développement relevant de sa compétence. Ce travail concentre son soutien sur cinq domaines clés : garantir la sécurité face aux dangers, améliorer la santé, accroître l’accès à l’éducation, améliorer le bien-être économique et veiller à ce que les personnes aient le pouvoir d’influencer les décisions qui affectent leur vie. Dans tous ces programmes, un effort particulier est déployé pour répondre aux besoins spécifiques des femmes et des filles (qui représentent la majorité des personnes déplacées) – ainsi qu’aux obstacles universels auxquels elles sont confrontées.

L’Unité de gestion des subventions (AMU)

Créée en janvier 2016, l’Unité de gestion des subventions (AMU) est un service mondial chargé d’identifier, d’obtenir et de gérer l’ensemble des financements provenant de bailleurs de fonds statutaires ou gouvernementaux. L’AMU fait le lien entre les bailleurs de fonds et les programmes nationaux : elle fournit des conseils techniques spécialisés aux équipes nationales, tout en assurant une visibilité au niveau du portefeuille afin de garantir la cohérence et la conformité et de gérer les risques. Cette unité veille à ce que les politiques et procédures de conformité des bailleurs de fonds soient mises en œuvre de manière cohérente et apporte son soutien à l’ensemble du personnel intervenant tout au long du cycle de gestion des subventions pour tous les financements soumis à des restrictions provenant de sources gouvernementales mondiales.

Aperçu régional de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre :

La région Afrique de l’Ouest et centrale (WACAR)

soutient la mise en œuvre de programmes efficaces, performants et de haute qualité en renforçant les capacités en matière de résultats pour les clients, de qualité des programmes, de positionnement stratégique et de développement des activités. Elle s’attaque aux défis humanitaires et de développement qui se recoupent — conflits, gouvernance défaillante et dégradation de l’environnement — par le biais d’approches intégrées et à fort impact.

WACAR priorise l’apprentissage lié à l’innovation et à des stratégies techniques harmonisées, en particulier dans les zones où les besoins sont importants. Elle assure la continuité des soins et la coordination de la prestation de services pour les clients en déplacement, tout en favorisant un engagem

Requirements

Substantial

Key Accountabilities

AND

Responsibilities

Planning and Strategic Leadership

Provide strategic vision on regional BD efforts in support of country program Strategy Action Plans (SAP), in collaboration with regional and AMU leadership.

Maintain visibility on the overall pipeline across all public and institutional donors, in collaboration with regional Program Development & Awards Advisors as well as private donors, in close collaboration with the Senior Advisor, Private Partnerships

Maintain up to date knowledge of donor funding priorities and geographical interests relevant to IRC’s areas of work.

Provide advice, analysis and guidance to AMU, Regional and Country leadership on BD trends, target-setting, donor engagement, and support needs in the region, ensuring leaders have the right level of information to make decisions.

Lead and support BD strategy development efforts and planning at regional and country level, to establish clear funding priorities and targets, to support decision making and enable effective positioning and resource planning.

Coordinate support to country teams in the identification, tracking and pursuit of new business opportunities across a variety of technical sectors and donors, including ensuring that technical brainstorming, partner, and competitor landscape analysis and win theme sessions with technical and country staff are occurring.

Support country BD strategy development, BD and donor engagement planning and delivery.

Maintain regional pipeline information and analysis. Lead pipeline monitoring routines at regional level, including but not limited to Quarterly Pipeline Calls. Coordinate with Regional Finance Director on and contribute to the Operating Budget process ahead of Business Development projection-setting.

End to End Program Development

Provide BD summary of new opportunities (Cat A-C but excluding UN) and support CPs in analyzing opportunities (Cat A-D) to inform Go/No Go decisions.

Support effective and timely Go/No Go decisions, including sharing initial assessment of new opportunities and providing insight and input based on donor knowledge, likelihood of success and experience.

Plan and manage effective division of bid leadership across the portfolio at capture and live stages of development to ensure appropriate support on all opportunities.

At the early stage of opportunity identification, work with country teams, DAM and BD leadership in identifying and addressing escalated support needs.

Act as the regional business development focal point for escalated bid opportunities, providing regional advice and coordinating escalated support when needed.

Collaborate with other Business Development colleagues, Business Development Specialist team members and technical staff on high demand opportunities and multi-country and Technical Units-led bids.

Maintain visibility of all opportunities in the region throughout the proposal development process. Contribute to critical bids (Cat D) prioritization, decision-making and bid resourcing; provide relational support.

Ensure the following Bid Leadership

are performed consistently and effectively by the assigned BD Lead (HBD, PDA, or other) on each public opportunity in the regional portfolio:

Collaborate with technical units, country offices, and other colleagues to support conceptualization of winning program and bid designs, including support to building effective partnerships and consortia.

Provide effective proposal support, ranging from proposal management to comprehensive support, confirming responsiveness to and compliance with solicitation documents and with IRC’s requirements. Ensure required reviews and approvals are secured prior to submission to donor.

Provide guidance on donor policies and ensure project design is responsive and compliant with donor expectations, rules, and regulations.

When providing proposal management support, coordinate concept note and/or proposal development, including sharing initial assessment of new opportunities, reviewing timelines, ensuring the proposal team adheres to deadlines, supporting recruitment, assisting in budget development, ensuring document completion, organizing meetings, and compiling notes, and drafting and proofreading proposal sections. This includes support to country office teams in the management and maintenance of IRC’s award management system.

Review agreements, in coordination with relevant RPAS post-award focal point, to ensure accuracy and highlight key compliance requirements, in coordination with post-award, Compliance & Policy and country Grants teams.

Facilitate internal After-action Reviews with country teams, technical units, regional team, and other relevant stakeholders to collect lessons learned. Support efforts to share feedback beyond the region as part of IRC’s wider business development learning agenda.

Work across teams to ensure successful handover from pre-award to post-award, that lessons learned are captured, and best practices are shared, in support of improved knowledge management and through the development of relevant tools.

Maintain complete and accurate electronic files, including final submission packages and internal trackers.

Donor and Partner Engagement

In line with IRC’s Partnership Ambition, contribute to increasing the volume and equity of IRC's work with local and regional partners (with a focus on women-led national organizations) by coordinating support to country programs in identifying partnership opportunities, identifying strong partners, and finalizing teaming arrangements.

Support partnering conversations with international partner HQs where needed.

Support countries and the region in planning effective donor, partner, and peer engagement, collaborating with relevant Partnerships/Strategic Partnerships and post-award colleagues.

Representing IRC externally to donors, peers, and partners.

Partner with CPs and regional leadership and colleagues on donor engagement and stewardship for prioritized donors.

Support countries in donor engagement by translating information and intelligence received at the global level into regional and country priorities.

Support donor mapping and targeting at country and regional levels, as well as positioning and capturing for a limited set of priority opportunities.

Contribute to donor briefings for country teams, in collaboration with Global BD, as needed.

Capacity Building and Training

Collaborate with other HBDs and stakeholders to share best practices and lessons learned, and to develop and improve tools.

Contribute to developing, updating, and delivering business-development related training for the region, including roll-out and refreshers of the IRC Business Development Process training.

Develop, strengthen, and share capacity of other IRC staff - including direct reports, IRC country and regional teams - to identify opportunities and develop strong program design and proposals, including BD processes.

Support in recruiting, onboarding, and training of new country and regional grants and partnerships team members in collaboration with RPAS team members.

Staff Management, Learning, and Development

Supervise and mentor direct reports, including communicating clear expectations, providing regular and timely performance feedback, document and discussing performance issues if needed, and delivering high-quality documented annual performance reviews.

Ensure direct reports are trained on all relevant IRC processes and donor regulations

Support direct reports in achieving annual objectives, acting as a trusted and accountable manager, mentor, and professional resource, including promoting collaboration, enabling adequate resourcing, and ensuring accountability.

Together with the Director of Awards Management, the Head of Business Development and other members of the team, ensure Regional Program Awards and Support team cohesion, identify team needs and continuous improvements in ways of working, strengthen communication and foster cross-portfolio experience-sharing and learning, as well as other relevant decision-making processes and practices in support of effective team management and well-being.

Other

Contribute to AMU and regional strategic priorities and initiatives.

Support with French/English translation when necessary.

Participate in special projects, working groups and other tasks as assigned.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge, and Qualifications:

Substantial