Senior Business Development Specialist

MAIN PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The Senior Business Development Specialist will work as part of a high performing business development team to ensure that MSH consistently hits organizational and account targets and delivers at or above long-term revenue goals. The Sr Business Development Specialist supports all aspects of new business development at MSH through three key functions: (1) Serves as the Opportunity Manager as assigned, and supports other members of business development team, account teams, and the Proposal Lead with developing responsive, high-quality proposals that reflect client goals, MSH’s technical approach, and organizational goals; (2) assists the proposal, country, and account teams in positioning activities and strategies;  and (3) contributes to the implementation, development, and improvement of business development processes, tools, training, and resources. This position will assist in other tasks and initiatives as needed or requested.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITES: 

Business Development and Strategy (80%)

• As assigned, serves as the Opportunity Manager; ensures up-to-date knowledge of potential funders and the global health landscape; manages relationships with MSH staff, potential partners, and consultants; and identifies new business leads. This includes working collaboratively with global and country staff, account teams, and external stakeholders to develop and implement intelligence gathering, trends, and positioning strategies to strengthen MSH’s competitiveness for winning new business.

• Supports other members of business development team, account teams, and the Proposal Lead in preparing for and developing proposals and other activities.

• Contributes to the development of a multi-year pipeline, budget, and targets in line with the organizational strategy and goals.

• Facilitates the presentation and review of new opportunities through the bid decision process or summary communications.

• Partners with the designated Proposal Lead and works with proposal team members to facilitate and manage the development of competitive proposals – win strategy, technical strategy, theory of change as needed, partner strategy, recruitment strategy, and pricing strategy.

• Monitors and ensures responsiveness and compliance of proposals against the solicitation.

• Manages the proposal development process, ensuring the use of business development systems, processes, approved AI case-uses, and best practices to develop a competitive proposal and cost proposal.

• Develops and manages the proposal calendar and monitors adherence to deadlines, quality standards, and proposal investment costs and spending against budget. Works with the Proposal Lead to resolve issues and roadblocks in the process. 

• Assists the Proposal Lead in developing staffing strategies and best value costing strategies; ensure a unified technical and costing strategy.

• Assists Proposal Leads to identify and cultivate partnering opportunities, establishes new institutional partners, and manages existing ones; cultivates relationships with specific partners and coordinates regular communications with strategic partners as necessary; develops pre-teaming agreements and teaming agreements.

• Writes proposal sections as assigned and as needed; copy edits proposals and annexes as assigned.

• Solicits and registers donor feedback as appropriate and coordinates proposal development debrief and donor debrief or feedback meetings.

• Facilitates proposal team and donor feedback on process and proposal (AAR and donor debrief/questionnaire).

• Trains MSH staff in business development processes, tools, and approaches.

• Supports other staff and activities as needed and assigned.

Team Effectiveness and Management (20%)

• Participates in annual corporate work planning and goals and target development.

• Is accountable and responsible for timely data entry and quality; ensures effective use of internal systems (CRM, SharePoint, etc.).

• Contributes to the development and continuous improvement of business standards and processes to ensure efficiencies and consistent quality. Keeps abreast of the latest in industry best practices and lessons learned through participation in relevant forums and networks.

• Explores, tests, and identifies AI usage cases for approval and use by proposal teams and MSHers.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: 

• A bachelor’s degree.

• 6 years of related experience.

• Knowledge of donor-funded program requirements.

• Expertise working with US Government agencies, Gavi, UN agencies, The Global Fund, and other private funders highly preferred.

• Experience in LMIC preferred.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Ability to initiate and organize work, establish priorities in a time-sensitive environment, and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.

• Knowledge of the full business development lifecycle; skilled in capture/positioning; experienced in filling other proposal line roles including manager, coordinator, writer, etc. 

• Strong written and verbal English-language communication skills; knowledge of a second language, preferably French desired.

• Ability to cultivate and maintain functional, valuable, and productive relationships, both across the organization--especially with senior leadership team and key technical experts—as well as with current and potential donors and partners inside and outside of the US. 

• Strong analytical and organizational skills as demonstrated by ability to work both independently and within a team. 

• Ability to lead cross-departmental teams to contribute to and achieve outlined goals. 

• Successful experience working in a fast-paced, multicultural, results-driven environment.  

• Mission-driven and self-directed with passion, integrity, and a positive attitude. 

• Ability to work in a highly matrixed and complex environment to achieve common objectives. 

• Ability to coach and mentor others. 

COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to handle the high stress environment of business development with diplomacy and a sense of humor. 

• Ability to initiate and organize work; think critically; establish priorities and make decisions in a time sensitive environment; and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality. 

• Demonstrated good judgment and ability to prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously and work proactively to follow through on activities. 

MSH considers multiple job-related factors when determining an offer, including but not limited to, business and organizational needs, candidate qualifications, internal equity, location, and internal budget.
 

Salary is just one of many aspects of our total rewards package; at MSH, our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive set of competitive benefits that includes a substantial vacation, sick and holiday policies, training and development programs, competitive insurance coverage for health, vision, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability, 401k plan, Flexible Spending Account, among others.
 

MSH is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws. MSH complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, as amended, and all related applicable regulations.

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