Overview
Title: Business Development Manager
Type: Full-Time Employee
Duty Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Travel: 35% international travel required
Valar is a woman-owned small business led by a team of experienced and motivated strategy and development professionals. We focus on the evolving landscape of peacebuilding and stabilization efforts in today's complex frontier markets. Our team has established a new set of principles that bridges the gap between information, analysis, training, mentoring, and development. We offer a fresh perspective on how to provide impactful assistance to conflict-affected countries
Description
Valar seeks an exceptionally qualified individual to serve as the Business Development Manager in support of expanding Valar’s global programming, aiding in the development and implementation of Valar’s overall long-term growth strategy. The successful applicant will possess advanced managerial skills and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the political, security, cultural, and economic environment in which Valar operates. This position will be part of Valar’s Senior Leadership Team and liaise with U.S. Government, UK Government, UN, other donor and commercial clients. The role will report to Valar’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while working closely with the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Vice President (VP) of Information and Analysis (I&A).
Role Overview
The Business Development Manager will work to improve Valar’s market position as well as increasing the Company’s revenue and income. She/he will help achieve long-term organizational strategic goals, identify and realize business opportunities, , negotiate and close business deals, build key customer relationships and maintain extensive knowledge of current market conditions. This individual will work with senior level management to identify and increase business opportunities within Valar’s core competency and thereby maximize revenue for the organization. To achieve this, she/he needs to utilize existing professional and personal relationships, find potential new customers, identify their unfilled needs, prepare proposals, and ultimately convert them into clients.
Key Responsibilities
Including but not limited to the following:
- In close collaboration with CEO, COO, and VP of Information & Strategy, the Business Development Manager will work to execute Security Assistance growth strategy.
- Develop an annual and quarterly pipeline of qualified opportunities for Security Assistance sector and win new business, along with an opportunity assessment, qualification and submission process.
- Provide day-to-day operational guidance and oversight on all aspects of positioning, bid management and capture planning for her/his assigned funding stream portfolio.
- Successful delivery of business development activities from opportunity identification to proposal submission.
- Draft, edit and synthesize proposal content, ensuring appropriate linkages among programmatic approaches, performance monitoring plan, staffing, management, capacity and past performance statements, and work plans.
- Managing the overall pursuit process and production of proposals, capability statements, and expressions of interest; ensuring documents are produced within deadlines, client specifications and to professional standards.
- Capturing timely opportunity intelligence, assessing opportunities against business’ strategic objectives, and follow-up prospects with colleagues and partners.
- Conducting reviews and collating feedback on proposal process and success, ensuring lessons learnt are appropriately disseminated and acted on.
- Working together with the technical practice teams and the pricing specialist to identify and respond to commercial requirements.
- Identification, relationship building and contractual management of partners and consultants.
- Maintaining and strengthening business development systems and procedures.
- Attending market engagement and other industry events to promote Valar and keep abreast of market opportunities and challenges.
- Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders including pursuit teams, in-country teams and technical specialists across the Valar.
- Conduct after action reviews for business opportunity capture participants to document lessons learned and identify necessary adjustments to capture technique, strategy, and actions.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will have the following:
- 5-7 years of experience in business development and contract negotiations with an understanding of the process (Request for Information, Request for Proposals, etc.) to capture grant and contract vehicles.
- A Bachelor's or master’s degree is required, in Interational Relations, International Development, Interational Security, Business Administation or a related area.
- Proven track record of expanding organizational portfolio into new markets and major donors including DOS, DOD, USAID, DFID, World Bank and other bilateral donors, within an agreed timeframe.
- Experience in security assistance is strongly preferred.
- Strong customer service orientation.
- Familiarity and experience with U.S. government RFP websites and grant management systems, including sam.gov, grants.gov, and others.
- Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges, ability to take initiative and work independently with strong organization and time management skills.
- Excellent critical thinking and analysis, planning, and problem solving skills.
- Attention to detail and the ability to work under the pressure of deadlines.
- Excellent and effective written and oral communications skills and the ability to interact with a wide range of individuals from varied backgrounds at all levels within their organizations.
- Ability to prepare and report on concise PowerPoint presentations.
- Ability to travel up to 35% of the time.