Specialist, Program Development

The Program Development team creates new and repeat business for the organization in line with the Program Development Strategy. The Program Development team works closely with in-country Directors and Managers to ensure funding for programming that directly responds to the needs in Search’s conflict geographies. This function commences with scoping and pre-positioning for opportunities and completes with the signing of an award. This involves building program development strategies for conflict geographies, capturing opportunities, and leading Search’s engagement with institutional donors and partners. To develop successful bids the team works in close collaboration with other departments, including Finance, the Institutional Learning Team, Communications, and Human Resources. The Program Development team will build and strengthen the program development capacity within the organization.

**Responsibilities**
- Provides expertise in particular program development processes or market segments.
- Provides advanced guidance on donors and partners, emerging trends, and changing landscapes within a particular area or areas.
- Provides significant input across all strategy processes in areas relevant to the area of expertise.
**Contributions**
- Strategy development: Provides significant input across all strategy processes in areas relevant to the areas of expertise.
- Business intelligence: Provides advanced guidance on donors and partners, emerging trends, and changing landscapes within particular areas.
- Positioning and donor relations: Builds partnerships related to the speciality. Represents Search in relevant forums and supports positioning efforts.
- Partnerships: Develops high level relationships with potential partners and advises partner selection processes as requested.
- Go/No-Go decisions: Participates in go/no-go processes and advises as requested.
- Capture planning: Advises capture processes and positioning for individual bids as requested.
- Program design: Provides significant input into program designs as requested.
- Proposal development: Drafts specific sections and provides overall input in near-final quality.Proposal reviews: Participates in reviews as requested.
- Contracting process: Provides input and advises as required.
- Knowledge management and training: Develops tools and resources for use within and outside Program Development teams.
- After Action Reviews: Participates in AARs and other learning processes. Develops tools and capacity-building to strengthen processes.
- Recruitment: Supports recruitment as requested.
- On-Boarding: Leads the development of training in specialist areas as needed.
- Other duties that are broadly in line with the above key contributions as assigned.
**Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)**
- Manages overall strategy and vision. Provides functional and program/project management. Anticipates and plans for needs and takes action accordingly. Provides guidance to direct reports or matrixes team members.
- Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search’s network of experts critical to the area of purview.
- Modifies a planned course of action in response to new information or new circumstances.
- Responds to changing circumstances and expectations readily.
- Articulates Search/function program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search. Develops program objectives that reflect broader Search strategies and approaches.
- Provides input for standards across functions globally within Shared Services teams and with a view from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things..Overcomes obstacles using ethical practices; formulates and evaluates morally and ethically justified solutions.
- Assesses risks and opportunities to lead decision makers to a favorable outcome.
- Checks the accuracy of one’s own and others’ work and sets up systematic checks and balances to support content and data integrity.
- Has knowledge of project management tools including technology as resources for efficiency and reduction of stress.
**Type and Nature of Contacts**
- Routinely coordinates with colleagues and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
- Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
- Interacts with country office and regional staff.
**Education and Experience**
- Typically BS/BA with minimum 9 years’ experience; minimum of 4 years specific to program development.
**Working Conditions and Physical Requirements**
- Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 20%.
**Supervisory and Budget Responsibility**
- Individual contributors and typically do not supervise staff members.