Job Information
Save The Children Senior Advisor, Proposal Pricing (P4) in Washington, District Of Columbia
Description
Summary
New Business Development provides leadership in Save the Children’s efforts to achieve greater program results at scale through the successful pursuit of large and strategic US Government (USG) development funding opportunities. The Senior Advisor, Proposal Pricing provides leadership for the cost proposal development function of new business development, assisting the agency to secure large-scale, multi-million-dollar grant and contract funding from USAID and other institutional donors, and will support the largest and most complex opportunities. This position also serves as a subject matter expert for agency or departmental special projects, training content, and resource development. This position also works closely with the Senior Director, Proposal Pricing to strategize on how to address pricing challenges.
This role fills a critical need for proposal pricing, especially as Save the Children is trying to expand into new funding areas in which we have limited experience. This position will serve as a proposal pricing subject matter expert, ensuring competitive and compliant cost proposals in the highest value and most complex spaces. The Senior Advisor is a distinct role that directly supports these priority opportunities, but also brings specialized in-depth proposal pricing knowledge and experience along with subject matter expertise on proposal pricing and capacity building, deepening our training offerings, strengthening our processes and resources, and capturing our learning on new donor accounts. The Senior Advisor will be guided by PGP objectives, with an impact that extends beyond the immediate team to influence achievement of the broader International Programs goals.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
Cost Proposal Development (65%)
Serve as Cost Lead, Cost Advisor, and/or reviewer as required. In particular, serve as cost lead on the largest and most complex opportunities from USAID and other institutional donors, with minimal guidance and the ability to provide expertise while working with staff in Country Offices and technical teams. This position is expected to provide innovative solutions, problem solving, quality control to and/or directly support key elements of the proposal pricing process, including but not limited to:
Serve as a member of proposal teams;
Review and analyze solicitation documents, advising the team on requirements and raising points of clarification to the donor/client as needed;
Create cost and pricing strategy in collaboration with proposal team leadership;
Engage closely with Proposal Manager to set cost deliverable timelines and communicate closely on progress from capture through submission;
Work with the Save the Children proposal team, including technical staff and country office staff, to collect budget inputs and develop a high quality, compliant, and competitive cost proposal, including a full detailed budget and budget narrative and all required Annexes and supporting documentation;
Develop complex Microsoft Excel-based budgets, Microsoft Word-based budget narratives, partner instructions/guidance, and relevant cost Annexes;
Manage partners’ budget development, including reviewing and providing feedback on detailed partner budgets and budget narratives and negotiating budget matters with consortium partners to produce a compliant cost proposal;
Facilitate budget review processes and provide strategic guidance to the team on areas affecting our compliance or competitiveness;
Produce cost proposal volume for donor submission.
Strategic Leadership and Representation (15%)
May lead agency special projects and department initiatives, including NBD workplan projects as lead subject matter expert and project sponsor.
Serve as a subject matter expert on USG cost applications, advising peers on donor expectations and industry best practices.
Support the development, improvement, and rollout of new or improved processes and resources, institutional strengthening and capacity building, and knowledge management and learning.
Leverage deep specialized expertise in USG proposal pricing process to coach existing Pricing staff to anticipate potential challenges and to solve complex problems using analytical thinking, tools and judgement to identify innovative solutions in coordination with line manager. Able to convey proposal pricing acumen in plain terms to support proposal pricing colleagues with a range of experiences and backgrounds.
Maintain strong relationships with other SCUS divisions, SC Members, SCI leadership, and relevant external networks to share knowledge, collaborate effectively, influence senior leadership for sound and informed decisions, and stay abreast of industry standards and the USG regulatory environment.
As appropriate, represent SCUS and participate as needed in meetings and workshops.
Knowledge Management and Learning (20%)
Create or update current tools and templates and identify the need for new tools, templates and guidance for cost proposal development for U.S. Government (USG) proposals and participate in the execution of the NBD Learning Strategy, which is a learning and training plan to develop and enhance core business development competencies. This will include:
Executing technical updates to resources;
Supporting continuous improvement of the Proposal Pricing Team’s tools and templates (identify need for revision/overhaul or creation of new solutions as business practices evolve);
Troubleshooting and supporting end-user issues with use and application of tools and templates.
Creating and adapting content for the department’s Business Development Learning Program curriculum;
Delivering trainings through a variety of modalities (in-person instructor-led trainings, virtual instructor-led trainings, mentoring and coaching, job aids, and on-the-job learning).
Required Qualifications
Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 7 years of relevant experience in USG proposal pricing
Experience in preparing cost/business proposals with different cost structures, especially in response to USAID contract solicitations.
Advanced proficiency in and knowledge of budget development in Microsoft Excel.
Knowledge of pertinent US government regulations, trends and practices, including OMB Circulars, FAR and AIDAR.
Experience and familiarity with industry-standard proposal development/project design process
Experience working and negotiating with international and local consortium partners.
Delivering training and capacity building in cross-cultural environments.
Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with accuracy and attention to detail, and work under pressure with flexibility for competing/evolving priorities
Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced and intense, deadline driven work environment.
Up to 10% international travel required, sometimes on short notice.
Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally
Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with a non-profit organization or government contractor in the international development arena.
Foreign language skills (especially French) preferred.
Experience working with other institutional, multi-lateral, corporate and foundation donors.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
Compensation
Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:
Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $108,800 – $121,600 base salary
Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $98,600 – $110,200 base salary
Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $88,400 – $98,800 base salary
The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record.
Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here). Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, paid vacation leave, safety & wellness leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, caregiver leave, and much more.
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.
Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
