Sayara International is hiring a Business Development Manager to support our team in Eastern Europe and ensure growth for our Eastern Europe portfolio and efficiency in our organization’s new business and proposal development processes. This role is full-time and based in Warsaw, with opportunities for remote working. Please read the full Terms of Reference below and guidelines on how to apply for this role. We look forward to hearing from you.
Position Description:
In this exciting newly-created role, you will be leading different components of business development, supporting the Eastern Europe team in their business development efforts. On a day-to-day basis, you will engage with (prospective) clients, lead capture planning processes and pre-positioning, and manage the proposal development process.
You have 8+ years’ experience in business development in the international development sector, and have worked on proposal development for USAID, U.S. State Department, and UN organizations. You are familiar with Sayara’s major thematic areas of expertise and preferably have experience working in Eastern Europe. You are comfortable engaging with our clients and prospective clients and can represent an organization at networking events. You have excellent English-language writing and oral communication skills, strong organizational and time management skills, excellent attention to detail, and you can work independently. You will report to the Director of Business Development and support the senior leadership of the Eastern Europe team to build Sayara’s business in the region.
As Business Development Manager for our Eastern Europe team, you will contribute significantly to the work Sayara does to build positive change in societies that most need it. You will be working with a welcoming and diverse international team of experienced professionals.
About Sayara International:
Sayara International is a social enterprise combining rigorous research and communication to create positive change in fragile and conflict-affected societies.
Sayara provides complex monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and social and behavior change communication (SBCC) in the most challenging environments. We work on countering disinformation, measuring social cohesion, and assessing education, migration, inclusive governance, climate change, and health.
Diverse perspectives and an emphasis on equity bring strength to Sayara. Gender, inclusion, and intersectional identities are cross-cutting themes across all our internal practices and our programs for governments, civil society organizations, and international institutions.
Sayara has evolved across unstable contexts. Our decentralized structure – with a global leadership network and investment in local talent – enables agility and rapid start-up, while equipping us with unique values and competencies.
Founded in 2003, Sayara operates in 30 countries across Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Our teams of professionals are based in field offices in Khartoum, Kyiv, and Nairobi, with support from our offices in Dubai, Istanbul, London, Marseille, and Warsaw.
Find out more about Sayara International:
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Key Areas of Responsibility :
Develop and deliver the Eastern Europe Business Development strategy, engage with prospective clients, and lead the proposal development process from capture planning to proposal development and submission. This includes leading opportunity analysis, requirements analysis, partner negotiations, recruitment, preparing, and writing supporting bid documents, writing sections of technical narratives, and budget development for bids.
External Engagement and Networking
- Identify prospective clients and conduct client outreach.
- Represent Sayara International at client meetings and networking opportunities.
- Develop and cultivate strategic partnerships that grow Sayara’s portfolio in Eastern Europe.
Business Intelligence-gathering
- Manage efforts to gather and analyze intelligence regarding upcoming new business opportunities and prepare the Eastern Europe team to successfully respond to solicitations.
- Lead the identification and tracking of relevant upcoming funding opportunities through intelligence gathering, tracking bid portals, and other resources.
- Undertake client and market research to identify priorities, evaluation criteria, application deadlines, most effective method of client engagement, project partners/sub-contractors/consultants, and gathering information on competitors.
- Face-to-face engagement of clients and partners in Warsaw with occasional travel to generate business
- Maintain the Eastern Europe team’s Business Development pipeline tracker and customer relationship management database.
Proposal Development
- Lead the development of proposals and management of the proposal process to ensure high-quality proposals are produced on time.
- Ensure the analysis of solicitation requirements and creation of compliance matrices to ensure proposals meet all requirements and scope defined by clients.
- Write general/standard chapters and technical sections of proposals and ensure application documents are in line with requirements and submission format of clients.
- Work with the Eastern Europe team and the Global Business Development team on acquiring information and administrative documents relevant to client and partner due diligence processes.
- Lead the development and consolidation of external communications materials for clients and partners including presentations and capability statements for the Eastern Europe team in collaboration with the Director – Communications.
Business development databases and reporting
- Ensure that client information and correspondence is entered and filed electronically accurately and in a timely manner.
- Ensure that the proposal content library is maintained and up to date for Sayara’s work in Eastern Europe so that documentation and learnings are captured for future use.
- Attend regular team meetings and cross-organizational working groups.
- Contribute to the organization’s wider business development planning process.
- Provide other support as needed.
Desired Skills & Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in social science, political science, international relations, international development, or a related field.
- 8+ years of relevant professional experience working for international development donor agencies.
- Familiarity with the subjects of strategic communication and (social) media is considered a plus
- Work experience in the international development field, preferably with working experience in Eastern Europe.
- Strong knowledge of the international development client market, especially USAID, U.S. State Department, and UN organizations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
- Excellent English-language skills in writing, editing, formatting, research, and communications. Other regional languages are a plus.
- Ability to work independently, remotely, as part of a regional/global team, and with minimal supervision.
- Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize under pressure to meet tight deadlines consistently.
- Ability to work long hours when needed and to take on tasks that may be outside these Terms of Reference.
- Strong commitment to high-quality work and integrity in all interactions.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to engage appropriately with various audiences, and support and coordinate the efforts of other professionals to meet objectives effectively and in a timely manner.
- Excellent meeting facilitation skills.
- Computer proficiency in Windows Operating systems, MS Office, knowledge of donor management databases.
- The right to work in the country where you are based (must have this before applying – we do not provide work visas).
Location:
Warsaw, Poland – with remote working possible. The Sayara International team has regional hubs, support offices, and additional staff based in many locations around the world.
We highly encourage applications from people originating from Eastern Europe, women, and minority groups.
Duration:
The Business Development Manager – Eastern Europe will be offered a one (1) year Employment Contract, with a four (4) month probation period and the option for renewal, based on the discretion of, and mutual agreement between Sayara and the Business Development Manager – Eastern Europe.
Application Process:
Please submit your detailed CV and cover letter with up-to-date contact information to jobs@sayarainternational.com. Use “Business Development Manager – Warsaw” as the subject line of your email. Applications must be received by 13 May 2022. Note that CVs will be screened on a rolling basis and Sayara will offer the position to the candidate who meets the requirements – even if it is before the deadline. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sayara International is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, and political views or activity. This also applies to all employment practices within our organization.
