Proposal and Reporting Senior Officer

The Opportunity – Proposal and Reporting Senior Officer

Post location: oPt CO – Ramallah

Contract Duration and Level of Effort: 2 years, with potential extension

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Proposal and Reporting Senior Officer plays a lead role in proposal development and donor reporting for the oPt country office. S/he will be responsible for the coordination and timely submission of high quality project proposals, including budgets. S/he will also be responsible for the planning, coordination, review, and timely submission of donor reports. The Proposal and Reporting Senior Officer will be expected to demonstrate strong coordination, communication, and project management skills in order to mobilise SCI partners, SCI technical, programme operations, finance and other teams to work collaboratively to produce high quality proposals and donor reports.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder may be expected to work outside the normal role profile and to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Business Development Manager.

Staff reporting to this post: None.

Budget Responsibilities: None.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Proposal Development – 75%

• Lead on the development of concept notes and proposals (including results framework, narrative, budget, and any other required annexes) for a variety of donors, including institutional, corporates, trusts, and private donors.
• Prepare proposal development plans, establish roles and responsibilities within a proposal team, and use a variety of methods (e.g., meetings, emails, check-ins) to ensure proposal development stays on track, and that concept notes and proposals are submitted on time.
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of donor priorities and donor funding rules (compliance). Meet (online) with Save the Children member offices to review calls for proposals and prepare and lead proposal kick-off meetings with partner organisations and SCI proposal team.
• Based on donor guidance and call for proposals, prepare concept note and proposal templates (narrative, results framework, budget, and any other required annexes). Complete generic concept note or proposal sections and provide guidance to partners and SCI proposal team on completion of technical sections.
• Ensure concept note and proposal development have the participation of partner organisations, SCI Programme Managers, Technical Advisors, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team, Advocacy and Communications team, Finance, and support services (including Human Resources and Supply Chain). Ensure each team’s activities are reflected in the proposal and that necessary costs are budgeted.
• Lead on the consolidation of inputs from proposal team (partner organisations, SCI Programme Managers, Technical Advisors, MEAL, Advocacy, etc.). Review, copy-edit, and proof-read the full proposal package before submission, ensuring donor requirements are met and ensuring the consistency and coherence of all proposal documents.
• Ensure timely and compliant reviews and sign off of all proposal submissions by SCI staff in oPt, Middle East Regional Office, and international Member Offices, per internal guidelines and financial delegations.
• Develop briefings, proactive concept notes, or project summaries, as requested by the Business Development Manager, to support donor engagement and positioning.
• Utilise Save the Children’s Award Management System (AMS) to ensure concept note and proposal development are compliant with SCI’s internal processes (e.g., Award Management Change Process – AMCP – which outlines roles and responsibilities).
• Maintain proper archiving and documentation of concept note and proposal drafts, final versions, and Save the Children member and donor feedback, including on AMS.

Donor Reporting -25%

• Write generic, non-technical, sections of the report. Consolidate all other inputs and review for adherence to donor requirements, clarity, and consistency. Copy-edit and proof-read final report package for coherence and consistence.
• Facilitate the review and sign-off of reports by SCI Senior Management Team and Save the Children member offices, before submission.
• Maintain proper archiving and documentation of reports and Save the Children member and donor feedback

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor Degree in Social Science/International Development/Development Studies or other relevant field.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Required

• Minimum 4+ years of related work experience with at least 2 years in grant or award management, project management, proposal development, or business development.
• Practical experience and successful track record in writing and leading proposals for a variety of institutional (e.g BHA, FCDO, OCHA, SIDA, BMZ, GAC, USAID etc.) and non-institutional (e.g. corporates, trusts, philanthropic) donors, against tight deadlines. Understanding of donor funding priorities or donor rules and regulations (compliance) for proposals and reports – especially institutional donors and UN.
• Experience working within one or more of Save the Children’s thematic areas: livelihoods, cash-based programming, child protection, education, WASH.
• Experience writing high-quality reports or proposals in English for external audiences (especially donors). Comfortable writing high-quality inputs in English while under pressure with tight deadlines.
• Well-organised with excellent time-management skills and commitment to deadlines. Comfortable planning ahead and anticipating and mitigating delays.
• Strong coordination skills and confident facilitating decision-making across multiple teams or functions within an organisation.
• Calm and confident verbal communication skills in English. Comfortable presenting complex information precisely and clearly to senior management and technical colleagues.
• Calm under pressure, good stress management skills, able to deliver good-quality work under pressure.
• Proactive and decisive approach to work, and takes responsibility for deliverables. Comfortable reaching out to colleagues and partners to seek input and follow up on deliverables.
• Interested in improving facilitation and/or leadership skills, especially how to facilitate effective meetings and/or effective decision-making.
• Commitment to Save the Children’s mission and to humanitarian principles.

Desirable

• Experience in programme design in one of Save the Children’s main thematic areas.
• Understanding of Save the Children systems and processes.
• Experience leading meetings or discussions that result in good decision-making.
• Understanding of the political, humanitarian, and operational environment in oPt.
• Proficient in spoken Arabic.
• Basic design skills and/or an interest in producing well-designed reports or briefs for external audiences.
• Strong research and analytical skills and comfortable gathering reliable data from external sources.

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. This role is offered on the basis of national terms and conditions.

Save the Children promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment, women and people with different abilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Organisation

Save the Children works in development and humanitarian contexts with children and partners to help families, communities, and governments identify and use innovations to ensure all children survive, learn and are protected.

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.