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Project Background:

The Accelerated Control of HIV Epidemic and Sustainability Solution (ACCESS) project is a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment project funded by PEPFAR through the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, to support the governments of Abia, Enugu, and Imo states. It is a 5-year project (October 2022 to September 2027) to be implemented by Caritas Nigeria.  The overall goal of the project is to achieve and sustain HIV epidemic control in the three assigned States while ensuring a seamless transition to the Government of Nigeria.

Job Summary

The Business Development Specialist is responsible for leading and coordinating Caritas Nigeria’s fundraising and grants acquisition efforts in Nigeria.  S/he will build the profile of Caritas Nigeria through pre-positioning, donor engagement, active response to donor proposal solicitations and strengthening business development capacity within the Caritas family.  S/he will oversee an annual fundraising target of $5M from institutional donors such as USAID, multi-laterals including UN agencies, and international organizations including The World Bank Group.

Key Areas of Accountability.

• Intel gathering
  • By scouring donor portals such as USAID’ grants.gov and DFID’s supplier portals, collate intel on donors’ pipelines to enable Caritas Nigeria pre-position itself to apply for new projects.
  • Act as the primary contact for Business Development Specialists within Caritas agencies including Catholic Relief Services, CAFOD and Caritas Germany who provide backstopping to Caritas Nigeria in donor intel gathering.
  • Research and document donors’ priority themes and regions within Nigeria to pre-position Caritas Nigeria for future partnerships.
  • Carry out donor mapping and formulate a donor engagement strategy that supports pursuing non-traditional funding sources such as contracts and untapped high potential donors such as international banks and government embassies / Missions.

• Pre-positioning
  • Provide strategic direction for fundraising through development of a fundraising plan that is closely aligned with Caritas Nigeria’s Country Strategy.
  • Support new/renewal of registration with relevant donors such as USAID’s SAM to ensure the Caritas Nigeria’s eligibility for institutional donors’ grants.
  • Lead organizational assessments required by donors to further increase Caritas Nigeria’s eligibility.
  • Support the Communications Department to produce and disseminate agency visibility materials including Past Performance Reports and Capacity Statements to enhance Caritas Nigeria’s visibility and reputation as a viable humanitarian partner.
  • Pro-actively seek and participate in donors and NGOs’ forums as a way of increasing Caritas Nigeria’s visibility and collecting intel on forthcoming projects.
  • Strategically influence humanitarian agenda in Nigeria by contributing to donors’ country strategies and supporting the Catholic Church to engage Nigeria governments at federal and state levels on humanitarian matters.

• Proposal development
  • Manage the Go / No-Go decision-making process within Caritas Nigeria whenever a new opportunity presents itself.
  • Facilitate consortium formation / lead partnership discussions where necessary.
  • With support of the Leadership Team, formulate a Proposal Response Team and develop a proposal delivery calendar.
  • Act as the Proposal Coordinator during the proposal development period – pulling together resources and contributions from other team members and departments including Finance, Operations, Communications and Project Management.
  • Submit proposal packages ensuring compliance with donor submission criteria.
  • Lead the After-Action Learning (AFL) to ensure CCFN documents and builds on its experience into the future.

• Leadership and management
  • Provide direct management, leadership and mentoring to Communications & BD Team.
  • Identify and build business development capacity within CCFN.
  • Manage funding relationships with Caritas Internationalis and other Caritas agencies.

Additional Responsibilities:

The Responsibilities (Above) are not intended to be all-inclusive. The employee will also perform other    related tasks as required and will be responsible for reporting and communicating progress and achievement of the specific assigned tasks.

Qualification and Experience:

       Qualified applicants must have:

• A Master’s Degree in Communication, Information Sciences, Journalism, or Marketing, is required with at least 7 years of experience in a similar role
• Project management experience is an added bonus
• Experience with, and a demonstrated commitment to humanitarian and development work
• Excellent English language; oral and written communication skills
• Excellent networking skills and ability to build relationships with donor agencies
• Excellent grant writer with vast experience developing complex proposals for institutional donors such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), European Commission (EC), Department For International Development (DFID), government departments and multilateral and international organizations like the UN agencies.
• Knowledge of the funding cycle of different donor agencies

• Familiar with the different platforms used by donor agencies, such as Grants.gov, EU AID, etc
• Ability to interface with multiple stakeholders, representatives, and partners in a professional manner on an ongoing basis.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite, internet searches, website management, and graphic design.
• Proficiency in program identification, design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Ability to work both in a team and independently and ability to transfer knowledge through formal and informal training
• Familiarity with Catholic Social Teaching

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

• Work environment involves minimal exposure to physical risks, such as operating dangerous equipment or working with chemicals.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift 5-50 lbs.
• Ability to travel across states of ACCESS implementation 50% of the time.

Additional Advantage.

• Understanding of faith-based organizations and capacity-building in local partnerships
• Familiarity with policies, procedures, and priorities of Caritas agencies
• Experience in staff development and partner capacity
• Demonstrated commitment to improving gender equality in programming and operations.
• Demonstrated capacity and experience with institutional strengthening of civil society
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility

Key working relationships:

Internal: Caritas Nigeria Executive Secretary, Chief of Party, Project Directors, all Caritas Nigeria staff. 

External: CBCN, CRS, CAFOD, Misereor, Donor Agencies, JDPCs at the Provincial and Diocesan levels, All Units of the Church & Society Department, other NGOs, the general public.

Disclaimer.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Continued Professional Development CPD.

CARITAS NIGERIA is committed to providing CPD for its Employees. Employees are required to undertake available Training Courses and Research to enhance personal knowledge, skills and experience.

CARITAS NIGERIA fosters the strength and health of its workforce through a Competitive Benefits Package, Professional Development and Policies/Programs that support healthy Work/Life balance. Join our workforce to help create a society where everyone enjoys… Fullness of Life!