Job Opportunity

The International Development & Exchange Programs of World Learning has an immediate opening for an Associate Private Development Specialist.  World Learning is an 80-year-old global non-profit organization with operations in 77 countries.  Through its award-winning international education programs – The Experiment in International Living, the SIT Graduate Institute, SIT Study Abroad and the International Honors Program (IHP) – World Learning fosters global citizenship by connecting over 3,000 young ambassadors annually across cultural differences and social barriers.  Through its International Development & Exchange Programs, World Learning practices what it teaches, undertaking community-driven international development, training and exchange projects in sixteen countries.  For more information visit www.worldlearning.org

Position Title:                   Associate Private Development Specialist

Position Grade:               G-10

Reports To:                      Director, Strategic Engagement

Location:                           Washington, D.C.

Job Purpose:    To position WL as a leader in innovative programmatic responses through a rigorous program design, proposal development, and networking with focused attention on the private sector under the direction of WL’s office of Strategic Engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

·       Support and coordinate WL initiatives aimed at private donors including corporate and foundations, including the competitive capacity and evaluation processes

·       Actively manage, track and update private development initiatives, contacts, actions, and development-related deliverables to ensure intra-WL coordination

·       Monitor, manage and update WL development SharePoint portals to further cross-unit information-sharing and private development initiative status

·       Provide proactive program development support to WL Technical Units and Field Offices for assigned geographic areas and private sector program areas

·       Assist Technical Units, as part of WL’s office of Strategic Engagement, in the design and proposal development process for new projects, in coordination with US and field staff, as assigned (this could include field assessment/design missions, proposal writing, proposal review, or proposal process coordination, and coordination with local and international NGOs and partners during program design process)

·       Assist in the acquisition of programs from new non-government donors

·       Lead proposal development processes and proposal response teams, serving as overall goal owner, ensuring timely and efficient submission of quality proposals, and working with teams of technical, financial, field and management staff

·       As assigned, contribute to proposal writing, drafting, editing, and ensuring final production of proposal for submission to donors,

·       Assist WL in developing new strategic alliances with private donors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders in order to advance program development with a specific focus on corporations and foundations;

·       Provide overall program development support for key elements of the business process to assist other WL management units, including tasks such as:  negotiation of sub-recipient and prime roles for WL in response to proposal solicitations; identification and enlistment of appropriate partners for proposals; identification and securing of external consultants to assist in proposal preparation; assistance with finance staff to ensure compatibility of technical and cost proposals

·       Assist in the development and implementation of WL strategies for accessing resources for unsolicited projects and programs

·       Assist in the development of and training of staff on use of cutting edge tools, processes, procedures, and standards for program design and proposal development

·       Proactively monitor non-USG donor solicitation opportunities to preposition WL for responses prior to official solicitation notification, alerting WL Programs Units to opportunities

·       Develop and update corporate capability statements and other standard proposal documentation; maintain database of information

·       Lead in the review and compilation of lessons learned and after-action-reviews of proposals submission processes for WL

·       Travel, as needed, (approx. 15%) domestically and to developing countries to understand the donor and/or local context of a proposed project, develop technical content, recruit staff, identify partners, and collect cost data for proposals

·       Represent WL to private funding entities and NGO communities in the US and overseas, as needed

Core Responsibilities:

·       Leverage corporate WL assets and information for assigned projects or for new projects under development

·       Represent WL at meetings, conferences, etc., relevant to the subject matter and themes of the assigned portfolio and disseminate information regarding WL’s overall capabilities

·       Contribute to the development of key WL planning documents including strategy statements, budget reviews, work plans, and reports to the Board of Directors

·       Contribute other written materials that support divisional needs (brochures, summary project information, etc.)

·       Contribute to project support, marketing and other unit/divisional activities in ways which tap special expertise or experience, e.g., donor, sectoral, geographical

·       Perform other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

·       Bachelors Degree in international development, communications/journalism, or a related field

·       Outstanding writing skills (in English) and analytical capacity

·       Proven successful experience developing private sector proposals for international activities

·       Exceptionally strong leadership and teamwork skills, especially when working in high-stress situations and in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams

·       Superior time-management skills, especially when facing tight deadlines

·       Experience with general procurement policies, procedures and mechanisms for international development activities

·       Familiarity with the international development community

·       Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience

·       Knowledge of and experience in at least one of WL’s core technical areas

Desired Qualifications:

·       Second language proficiency

·       Masters Degree in international development, communications/journalism, or a related field

·       Functional exposure to MS SharePoint

·       Overseas work experience

To apply, email resume and cover letter stating current salary information to: recruitment@worldlearning.org with “Associate Private Development Specialist” specified in the subject heading. Cover letters without salary information will not be considered.  Permanent U.S. work authorization required. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply soonest possible.  Position open until filled.  Only finalist candidates will be contacted.