Senior Pricing Advisor

Background

Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC’s mission is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. The International Rescue Committee UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its headquarters in New York and London. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through 28 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient. The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

The Global Awards Management Unit (AMU)

The AMU, in which this role is situated, is a global unit spanning New York, Washington DC, London, Nairobi, Berlin and Amman with staff presence in many other locations around the world.

The AMU has responsibility for identifying, securing, and managing funding from statutory donors. The Unit is organized into six directorates: Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Compliance & Policy, Training, Partnerships and Operations and Planning.

The AMU’s mission is to lead IRC’s work to engage and influence government donors, secure funding, and enable compliant and effective program delivery for our clients.

Business Development (BD)

The Business Development Team, within which this role sits, leads IRC’s public business development working with country programs and technical units globally. The team strives to secure the right funds in the right way to achieve IRC’s impact strategy for our clients.

The BD team raises the funds to deliver to those in greatest need. We strive to increase the scale, consistency, duration, and diversity of our funds and the competitiveness of our bids to ensure the effectiveness of our work.

Alongside our traditional humanitarian portfolio, we have a ‘long term funding strategy’, to grow levels of long-term funding through contracts and awards from traditional development sources. This has already brought considerable success.

The team works to strengthen IRC’s long-term business development capacity and learning, by sharing best practices and building upon proven approaches. We develop tools and processes that strengthen and simplify our business development efforts, and work with training colleagues to improve capacity across the organization.

We prioritize effective partnerships and collaboration, internally and externally, locally, and internationally. This includes strengthening the engagement and representation of national partners in our program design and team structures, as well as using our organizational connections with peers and donors to maximize successful business development and impact for clients.

The Purpose of the Role

The Sr. Pricing Advisor is critical in providing leadership, advice, and support in the proposal budgeting process for business development efforts across the organization. The role will conduct thorough review of RFPs/RFAs/Commercial Contracts, establish pricing data for proposals, develop proposal budgets and budget narratives in accordance with the requirements and donor compliance, prepare the cost volume and work with partners in relation to the budgeting. The Sr. Budget Advisor will guide business development teams which includes technical, finance and country office staff through the budgeting process, making sure that the team members are educated on the design and structure of budgets and will coordinate with to work through strategic issues.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads all aspects of the cost and business proposal process for the identified complex, or resource intensive opportunities
• Develops cost kick-off presentations and guides business development teams through the budgeting process, ensures team members are educated on client requirements and compliance, and coordinates with teams on strategic issues
• Coordinate inputs into cost volumes for submission and best value. Collect and verify cost estimates, and work with technical teams to ensure cost proposals and technical proposals are aligned
• Coordinate with the proposal team on strategic issues involving proposal budgets. Ensure that the proposal team is educated on donor requirements for the cost proposals
• Ensure proposals comply with donor requirements and IRC’ organizational policies.
• Review, edit and finalize explanatory budget narrative to accompany budget in cost proposal
• Create and/or modify budget spreadsheet templates in accordance with donor requirements
• Conduct internal budget reviews during proposal period; analyze cost recovery
• Lead engagement with partners as part of the proposal process: developing budget templates, providing budget assumptions, negotiating budgets, reviewing budgets and notes ensuring final submissions confirm to client requirements
• Negotiate budgets with primes
• Ensure compliance with RFP/RFA/tender requirements
• Liaise with post awards implementation colleagues to provide a string handover of successful bids

Skills, Knowledge, and Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has experience working in international development with USAID, FCDO, and other multilateral/bilateral donors. The post holder will have extensive experience of pricing and cost development for large and complex awards and contracts

• Bachelor’s in business, accounting, finance, public administration or other related field. M.A. preferred or equivalent work experience required

• Four plus years of experience in government contracting strong preference for experience with USAID. FCDO experience a plus

• Strong understanding of USAID rules and regulations and/or FCDO commercial contract requirements

• Working knowledge of contract types including Cooperative Agreements, grants, CPFF, CPAF, FFP, T&M, IDIQ, and/or FCDO commercial contracts

• Demonstrate experience working cross-functionally on complex projects

• Experience working under hard deadlines and managing multi-deliverable projects

• Working knowledge of various project financial indicators and accounting principles

• Knowledgeable on developing back of the envelope (BOE) budgets for discussion and cost strategies

• Exceptional attention to detail and exceptional communication skills

• Excellent Microsoft Excel skills

• Ability to take full ownership of the cost volume with minimal oversight

Ability to travel internationally (up to 20% of time)