Business Development Coordinator

Background of IRC:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC leads the way from harm to home. Began work in Ethiopia, 1999 in response to severe drought that happened in Ethiopia’s Somali region. Currently, providing assistance in ten different regions implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as an equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview/Summary: 

Based in Addis Ababa, the Business Development Coordinator owns the design and development of assigned funding proposals for the IRC Ethiopia program, from opportunity assessment through to contract signature. The role reports directly to the Deputy Director for Grants and Partnerships (DDGP) and works in close partnership with the Senior Business Development Coordinator, who owns business development strategy, the opportunity pipeline and donor relationships.

The Coordinator acts as proposal lead on assigned opportunities. This means convening and facilitating the technical design process, writing concept notes and proposal narratives, managing the proposal team and consortium partners day to day, and assuring the quality, compliance and on-time submission of the full package. The Coordinator is accountable to the DDGP for the quality and timeliness of every submission they lead, works with minimal direction, and escalates early when decisions, resources or deadlines are at risk.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record of leading proposal development with multilateral and bilateral donors in humanitarian and international development contexts, combining technical design skill and exceptional writing with the ability to coordinate many contributors under tight deadlines.

Major responsibilities include:

1. Pipeline and opportunity intelligence

• Research and maintain current donor briefs on funding priorities, strategies, funding windows and geographic interests relevant to IRC Ethiopia, and give them to the Senior Coordinator and the DDGP to inform donor strategy and positioning.
• Identify, qualify and track new opportunities across technical sectors and donors, including the private sector and philanthropy, and keep the opportunity pipeline and the Go/No-Go (GNG) tracker accurate at all times.
• Prepare opportunity assessments for GNG meetings covering donor fit, competitiveness, partners, resources and risk, and present them with the Senior Coordinator, who owns the GNG process. Record decisions in the tracker and make sure every relevant team is informed.
• Draft pre-emptive funding pitches and concept notes for priority opportunities as directed by the Senior Coordinator, working with technical teams.

1. Technical design on assigned proposals

• Lead Project Design Meetings for assigned proposals, from half-day sessions to multi-day workshops, applying the design standards set by the Senior Coordinator. Prepare the agenda, pre-reads and facilitation plan, brief participants on donor expectations and compliance requirements, facilitate evidence-based prioritization of activities, and close each meeting with documented decisions, owners and next steps.
• Own the intervention logic of each assigned proposal. With the MEAL team and technical leads, develop the theory of change and results framework or logframe, with explicit risks, assumptions and mitigation measures.
• Test technical designs for feasibility, evidence base, donor compliance, cost-effectiveness and internal coherence, including bringing multi-objective or multi-sector designs together into one logic. Resolve disagreements between technical, regional and donor priorities, and escalate to the DDGP those that cannot be resolved.
• Ensure designs reflect IRC’s commitments on gender equality, inclusion, protection and safeguarding, conflict sensitivity and accountability to affected people, as well as any cross-cutting requirements set by the donor.

1. Proposal writing and compilation

• Write concept notes and proposal sections independently and to a high standard, including context and needs analysis, strategy, theory of change, results, sustainability and management arrangements. Produce full concept notes at short notice for fast-turnaround opportunities.
• Compile narrative, financial and MEAL inputs from staff, consultants and partners into a single, coherent, donor-compliant document with consistent evidence and voice, and an exceptional standard of English, without dependence on AI tools.
• Own the quality of every package you lead. Check compliance against the solicitation and evaluation criteria, alignment between the narrative, results framework and budget, completeness of annexes, and formatting. Complete the documented pre-submission checklist and submit the package for independent review by the Senior Coordinator before readiness is confirmed to the DDGP.
• Manage submission logistics, including donor portal requirements and final packaging, so that every submission is complete and on time.
• Collect donor feedback and debriefs on the proposals you lead and pass them to the Senior Coordinator for win and loss analysis.

1. Proposal management and coordination

• Prepare the proposal development plan and timeline for each assigned opportunity, with defined slots for technical, regional, Finance and senior review. Take responsibility for holding all contributors to deadlines and making sure each person knows what input is needed, from whom and by when.
• Chair proposal team meetings, assign and track tasks, control document versions, and flag risks to the timeline to the DDGP early.
• Serve as proposal lead on opportunities allocated by the DDGP, and as a named contributor under the lead’s direction on proposals led by the Senior Coordinator or, for Category A and B opportunities, the Grants unit (for example design facilitation, theory of change and results framework, defined sections or compilation).
• Manage external contributors, such as consultants or editors, engaged for the proposals you lead.
• Coordinate required reviews and approvals with IRC’s regional and global funding departments and other regional and HQ offices.

1. Budget and value for money

• Work with Finance to develop budgets that reflect the project design, donor rules, cost norms and consortium allocations, applying donor guidance on eligibility and compliance.
• Own the alignment between the budget, the narrative and the results framework, and the clarity of the budget presentation. Write comprehensive budget narratives as needed, to the highest standard of English.
• Review budgets for cost-effectiveness and allowability, and develop the value-for-money argument for each proposal. Flag budget risks and scope trade-offs to the Senior Coordinator and the DDGP in good time.

1. Consortium and partner coordination

• Coordinate day to day with consortium partners on the proposals you lead to confirm roles, responsibilities and financial allocations, and prepare teaming agreement drafts and inputs for the Senior Coordinator to negotiate and finalise.
• Work with the Partnerships unit to track completion of partner vetting and due diligence, and escalate gaps to the Senior Coordinator.
• Set clear expectations, templates and deadlines for partner inputs. Review and quality-assure partner contributions, and support national and community-based partners to contribute meaningfully to design and writing.

1. Action Plan delivery and systems

• Give the Senior Coordinator and the DDGP analysis of the country program’s funding needs and gaps, drawing on technical units, Grants, Partnerships, Finance, Supply Chain and Human Resources, to inform the Business Development Action Plan.
• Deliver assigned workstreams of the Business Development Action Plan by coordinating activities and consolidating inputs.
• Maintain business development tools and templates day to day, including proposal templates, standard text and the evidence library, and propose improvements to the Senior Coordinator.

Safeguarding Responsibilities: -

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Educational Requirements:

• BA degree required; Masters degree in International Affairs, Social Sciences, or any related field of study preferable.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Six years of substantial experience in business development or proposal development in humanitarian and international development, with a proven track record of independently leading proposal teams on complex, multi-year, multi-partner proposals with minimal direction.
• Demonstrated technical design skills, including experience facilitating design workshops and developing theories of change, results frameworks and logframes with technical and MEAL teams.
• Proven record of authoring successful concept notes and full proposals under tight deadlines. Excellent standard of written English, including the ability to write compelling, evidence-based narratives without dependence on AI tools.
• Strong working knowledge of the strategies and proposal processes of key government and statutory donors, including FCDO, EU institutions (INTPA, ECHO, EUTF), US Government DoS, and other donors (GAC, Sida, World Bank, GFFO, AFDB etc.).
• Sound understanding of donor budgets and cost rules, with the ability to review a budget for alignment with the narrative and results framework.
• Proven ability to coordinate contributors, consortium members and reviewers to deliver complex proposals on schedule, including as team leader for proposals, and to collaborate effectively with colleagues in remote and diverse teams.
• Experience collaborating with and supporting national and community-based partners.
• Ability to work independently in a very fast-paced environment, manage several proposals at once, prioritise effectively and judge when to escalate.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to collaborate confidently and effectively across a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.
• Familiarity with the Ethiopian humanitarian and development context is an advantage.

Language skills:

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills as well as an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications without dependence on AI tools.
• Ability to confidently lead in-person and Teams-based meetings.

How To Apply

Candidates meeting the above qualifications are encouraged to apply only through the below IRC On-line recruitment website: 

IRC Career Site: 

Please include 3 references from current and former employers.

Applications will not be returned. IRC discourages phone calls or personal visits.

Only applicants meeting the minimum qualification will be short listed and contacted.

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Your application letter/cover letter must include the following information.

• Name of the position you have applied for
• Date of application
• Summary of  your qualifications and experience
• Motivation/objective of why you have applied for the job
• Permanent Address and present address (if different from permanent) and telephone number if possible also email address
• Disclose any family relationships with existing IRC employees.

IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer.  IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances