Business Development Specialist II, Project Design (Remote)

Job Title: Business Development Specialist II, Project Design

Reports to: Project Design Team Lead (Senior Business Development Specialist, Project Design)

Department: G-REM/Institutional Funding

Grade: 10

Note: This is a global remote role. Candidates who are based in countries where CRS has a legal presence are preferred.

Job Summary

As a member of the Business Development (BD) Service Team within the Institutional Funding Department, provide guidance for CRS’ project design line of expertise and advances best practices in design across CRS. Develops key design resources and strengthen design capabilities across the agency. The incumbent’s knowledge, skills, and advising supports BD, donor engagement, programming, and technical colleagues to drive evidence-informed and responsive project design across CRS. As part of the global BD team, design creative solutions, provide guidance on strategic funding opportunities, and support the effective allocation of design resources to ongoing BD efforts. 

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Serve in the Design Lead role for strategic opportunities, which includes leading capture activities, setting a plan with country and regional leadership to form strategic partnerships and engage key stakeholders, leading literature review, needs assessment and technical analysis exercises, facilitating strategy selection work, and contributing to proposal writing, MEAL design and budgeting to ensure the preparation of competitive and responsive proposals.
• Advise and support teams in developing proposal development plans, ensuring design processes are responsive to donors and adhere to CRS and industry best practices in both capture and proposal phases. 
• Plan and facilitate in-person and hybrid design sessions and workshops that ensure participatory design and effective stakeholder engagement. Ensure design facilitation materials are accessible using KML best practices and aligned with appropriate adult learning approaches.
• Support the roll-out of the revised flagship resource, ProPack, including socialization efforts, audience-specific introductory sessions, as well as collaboration with Global Programs leaders to tailor and deliver project design trainings (virtual or hybrid).
• Support the design “line of expertise” ensuring that ProPack and related agency tools and resources for design are routinely updated, and best practices are documented and disseminated agency wide. Support the formation of a CRS Design Community of Practice (CoP).
• Track and analyze project design trends in the broader international development industry, including donor-specific approaches. Contribute to CRS' wider Business Development Community of Practice and advance CRS Business Development practices through contributions to other initiatives and cross-agency committees/ working groups.
• Working with BD focal points, support the design and development of Resource Mobilization strategies, ensuring effective alignment with region/agency strategies.   
• Build and maintain strong working relations with regions and with key internal global stakeholders to support regional and country teams to advance key positioning and capture initiatives, including identifying and implementing ways to better leverage results.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Exceptional knowledge of project design, including developing a design process, assessment plan, theory of change, results framework, and MEAL plan. 
• Familiarity with in or more key funding agencies (World Bank, EU, FCDO, USG, foundations and corporations).
• Exceptional writing skills with expert command of English grammar and AP style. Ability to write proposals in Spanish, French, or another common institutional donor language a plus. 
• Strong strategic, analytical, systems thinking and problem-solving skills, with a capacity to both see the big picture and give attention to detail.
• Strong communication, presentation and relationship management skills.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, detail-oriented and results-oriented.
• Team leadership abilities and coaching/mentoring skills.
• Strong knowledge designing projects for a variety of bilateral and multilateral donors and across technical areas, particularly multi-sectoral projects.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and write about a broad range of technical sectors. 
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages, information management systems and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
• Knowledge of CRS programs, justice agenda and Catholic Social Teaching principles a plus.

Required Languages: Fluency in oral and written English required. Working ability in French, Arabic, or Spanish a plus.

Travel: Must be willing and able to travel internationally approximately 35%.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development or related field.
• Minimum eight years of experience in international development, with at least three of those years in BD, programming, or technical positions, preferably with experience leading design for complex proposals.
• Two years' experience working in multi-cultural and/or multilingual work contexts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development or related field.
• At least two years’ experience working in a developing country.
• Demonstrated experience producing deliverables under tight deadlines and of exceptional quality.
• Experience providing remote support to diverse teams strongly preferred.
• Experience in developing content for and facilitating training related to project design. Knowledge of adult learning approaches.

Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. 
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

What we offer

CRS offers U.S. based staff a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan.  Benefits packages for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. are based on the country of employment/in-country office where the candidate will perform the role.  CRS´ work culture is a collaborative, mission-driven culture committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.