Business Development Specialist at Nextier Capital Limited

OVERVIEW

This mid-level position based in Abuja or Lagos performs various business development work to significantly contribute to Nextier\'s catalytic growth across its international development portfolio, with a particular emphasis on USAID. Higher-level responsibilities would include the development of capture planning and proposal development strategies for USAID, primarily leading cross-sectoral proposal teams and playing a key role in delivering competitive, high-quality proposal documents for submission. This includes guiding the development of a bid strategy, conducting competitive analysis, guiding the development and implementation of capture plans, teaming and staffing strategies, and facilitating the development of responsive technical solutions. The Mid-Level Business Development Specialist would also develop partnerships and client relationships, track procurement opportunities, and provide guidance on or conduct pre-bid intelligence-gathering efforts. 

KEY OUTCOMES

• Successful leadership of capture and proposal development projects, ensuring adherence to business development practices and standards
• Demonstrate sound knowledge, skills and abilities in capture and proposal development and skill in applying lessons learned from prior capture and proposal teams to subsequent assignments
• Provide dynamic representation of business development across the company; develop desired synergies and alliances when working on assigned capture and proposal opportunities for technical programme divisions
• Continue proactive involvement within the international development industry and business development profession to stay abreast of the latest developments, innovations, and best practices.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with other Business Development and Project Implementation staff to implement long-term positioning strategy plans;
• Network with clients and others in the industry to build lasting high-value relationships, including attending industry events as necessary and appropriate;
• Work with other Business Development and Project Implementation staff to design and develop robust technical, management, partnering, recruitment, and cost strategies in a timely manner prior to solicitation release;
• Facilitate and guide capture and proposal teams in the development of responsive, competitive technical solutions;
• Formalise agreements with partner and resource organisations; serves as the point of contact for subcontractors and partner organisations;
• Participate in bid staffing interviews, as appropriate;
• Work with Technical Leads to form proposal development team(s); develops technical volume outlines, compliance matrices, and layout and style protocol;
• Lead the development of the proposal development packet for kick-off, including the proposal development calendar; organises the kick-off meeting and all other preparatory meetings;
• Enforce adherence to proposal development and submission deadlines;
• Take a lead role in managing proposal development team(s) from solicitation release through submission and after-action reviews;
• Review technical and cost volumes, including annexes; conducts re-writes and substantial technical editing, as required;
• Hold regular checkpoint meetings with proposal team to ensure adherence to schedule, check quality and compliance of response, and surfaces and seeks resolution to potential problems early;
• Manage all colour reviews; assembles relevant documents for the reviews;
• Ensure overall proposal responsiveness to and compliance with the solicitation;
• Oversee review process and works closely with technical writers to ensure the proposal is responsive to the evaluation criteria of the solicitation;
• Oversee proposal preparation for production; ensure timely proposal submissions to the client;
• Track deadlines and timelines for any potential problems in meeting deadlines or submitting a compliant and high-quality proposal;
• Manage post-proposal debriefing meetings to discuss the process and identify lessons learned; and,
• Support bid efforts in another role, as needed, e.g., proposal coordinator, proposal writer, or capture manager.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor\'s degree in International Relations, International Development or a related field and at least 10 years of relevant experience;
• A preference for at least one year of experience leading capture and proposal development for USAID solicitations; experience with other donors is a plus;
• Good knowledge of business development experience on proposals;
• Excellent skills in writing, editing, formatting, research, and communications;
• Excellent meeting facilitation skills and organisational skills; 
• Commitment to international development and a values-driven work environment.
• Based in either Abuja or Lagos and able to do as-needed international travel.