Business Development Operations Manager

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE: The Business Development Operations Manager keeps Episcopal Relief & Development’s business development work organized, on schedule, and well-informed. Working in partnership with the Vice President, Innovation & Business Development, Business Development Specialist, and the Senior Manager, Institutional Partnerships, the Manager owns and runs the team’s business development systems and operational workflow. This includes managing the CRM, coordinating the proposal process and grant reporting workflows, and facilitating the moves management process. The Manager conducts prospect and funding landscape research that informs the team’s decisions about which funders to pursue. This is an operations and project management role on the business development team, supporting frontline business development staff.

The Business Development Operations Manager coordinates grant handovers and start-up activities for grants in their portfolio with program, compliance, finance and partner staff to ensure optimal transition from proposal to program implementation. The position also provides operational oversight for a portfolio of less complex major grants, as defined by the grant complexity rubric, including reporting processes, deadlines, and other compliance requirements. The position works closely with Global Program and Partner teams to ensure transfer of key compliance requirements into project execution and maintain funder relationships and positioning for renewals through the management of external reporting.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Project Management & Oversight

• Responsible for the day-to-day management of business development operations. This entails, but is not limited to:

• Maintaining the business development pipeline, tracking prospects through each stage, and project managing workflows to ensure milestones and deliverables are met.

• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables for CRM onboarding and subsequent updates to ensure the CRM is fit for purpose;

• Serve as the team’s day-to-day CRM lead, keeping prospect, pipeline, and grant records accurate and current.

• Own the design, refinement, and systemization of business development systems, processes, and workflows, incorporating requirements and feedback from the Business Development Specialist, the Senior Manager, Institutional Partnerships, and program staff, and coordinate with staff to adopt them.

Prospect and Opportunity Research

• Lead market research to better understand industry trends and identify prospective funders, particularly private foundations and bilateral agencies, aligned to Episcopal Relief & Development’s mission, values, and technical expertise.

• Conduct in-depth landscape research and analysis to develop donor research summaries and contribute to donor briefs, funder engagement plans, and other BD strategy documents to support internal decision-making.

• Proactively research, monitor, analyze, catalogue, and disseminate information on new funding opportunities from private foundations, bilateral agencies, and other institutional donors.

• Support the Business Development Specialist and other relevant staff in cultivating and stewarding institutional relationships with funders, partner organizations and other stakeholders, including coordinating next steps and preparing briefing materials.

Proposal Management

• Serve as proposal/bid manager for concept notes and proposals, managing the work plan, contributors, funder requirements, and submission process, while the Business Development Specialist leads proposal strategy and narrative. Develop and manage the proposal calendar and monitor adherence to the defined process and deadlines for technical, cost, and production schedules.

• Conduct pre-submission compliance reviews to confirm each proposal meets funder requirements, including eligibility, formatting, and submission rules.

Grant Compliance and Reporting Oversight

• Provide operational oversight for a portfolio of less complex major grants, as defined by the grant complexity rubric, in coordination with the Senior Manager, Institutional Partnerships, who leads compliance for the most complex major grants.

• Coordinate grant handovers from proposal to start-up with program, compliance, finance, and implementing partner staff, including coordinating contract review and informing the accountabilities of the Program, Finance, and Compliance teams under each award.

• Manage the external grant reporting process, internal reviews, and deadlines for a portfolio of major grants and ensure submission quality of on-time deliverables, including managing the dissemination of funder feedback.

• Maintain compliance calendars and tracking for a portfolio of major grants, flagging risks to the Senior Manager, Institutional Partnerships and relevant teams.

External Materials and Events

• Project manage and support preparation for staff participation at conferences and external events to expand visibility and network

• Support internal meeting coordination, including preparation for leadership meetings.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

• While there are no direct supervisory responsibilities, the position may require:

• Engagement and oversight of key deliverables of external consultants, vendors and/or interns

• Coordination and accountability for internal working groups

EDUCATION:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in international development, business or related field and/or equivalent experience

EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in project management, grants management, proposal coordination or operations, including at least three (3) years supporting a business development, grants, or fundraising team; experience with international development organizations and familiarity in any of Episcopal Relief & Development’s program priorities, while not required, are highly valued.

• Demonstrated experience managing proposal processes from planning to submission, including coordinating multiple contributors to deadlines, experience contributing to proposal writing, and working with bilateral agencies and private foundations preferred.

• Experience administering or supporting a CRM or prospect database, including keeping data accurate and producing pipeline reports.

• Ability to manage and execute multiple projects at a time, coordinating contributors to ensure quality deliverables are produced on-time.

• Experience using funder research databases and tools to identify and assess prospects.

Project management training or certification (e.g., PMP) a plus.

RELATED SKILLS:

• Strong relations management abilities across departments within an organization and externally.

• Strong writing ability and research and analytical skills.

• Proven ability to work and coordinate with others under pressure on concurrent projects, delivering to tight timelines.

• Exemplary attention to detail, record keeping and follow up.

• Outstanding communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills that translate across audiences (funders, partners, staff).

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively, and with humility, and produce high quality work as part of team.

• Ability to manage complex or difficult situations with tact, diplomacy and good humor.

• Demonstrated ability to establish and build relationships with a diverse array of professional and community groups.

• Advanced computer skills including ease and facility in working remotely with digital communication methods.

• Fluency in English essential; Spanish, Portuguese or French also preferred.

• Passionate about Episcopal Relief & Development’s mission and impact.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 15% of the time in diverse and under-resourced environments.

• May be required to occasionally work extended hours and a varied schedule including evenings and weekends to meet funder deadlines.

• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining an environment of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

SALARY & BENEFITS:

• Annual salary range of $85,000 - $95,000 Per year Competitive, comprehensive benefits package offered

The position description is a guide to the critical duties and essential functions of the job, not an all-inclusive list of responsibilities and/or qualifications. Position descriptions are reviewed and revised to meet the changing needs of Episcopal Relief & Development at the sole discretion of management.

Episcopal Relief & Development is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (EEO). All employment practices will be administered without regard to an individual’s actual or perceived protected characteristic(s) - race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other legally protected status. Episcopal Relief & Development offers reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. You may request accommodation at any time.