Call for Resumes: Cost Lead Consultants

Call for Cost Lead Consultants

Counterpart International is seeking experienced Cost Lead consultants for upcoming U.S. Government and other donor bids, with a particular emphasis on USDA opportunities, including the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (MGD), Food for Progress (FFPr), and Food for Peace (FFP) programs. Consultants should indicate which donors and programs they have costing experience with.

Summary

Counterpart International is seeking Cost Lead consultants to support anticipated proposals across a range of U.S. Government, multilateral, and private donors. Consultants with USDA costing experience are strongly encouraged to apply. Supporting from capture through to the live proposal, the Cost Lead is responsible for leading capture cost efforts and back of envelope development, leading and producing the final cost proposal, and ensuring the proposal team follows all necessary procedures for quality assurance/quality cost control.

Working alongside the proposal manager and technical lead, the Cost Lead will ensure the budget and cost narrative are correct, cost-effective, and compliant with donor and Counterpart rules and regulations.

• Co-lead the development of the cost strategy alongside the technical lead, coordinating with the proposal team to integrate technical, partnership, and cost strategy.
• Lead cost strategy and analysis to ensure cost competitiveness, including benchmarking costs, assessing cost-effectiveness, and identifying opportunities to strengthen the value of the proposed budget.
• Develop and adjust the back of envelope/pre-lime team budget based on capture updates and discussions.
• Working with Counterpart’s local offices and Washington, DC based staff, gather local cost knowledge that may support and improve the development of the initial cost draft, including information on local fees, local pay scales, etc.
• Coordinate with the proposal team for the timely sourcing of cost inputs from the field and Counterpart DC.
• Lead the development of compliant and responsive Cost Applications, including the budget and budget narrative, SF Forms, and other cost documents as required within the solicitation (NOFO/RFA/RFP).
• Read the proposal requirements, develop the cost compliance matrix and templates that align with the solicitation budget and Counterpart’s template, and compile the costs to develop the cost application.
• Lead development of the cost drafts for lime team, green team, and final cost drafts, and present the budget at Lime and Green Team budget reviews.
• Work with the Proposal Manager and/or Technical Lead to ensure any cost sharing developments and their associated approvals.
• Co-develop requests for partner cost inputs alongside the proposal manager and/or sub-liaison, and work with partners to develop their budget packages, including reviewing and providing feedback on their inputs.
• Incorporate changes resulting directly from cost reviews and follow-up feedback, and organize the business application for submission, to include partner budgets as necessary.
• Update and refine Counterpart’s budget templates and associated narratives, including USDA templates, to reflect donor feedback, solicitation requirements, and evolving policy priorities.
• Attend proposal team meetings, technical reviews, and brainstorming sessions, and maintain consistent check-ins with the Proposal Manager between formal draft reviews.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience leading cost proposal and budget development for U.S. Government-funded and/or other donor-funded projects in developing country contexts.
• Successful track record leading cost applications from capture through to submission, including budgets, budget narratives, and SF Forms or equivalent donor forms.
• Demonstrated experience with cost strategy and analysis for cost competitiveness, including cost benchmarking, cost-effectiveness analysis, and developing budgets that are competitive while remaining realistic and compliant.
• Strong knowledge of 2 CFR 200 and donor cost principles, rules, and regulations, including cost share requirements.
• Experience developing partner and sub-award budgets and reviewing partner cost inputs.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including building and troubleshooting complex budget templates and formulas.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, oral and written communications skills, and the ability to meet tight proposal deadlines.
• Professional proficiency in English, oral and written required.

Preferred

• Strongly preferred: Experience leading USDA cost applications (McGovern-Dole, Food for Progress, and/or Food for Peace).
• Experience with commodity-related costs, including commodity procurement, freight, monetization, and associated interest calculations.
• Experience developing or updating USDA budget templates.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a relevant field.

Counterpart International is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of Counterpart International to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.