Business Development Advisor in Project Acquisition (80-90%)

Tasks

• Advise and support of the regional and country offices in the development of their project portfolio, in the preparation of technical and especially financial offers as well as in the selection of partner organizations. Focal Point for the Latin America region, support for other regions
• Advise of the bid managers on donor requirements, control and quality assurance as well as monitoring of the deadlines for the preparation of offers for project tenders
• Review of financial offers and budget adjustments.
• Contract review according to legal and organizational criteria; contract preparation for the cooperation with partner organizations
• Assessment of financial and legal risks of pipeline projects
• Coordination between the various departments (e.g. Finance, Compliance, Operations) and thematic experts
• Internal knowledge management on the bid process and donor requirements, promotion of internal exchange of experience and "Best Practices and Learnings” and its documentation
• Process owner for the internal project and pipeline management tool on Microsoft Dynamics
• Active participation in the further development of tools relevant for the acquisition (processes, checklists, etc.)

Requirements 

• Relevant professional experience in business development, project acquisition or public tenders
• Higher education in relevant fields (e.g. economics, BA, international management, law)
• Working experience with public or private sector donors is an advantage
• Interest in international development cooperation
• Excellent language skills in English and good language skills in Spanish; in addition, good language skills in French and/or German are an advantage
• Skilful use of Excel and good knowledge of the Microsoft 365 applications. Affinity for processes and IT tools (e.g. MS Dynamics) is an advantage.
• Ability to prioritize under high workload/time pressure, to deliver qualitatively and quantitatively good results and to alternate between different tasks.
• Fast comprehension for quick familiarization with the various topics, analytical thinking and decision making
• Professional and goal-oriented communication skills in a multicultural context and with different target groups
• Willingness, pleasure and ability to work in the team and with changing team constellations
• High service orientation and reliability as well as performance and result orientation

Swisscontact offers attractive working conditions in an international and multicultural context. We see our work as a joint effort in an agile organizational culture: mutual respect, trust and teamwork.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents in English or German: letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, diplomas and references. Application deadline is January 7, 2024.

Swisscontact - Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation

Swisscontact is an independent non-profit development organisation established in 1959 by representatives of the Swiss private sector and civil society.

Our development work focuses on unleashing the potential of private initiatives in developing and emerging countries. We foster sustainable and inclusive economic development with the objective of improving the quality of life for all.

Our work is based on three foundational pillars: We strengthen the competencies of individuals so they can improve their income and their opportunities for employment; we enhance the competitiveness of businesses to help them grow and become more resilient; we promote socio-economic systems that favour comprehensive development for widespread prosperity.

The organisation is currently active in over 130 projects in 41 countries with around 1400 employees. It is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.