Progressio has made a significant contribution to international development and human rights for more than seventy years. We support poor and marginalised people, especially women, to empower themselves – People Powered Development – by placing development workers to share skills in nine countries, and through our international policy, advocacy and campaigning. Progressio has Catholic roots and works with people of all faiths and none.

Business Development Consultancy

Based in Harare, Zimbabwe (with regular short visits to Malawi and possibly South Africa)

60 days over a four-month period

The Consultant will support and strengthen the capacity of Progressio’s Southern Africa team to develop high quality funding proposals and new business opportunities for our work in Zimbabwe and Malawi.

ABOUT PROGRESSIO AND OUR APPROACH

Progressio is a UK-based charity working internationally to enable people in developing countries to challenge and change the situations that keep them poor. We currently work in nine countries and have a long history of working in fragile, post-conflict and authoritarian states.

We develop long-term partnerships with local organisations and community groups in the global South, providing practical support through development workers (DWs), mostly from the global South, who share skills, know-how and training. We also send committed young adults from the UK to engage in community development work for 12 weeks - this programme is called Progressio ICS. Both DWs and Progressio ICS placements contribute towards improving the lives of thousands of people in poor communities.

Because poverty is about unequal power relations and a lack of human rights, we work with a wide range of people who are poor and marginalised to change the structures that keep them in poverty. We support them in their calls for policy change. With our supporters, we stand alongside them in demanding that decision-makers around the world sit up and listen to them.

Inspired by our Catholic roots, we believe that experiencing ‘life in all its fullness’ includes freedom and control over one’s life and future. It means challenging inequalities and power imbalances. We see every person as sacred, having inherent dignity, so we stand in solidarity with poor and marginalised people in achieving their rights. We call this people powered development.

More detailed information about our work, thematic areas and overseas programmes is available on our website:

THE SOUTHERN AFRICA SUB-REGIONAL PROGRAMME

The Southern Africa (SA) Sub-regional programme includes a central office based in Harare, serving the two programmes (Malawi and Zimbabwe), as well as an office in Lilongwe.

The SA Sub-regional programme includes the following staff: Southern Africa Sub-Regional Manager, Programme Funding Officer, Programme Officer, Finance Officer, ICS Logistics Officer, ICS Programme Officer, Assistant ICS Logistics Officer, Assistant ICS Programme Officer, Programme Assistant and Officer Cleaner/Messenger.

The Malawi office includes the Malawi Country Manager, ICS Logistics Officer and Accountant, ICS Programme Officer, Assistant ICS Logistics Officer, Assistant ICS Programme Officer and a cleaner/messenger.

Progressio opened up a programme in Malawi in 2007 and at present it has a small skill-share programme. Progressio has had a skill-share programme in Zimbabwe since the early 1980s.

The work of the SA Sub-regional programme focuses on the following thematic areas:

  • Effective governance and participation: strengthening the capacity of partners so that they are better placed to organise, influence and participate in local, national and international structures to secure results in poverty eradication, social justice, gender equity, transparency and accountability.
  • HIV and AIDS: enabling communities to respond effectively to HIV, influencing policy and practice on HIV, strengthening gender perspectives and building greater understanding and involvement on the part of faith-based organisations and religious leaders.
  • Sustainable Environment: ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources, influencing policies that impact on the environment and strengthening the participation of women.

Gender is mainstreamed throughout our programme and is incorporated in our policies and procedures.

PURPOSEOF THE CONSULTANCY

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the Southern Africa team to develop high quality funding proposals and develop new business opportunities for Progressio’s Southern Africa programme.

The Consultant will be based in Harare, with travel to Malawi (and possibly South Africa),and will work closely with the Southern Africa Sub-Regional Manager, the Malawi Country Manager and the Harare-based Programme Funding Officer and the London-based Programme Funding Manager.

- Tasks, deliverables and timeline

The key tasks within this consultancy are to:

  1. Lead in business development with the Malawi and Zimbabwe teams, and local partner organisations, to increase the quality of proposals and volume of grant applications.
  1. Lead the concept/proposal writing(narrative and budget) in close cooperation with the Programmes Officer and the Malawi Country Manager, ensuring timely submission of applications to donors.
  1. Work closely with the Programme Funding Officer based in Harare to ensure that priorities and timely deliverables are met according to the Fundraising Work-plan Strategy for Zimbabwe and Malawi.
  1. Support in the mapping and research of potential new donors in Malawi and Zimbabwe and coordinate an approach to potential donors, preparing meetings when appropriate.
  1. Ensure Progressio’s sign-off process for key identified proposalsarefinalised in a timely manner, with a sound Logframe matrix, Theory of Change, Situation Analysis and Progressio’s narrative and budget proposal format completed.
  1. Support the local team in strengthening the quality of donor reports, if and when needed.

- Deliverables

The consultancy deliverables will include:

  1. Comprehensive mapping of funding opportunities within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
  1. Engagement with at least five different donors within the SADC region(including OSISA, Ford Foundation, Southern Africa Trust, DFID, EU IFES, SIDA, GIZ and other bi-laterals in Malawi and Zimbabwe).
  1. The sign-off of at least four high quality funding proposals following Progressio’s internal procedures and adaptation of proposals to donor formats when necessary.

We would anticipate the Consultant to work with us from April to July 2016to deliver on the above.

The Consultant will be required to work up to 60 days in the four-month period.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

- Experience

  • Demonstrable track record of successful fundraising, including grant proposal writing (narrative and budget), from a variety of international statutory and/or trust sources, in the excess of USD$150,000.
  • Proven experience of conducting similar consultancies in the region.
  • Experience of leading quality control of funding applications (narrative and budget) and engaging and building effective donor relationships.

- Skills

  • Good understanding of the Southern African (and wider regional) funding/donor landscape and related regulatory environment.
  • Excellent writing skills in English for new business development, including the ability to writeappealing proposals for different audiences.
  • Knowledge and familiarity with the contemporary socio-political and economic reality of Southern Africa, especially of Zimbabwe and Malawi.
  • Sound organisational and time management skills, with the ability to use own initiative, be self-motivated and prioritise effectively in order to meet deadlines.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work and communicate with a wide range of people in a collaborative manner, and enhance effective work relationships.
  • In-depth knowledge of international development issues, current trends, and of the role of civil society organisations and multilateral bodies in development.
  • Ability and readiness to travel within Zimbabwe and Malawi.
  • Availability to commit to 60 days for a four-month period.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this consultancy, please submit the following documentation to
  • CV
  • A proposal, of no more than two pages, explaining how you would approach the consultancy, including your proposed daily rate.
Please specify ‘Business Development Consultancy’ in the subject line.
The deadline for applying is 9 March Interviews will take place in mid/endof March
Follow Progressio on LinkedIn to receive regular updates on our latest vacancies.

Progressio is the working name of the Catholic Institute for International Relations.

Charity reg. no. 294329

February 2016

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