Contracts and Partnerships Manager/Jordan/2014

Job Description

/ Role Profile
Job Title / Contracts and Partnerships Manager
Directorate or Region / British Council Jordan / Department/Country / Programs and Partnerships
Location of post / Amman, Jordan / Pay Band / Grade G
Reports to / Deputy Director / Duration of job / 2 years – renewable at the discretion of the British Council Jordan
Purpose of job:
The purpose of this post is to pursue and win EC/ Full Cost Recovery client-funded projects and co-funding partnerships that enable BC Jordanto deliver larger programmes and thus increase our impact and income.
The postholder will work with the Deputy Director and Contract Business Development colleagues in British Council (UK, Brussels and MENA region) to support the identification and tracking of individual opportunities, identify and monitor market and client trends, and support the proposal management process for a portfolio of pursuit opportunities from beginning to end; She/he will manage or support the launch of new projects and contribute to the management of a limited number of projects in this area. The postholder will be expected to share best practice on contracting and pursuit methodologies within the Directorate to help colleagues working on partnership and co-funding activities.
Context and environment:
The British Council has been operating in Jordan for over 65 years and our turnover is a mixed economy one that is derived from the commercial activity from our English and Exams work, FCO grant, full cost recovery contracts for clients, and co-funding of projects.
Within our Programs and Partnerships work, we aim to increase our income and impact by growth of our full cost recovery and client funded work across the areas of education, skills, and civil society & governance.
The British Council has a strong reputation in delivering service contracts globally in our core areas of Education and Society, English and the Arts. In Jordan, and as the country is greatly dependent on donor assistance to deliver development objectives, donor funded opportunities are a key form of partnerships for the British Council Jordan.
Indeed we have been successful in winning a number of EC FCR bids over the years and are now looking to build on that success and increase our income and impact significantly.
The Jordan partnerships context is challenging, and is of considerable complexity, necessitating insight, understanding, stamina and patience. The post-holder will need to be able to come to a rapid understanding of the context and be able to form good personal relationships with key contacts in our client base.
Additionally, the post holder will be responsible for managing one of the British Council global projects in Jordan: Skills for Employability.
This post holder will be part of the JordanPrograms Partnerships team, reporting to the Deputy Directorwhile also closely working with the Senior Program Manager (Education and Society), the Project Officer, the Marketing Communication teamand the MENA Programme teams.
Therefore, he/she is required to demonstrate excellent skills in the following areas: client relationshipbuilding,proposal writing, negotiation and “pitching” , project management, financial management, communication and team working.
Accountabilities, responsibilities and main duties:
Full Cost Recovery and Contracts Pursuit Strategy Development
  • Support the Deputy Director in development of the contracts business development strategy and implementation plan for Jordan based on current pipeline of opportunities and market intelligence
  • Work closely with colleagues to identify and articulate opportunities for future work; scope and analyse specific client requirements, market trends and intelligence.
  • With colleagues, develop and manage the consultancy database for use in Jordan
  • Work with the Marketing and Communications colleagues to commission and analyse market intelligence, supporting the function to develop appropriate marketing resources and tools to deliver business development.
  • Support the development and management of key strategic relationships with existing clients within Jordan (e.g. EU)
  • Share pursuit learnings with the Jordan team;forming and leading pursuit teams for individual opportunities and implementing and sharing learning and experience with colleagues
  • Evaluate and capture lessons learnt from (un)successful tenders
Business Development (Pursuit and Positioning)
  • Support the development and management of key relationships with existing clients (e.g. EU)
  • Contribute to the diversification of client base (USAID, WB, corporate sector, Foundations)
  • Support the development and management of key relationships with existing partners and competitors
  • To scope, develop, agree, implement and evaluate pursuit plans for ‘priority pursuits’ in Jordan.
  • Identify potential consultants, Technical Assistance and partners (local, regional and international) for individual priority pursuits
  • Gather and analyse market intelligence on client strategies, stakeholders and beneficiaries, potential partners and competitors and individual opportunities to contribute to the JordanContracts business development strategy and implementation plan
  • Conduct desk research as needed and develop reports.
Proposal Development
  • Develop, manage and write track records.
  • Write Expressions of Interest.
  • Procure and manage appropriate technical input required for specific proposals e.g. sector expertise from within the region, globally or externally.
  • Work with partners and suppliers to facilitate the design and development of content for new contract opportunities.
  • Write content as agreed for specified proposals or part of proposals.
  • Work closely with P&P Business Development team to ensure that proposals are costed and priced appropriately and that all financial documents required by the client e.g. guarantees or insurances are available and are to standard.
  • Ensure that proposal documents meet P&P FCR standards e.g, design, formatting, documents, and dispatch.
  • Develop, introduce and embed effective processes, standards, templates, tools and systems in line with P&P governance protocols.
  • Ensure that data relating to proposal management is collated, maintained and stored according to data protection standards.
Contract /project management
  • ManageSkills for Employability Project in Jordan
  • Delivery points: budgets, income targets and audiences for the projects are agreed annually with Director, Deputy Director, Marketing Planning Manager and projects team, and where necessary with MENA Regional Project Managers and the UK.
  • Projects are delivered within budget and on time, to agreed quality standards. Income targets are met.
  • Project annual audience, output and quality targets are met.
  • Project expenditure, income, audiences and quality indicators monitored regularly throughout the year. Report back to Deputy Director on key milestones and where risks are emerging in the project.
  • Working closely with Marketing and Communication team to secure appropriate BC branding, as well as media coverage, in line with BC scorecard and MARCOMS policies.
  • Monitoring and evaluation carried out to agreed standards and methodology
  • SAP duties in accordance with SAP guidance and/or as stated in British Council Essential Finance. SAP is an online financial system.
Professional Relationship Building and Stakeholder Management:
Build and maintain relationships and partnerships with relevant partners, Report on an on-going basis to Deputy Director on new relationships and ways of engaging and develop initiatives with such stakeholders aligned with British Council strategic objectives.
Continuous Professional Development and Performance Management
  • Line management to corporate one member of staff initially.
  • Support and champion continuous learning and professional development in all areas of business development relevant to post.
Key relationships:
External stakeholders include but not limited to:
  • Ministries and governmental entities (i.e. Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, etc.),
  • Universities, Vocational training centers,
  • Donors (EU, USAID, etc.)
  • Corporate private sector, philanthropic organizations, and grant making organizations
  • Embassies (e.g. UK and other embassies which have aid programs to Jordan)
Internal stakeholders include:
  • Deputy Director
  • Jordan Programs and Partnerships team
  • Jordan Finance team.
  • Partnerships and Projects team in UK, Brussels team, MENA Business development team.
Other important features or requirements of the job
(e.g. travel, unsocial/evening hours, restrictions on employment etc)
Working hours are variable according to events and can include evenings and occasional weekends. The role includes representing the British Council at external events where appropriate. On certain days it may be necessary to work longer hours to accommodate externally imposed deadlines.
Please specify any passport/visa and/or nationality requirement. / Jordanian or have valid work residency in Jordan
Please indicate if any security or legal checks are required
for this role. / Criminal Clearance
Child Protection

Person Specification

Essential / Desirable / Assessment stage
Behaviours /
  • Connecting with others (More demanding)
  • Working together (Essential)
  • Being accountable (Essential)
  • Making it happen (More demanding)
______
  • Shaping the future (Essential)
  • Creating shared purpose (Essential)
/ Interview
______
Required for the job but not assed in the Interview
Skills and Knowledge / Business Management and Development :
Scoping & pursuit requirements
Bid development
Costing and pricing contracts
Managing relationships with customers, clients and partners
Market analysis and business intelligence
Using management information systems to influence future business plans. /
  • Knowledge of education systems (primary-secondary-Vocational Education) and civil society
Knowledge of Development issues in Jordan / Short listing and interview
Marketing and Customer Service
Particularly:
Understanding customer needs; context & marketing.
Project and Contract Management
Particularly:
Development and delivery; monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
Stakeholder development and delivery
Financial Planning & Management Particularly
Risk management,
Financial planning
Forecasting
Programme and Project Management
Proven understanding and experience of designing, delivering and evaluating programmes and projects with an emphasis on the needs of major clients and customers
Experience / At least 3 years of Full Cost Recovery business management: pursuit & income generation role and responsibility
  • Proven record inmeeting financial and non-financial targets
  • Proven experience in management of external funding partners
  • Proven experience in developing bids, writing proposals;
  • At least 1 year line management experience
/
  • At least two years’ experience in delivering projects within a development context.
  • Proposal management
/ Short listing and interview
Qualifications /
  • B2 level in Aptis English test
  • University degree or equivalent
/
  • Post graduate degree in development
/ Short listing and interview
Submitted by / May Abuhamdia / Date / 19 August 2014

1 of 3 Resourcing team November 2010