Team Lead Business Development Unit

at  Plan International Ireland

DEPARTMENT:

Programmes Department
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. We enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years and are now active in more than 80 countries. Established in 2003, Plan International Ireland influences and supports Plan International’s work worldwide. Plan International Ireland has been certified as one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces each year since 2020.
We are looking for a
Team Lead – Business Development Unit (Dublin-based)
(Location: Dublin, Ireland: 37h/week)
The role
Plan International Ireland is looking for a Team Lead for our Business Development Unit (BDU). In this role, you will lead our strategy to expand our funding base paying particular attention to institutional donors including the European Union (ECHO/INTPA), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Irish Aid and UN agencies, while exploring new opportunities.
Reporting to the Head of Programmes, you will seek to maximise new business opportunities, including identifying new grant opportunities, leading proposal development and ensuring strong tracking of our grants portfolio in close co-operation with our Country Offices (COs) and partners. The BDU under your leadership will also support Plan International Ireland Desk/Emergencies Officers and Plan COs to strengthen their ability to engage donors and to write quality proposals adhering to donor and Plan internal requirements, processes and standards.
This is an exciting time to join Plan International Ireland as we continue to implement our focus on supporting 1.5 million programme participants to help them Learn, Lead, Decide, Survive and Thrive!
Your tasks
Strategic funds acquisition with bilateral and/or multilateral donors (e.g. Education Cannot Wait, UN agencies, ministries as well as European and global donor agencies)
Proactive identification and positioning for upcoming funding opportunities
Establish trusting and reliable working relationships with Country and National Offices as well as other departments within PII
Lead the BDU on upcoming funding opportunities, with a strong focus on European Union funding, such as INTPA and ECHO as priority stakeholders, with a secondary focus on donors such as the UN and other multilaterals.
Key Responsibilities
Business development
Develop and operationalise a grant mobilisation strategy in line with Plan Ireland’s geographic and thematic priorities
Identify grant opportunities in close coordination with the Head of Programmes and Programme Unit leads
Engage closely with Plan’s EU Liaison Office and ensure Plan International Ireland is strategically placed within the federation to funding opportunities
Strategically plan pathways for engaging potential new donors and strategic partners
Proposal development
Lead proposal development for donors and support cross-organisational teams to respond to funding opportunities in collaboration with Programme Unit Leads
Collaboration with and travel to Country Offices (CO) when required to work with Plan CO teams to design effective proposals and to devise budgets
Ensuring all donor and PII compliance requirements are addressed at proposal design stage
Donor Relations
Establish trusting working relationships with representatives from donor agencies, members of the Plan federation and other relevant stakeholders
Ensure Plan International Ireland is compliant with thematic and requirements for continued work with EU INTPA and ECHO and advise Head of Programmes of changing requirements
In cooperation with the Programme Unit leads, coordinate engagement on internal Plan requirements for supporting Plan Country Offices to throughout funding applications
Keep track of donor guidelines and regulations in close collaboration with the Compliance Unit and ensure streamlining into funding applications and internal knowledge management
Other
Line managing Business Development Officer(s) to deliver high performance in their contribution to the aims of the BDU
Liaise with Programme Unit leads and coordinate with CO counterparts to strengthen the capacity of CO Teams staff and their ability to generate resources for successful proposals (technical, funding, material).
Work with the Compliance Unit to ensure a strong grant monitoring system in terms of projections and forecasting
Active participation in strategic and operational processes within the programmes department
Contribute to continuous learning and knowledge management
Engage in relevant networks and working groups as required
Your profile

Please refer the Job description for details