Cost and Pricing Senior Advisor - New Initiatives

Location: Washington, DC , Portland, Oregon, US Remote, or any MC office location

Position Status: Full-time, Exempt, Regular

Salary:  DOE

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

Mercy Corps alleviates poverty, suffering, and oppression and works to build secure, productive, and just communities in over 40 countries around the world. Our Program Department supports field-led work that delivers measurable impact.

Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit (TSU) is a key part of the Program Department. TSU subject-matter experts help set agency strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to field offices worldwide, in some of the world’s toughest places. TSU team members lead research, foster organizational learning, represent Mercy Corps to external audiences, and develop partnerships. The TSU is also integral to global business development and revenue.

The New Initiatives (NI) team plays a unique role on the TSU, leading on institutional fundraising with the U.S. government for the most strategic, complex, and impactful opportunities, linking their program development, strategic partnership, and proposal management expertise with TSU subject matter and field expertise to deliver winning concepts and designs.

The Position

The Cost and Pricing Senior Advisor will be a full-time member of the NI team based in any of Mercy Corps’ HQ offices. They will support strategic program development efforts by: 1) leading or supporting the development of realistic and cost-competitive proposal budgets and cost applications including subaward and subcontract budgets; 2) providing cost and pricing guidance to Mercy Corps proposal teams and external partners reflecting Mercy Corps’ best practices and applicable donor rules and regulations; and 3) lead or support development of proposal cost and pricing guidance and tools, and design and deliver related training. The Cost and Pricing Senior Advisor will work in close collaboration with other NI and TSU team members, HQ finance and compliance teams, and country leadership and finance teams.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM DESIGN AND PROPOSAL BUDGET DEVELOPMENT

• Responsible for leading or supporting the development of realistic and cost-competitive proposal budgets and cost volumes for the agency’s most strategic, high-value, and complex new business opportunities, including multi-country and multi-sector efforts.
• Provide cost and pricing leadership and guidance to Mercy Corps proposal teams and consortium partners to facilitate the development of prime, sub-award, or subcontract budgets and associated budget narratives. Review partner budgets and related inputs, provide feedback, and support negotiations as needed.
• Serve as an important link between Mercy Corps’ country and the International Finance Team to support an efficient budget development process including internal reviews and approvals.
• Work closely with country team and HQ proposal leads, including technical advisors, to ensure accurate and competitive costing of staff time, activities, office costs, and other direct costs.
• Review proposal budgets and cost applications to ensure accuracy, quality, and compliance with Mercy Corps’ policy, solicitation requirements, and applicable donor rules and regulations. Responsible for final revision and assembly of cost volumes prior to proposal submission.
• Analyze new solicitations and provide guidance to proposal teams regarding cost and pricing requirements and potential compliance issues.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING

• In close partnership with the International Finance Team, lead or support development of budgeting guidance, tools, and templates to improve overall agency capacity in proposal budgeting.
• Lead or support development and delivery of training related to proposal budgeting for country teams or HQ staff.
• Work with country team and HQ senior leaders to assess gaps in agency proposal budgeting capacity and tools, and recommend areas for improvement as well as potential solutions.
• Identify and maintain a roster of trusted consultants to take on cost proposal development assignments when they are not available.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Director, New Initiatives

Works Directly With: NI team members; all TSU teams; International Finance and Grants Compliance teams; country team senior leaders and finance teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in international development or related field. Preference given to candidates with experience living and/or working overseas.
• Deep understanding of the proposal budgeting process for complex donor-funded program opportunities over $20 million (as prime awardee) including for USAID and other institutional donors.
• Strong familiarity with USAID funding rules and regulations is required.
• Experience budgeting for US Government grant and cooperative agreement proposals is required.
• Familiarity with contract mechanisms, such as firm fixed price, cost reimbursement, and time & materials, is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading proposal budget development through solicitation release to submission in close collaboration with country offices and/or distributed proposal teams.
• Proven ability to work productively with a wide variety of stakeholders to facilitate participatory budgeting processes and meet tight deadlines with an emphasis on producing quality products.
• Experience leading or supporting budget and partnership negotiations at the proposal stage with US and international organizations.
• Experience developing Excel budget templates for proposals and related cost and pricing tools is a plus.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel is required.
• Fluent spoken and written English is required. Working-level French or Spanish is a plus.

Success Factors

The Cost and Pricing Senior Advisor will demonstrate a successful track record in program development and especially proposal cost and pricing, and bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm to every project they undertake. The individual must have exceptional quantitative and writing skills, and the ability to multi-task, set priorities, pay attention to detail, and work under tight deadlines within complex team environments. The Cost and Pricing Senior Advisor will have strong interpersonal skills, a healthy competitive spirit, and have the drive and initiative to contribute to team efforts. The individual will have strong leadership qualities and ability to lead or support diverse teams from across the agency through complex and stressful initiatives and also be a strong advocate within the organization for effective business development approaches.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position will be based in Washington, DC , Portland, Oregon, The Hague, Netherlands, or any MC office location. The position requires travel approximately 10% time to the field where living conditions may be exceptionally rugged or be in volatile environments where security protocols will need to be followed. Team members must be ready to deploy to field environments on short notice in response to any emergency or crisis. When in the field the team member must be able to work in remote settings, over weekends and/or evening as required by the schedule, and in settings with limited infrastructure, food options, and living conditions.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme**.** We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. Any offers of employment or continued employment are dependent on the successful completion of the screens which include, but are not limited to our Background Check and Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme processes,

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment.  Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations.  Failure to comply may impact your employment.  Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.