Location: Washington, DC

Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based (United States) is required at the time of application for this position.

Position Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt
Salary Level: The salary range for this position is $119,000 - $150,000 USD commensurate on experience.

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 a long-term impact.

The Program

Mercy Corps is setting up a Cost and Pricing department which will be responsible for setting the vision and strategy for Mercy Corp’s cost and pricing strategy for new business. The department will also support organizational budgeting and planning for ongoing awards, providing strategic financial support to programs and countries.

Cost and Pricing also provide the Mercy Corps Board, working through the Board’s Finance Committee, with information to allow insight into Mercy Corps’ external cost and pricing strategic approach to new business and donor diversification.

The Position

The Senior Director of Cost and Pricing will lead and direct cost and pricing across Mercy Corps supporting Finance and New Initiatives/Resource Development. They will lead cost and pricing initiatives by capturing and evaluating nuanced details of cost drivers of high-quality interventions as part of multi-year budgets for complex, competitive USG, foundation, and multilateral bids. They will lead business decisions with the proposal design team about Price to Win, Fee Structures, and potential partnerships by ensuring these elements align, enhance, and support a robust, realistic, and feasible win and implementation strategy for the technical approach and management approach.

They will liaise with proposal design team and partners to request, analyze, and present business and cost requirements in the most effective manner with excellent budgeting, writing, editing, and presentation skills using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe. They will help drive quality improvements on bid applications by organizing reviews and delivering production support for bid materials prior to submission.

Essential Responsibilities

Lead in the development of a cost and pricing strategy and guidance for Mercy Corps.
Drive decision-making around key cost and pricing strategy for Mercy Corps.
In response to funder requirements and in compliance with organizational policies, leads proposal budget development for proposals ranging in value up to multi-hundred million dollars partnering with New Initiatives, Development, and Programs.
Works to troubleshoot complex budgeting issues and solicitation requirements and ensures review feedback is incorporated into final budgets.
Collects cost inputs from a variety of internal/external sources to ensure competitive market prices and accurate information.
Analyzes, makes recommendations, and communicates issues or concerns regarding cost applications and proposal requirements to internal stakeholders for a timely discussion on bid response.
While leading budget development, provides substantive inputs to guide decision-making on the overall design of the application.
Supports completion of other cost-related documentation during the final production stages of the proposal, as needed.
Prepares questions to submit to funders if further clarification is needed.
Leads the response and engagement with donors’ requests for clarification and further information as it relates to applications and proposals, working with the Chief Financial Officer, Senior Director of New Initiatives, International Finance, and Compliance as needed.
Upon award, work with the Senior Director of International Finance and Country Finance Leads to transition budgets for implementation.
Lead the d Partner with International Finance to ensure other budgeting material is updated and staff is regularly trained.
Seek efficiency and adaptive cost and pricing strategies in an evolving industry and organization.
Work on new business special projects, as identified and needed.

**CAPTURE & PROGRAM DESIGN
**

Conduct desk research and tabulation of local country costs drivers, such as labor rates and employment rules, travel and training venue costs, office rental and housing costs, local inflation, equipment and supplies procurement, security needs, etc., to determine feasible cost parameters for anticipated USG and other donor bids.
Develop high-level pricing models/budgets to guide the strategic development of the Donor bid.
Collect data and documentation about potential local and international partners that can demonstrate evidence of capacity to effectively manage awards including reviews of policy and procedures, annual budgets, recent audits, financial and programmatic reports, and local registration.
Work directly with international and local partners to frame and complete their anticipated business and cost application materials in alignment with client initiatives.
Build, review, and sign off on roll-up activity-level budgets with anticipated interventions that include co-funding and/or stand-alone cost structures responsive to submission requirements.

**BID STRATEGY & PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
**

Create and adapt comprehensive tools and templates, to deliver high-quality cost and business application materials in a timely manner including document checklist, partner document list, compliance matrix, and bid calendar.
Lead the review of the entire bid solicitation and identify red flags for the team and review the evaluation criteria to ensure that the business and cost applications meet the requirements and reach the maximum score.
Create a comprehensive bid-specific budget and cost narrative in alignment with Donor requirements, technical approaches, and participant targets, that demonstrates price to win, fee structures, implementation feasibility, and cost competitiveness per participant.
As needed, create complex (CLIN, sub-objective activity level) budgets to best suit the competitive needs of each bid.
Review pricing inputs from technical or other pricing contributors for completeness on a timely basis.
Compile and compose detailed cost and business questions for submission by senior team members.
Track, review, and provide feedback as needed on partner cost documentation and ensure compliance with solicitation requirements.
Serve as partner liaison, as assigned, on active bids to track partner cost inputs to ensure all documentation is received in full and in a timely manner.
Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps’ best practices and policies, solicitation requirements, and client policies across a range of opportunities, donors, and schedules.
Provide regular updates on the status of all cost and budget narrative development, while proactively communicating obstacles and solutions to meet proposal calendar deadlines.
Integrate all partner pricing inputs into a consolidated budget, budget narrative, and cost application.

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS & TRAINING

Lead the development of checklists and instruction manuals as needed for the successful delivery of inputs for proposal reviews related to the costing of the proposal and strategic pricing, including the recommendation of co-financing.
Participate in internal debriefing meetings and make informed recommendations on how to improve cost and pricing activities/products.
In collaboration with Proposal Manager, Proposal Leader, and Senior Director, New Initiatives, help adjust processes and deadlines as needed, while upholding corporate interests, business needs, and our overall win strategy.
Review internal and external debriefing analysis; as directed, implement improvements accordingly.
Remain current on industry trends and best practices.
Actively participates in all proposal reviews, Post Proposal, and Post Award reviews, leading in the cost and pricing component of these reviews.
Leads the support and capacity development to small and local subrecipients in budget preparation, indirect cost rate or multiplier development, and other supporting documentation with the support for .

Supervisory Responsibility
Sr. Cost and Pricing Advisor

Accountability

Reports directly to: CFO
Works directly with: International Finance, New Initiatives/Resource Development, Compliance, Mercy Corps’ Europe, and country offices.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, and 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 Qualifications & Transferable Skills

BA/S or equivalent is required. MBA strongly preferred
8+ years of related job experience including program budgeting and finance, cost and pricing, and budgeting for proposals and programs as well as strategic pricing.
8+ years of supervisory experience, in hiring, coaching, developing, motivating a team
Expert knowledge of US government grants and contracts (2 CFR 200, FAR, AIDAR) including cost principles and familiarity with solicitation mechanisms and contract types (i.e., cost reimbursement, fixed price, time, and materials).
Strong knowledge of foundations, and multilateral institutions.
Experience with indirect cost recovery methodologies and budgeting of non-USG clients.
Excellent organizational and time management skills and strong written communication skills.
Ability to communicate, both written and verbally, effectively among and within multiple organizational and professional levels, including multiple cultures.
Ability to multitask and manage competing priorities, takes initiative to solve problems.
Ability to manage intense deadline-driven processes.
Demonstrated excellent attention to detail.

**Success Factors
**
The successful Senior Director Cost and Pricing will have the ability to work independently and employ effective time management skills, manage priorities and work effectively with a wide variety of individuals including international staff. Additionally, they will have strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and be able to communicate financial information in a succinct, organized manner. The position requires strong collaborative skills with an ability to facilitate change. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a positive approach, a strong commitment to teamwork and personal accountability, and the ability to be flexible with a customer-centric approach.

Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions

This position will be based preferably in the greater Washington, DC area with flexibility for the right candidate. Travel up to 25%, (mostly global), to support cost and pricing proposals for new business, positioning, and capture work. Given the nature of the role, work outside typical working hours may be required.

**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.

**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.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

**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. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.
**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 is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

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.