The Cost and Pricing Senior Manager is responsible for leading ABA ROLIโs efforts to develop and implement pricing strategies for new acquisition and assistance with business development opportunities. The Senior Manager will oversee ABA ROLIโs current strategies and practices and maintain budget preparation tools, templates, processes, reviews, and trainings to ensure that ABA ROLI can achieve its ambitious organizational goals. The Senior Manager will have supervisory responsibilities and will mentor and train more early career professional BD staff. The Senior Manager will take part in select senior management initiatives and strategic planning exercises for the organization. The Senior Manager will lead in-country capture and recruiting efforts, as needed. The Senior Manager will work closely with Finance, Business Development (BD), Program and Technical teams to manage budget development best practices in the capture phase, during live solicitations, and at award start up. The ideal candidate will have a successful track record of working on new business efforts or cost and pricing departments in international development with USAID, State Department, and/or other multilateral and bilateral donors. The Senior Manager is a member of the Business Development Team and as such will contribute to strategic and operational initiatives within the BD Team. The position will report to the Business Development Cost and Pricing Deputy Director.
Essential Job Duties
The Cost and Pricing Manager is responsible to support the following efforts:
Preparing Cost proposals
The individual will prepare cost in response to various solicitations with specific tasks including, but not limited to, the following:
- Oversee the preparation cost and cost narrative proposal development for a variety of different donors, following ABA ROLI policies and donor guidelines on cost and pricing;
- Prepare high priority, high value, and strategic cost and cost narratives for USAID;
- Review solicitations and develop cost matrixes and instructions to address all donor requirements pertinent to costing [when priming and subcontracting];
- Participate in teaming discussions, reviewing, and providing feedback on partner budgets [back up documentation, NICRA/indirects, and multiplier development]; supporting negotiations, and finalizing cost-related agreements on select bids;
- Conduct spreadsheet and final cost reviews to ensure quality and compliance with donor and ABA ROLI policies, following best practices in cost and pricing;
- Lead the strengthening and implementation of pricing and cost strategies across ABA ROLI in collaboration with Finance, Business Development, Program and Regional Technical Teams, balancing cost competitiveness and cost recovery;
- Provide additional information and or revisions of submitted information during the Best and Final Offer stage of a proposal and pre-and post-award as needed;
- Advise senior leadership, Regional Directors, and proposal team members on the impact of RFA and RFP requirements on costs and the cost proposal.
Revise New Business Cost and Pricing Tools and Processes
The individual will work with the Finance, Program and Technical teams to:
- Oversee budget preparation tools, templates, and processes within ABA ROLI to support ABA ROLIโs ambitious business development goals; This includes but is not limited to back of envelopes, cost shells and accompanying written guidance; budget narratives; for a variety of different donors and different contracting mechanisms [RFAs, RFPs, grants, in CPFF, T&M, PFS, FAA, etc.]
- Work with the Finance team to establish review processes and tools for grant managers and proposal cost reviewers;
- Apply pricing concepts, tools, and techniques using Excel to develop timely and appropriate cost/price worksheets to support proposal responses;
- Develop and maintain written guidance on cost and pricing for ABA ROLI for different donors and work with the compliance team to establish workflows and ensure distribution of written guidance to all ABA ROLI staff;
- Establish cost and pricing risk and approval matrixes, establishing thresholds for risk at the division and organization level, advising on strategy and approach.
Develop and Deliver Trainings on Cost and Pricing Strategies and Tools
- Use tools and processes developed on cost and pricing to prepare training materials for regional cost preparers and finance team members across ABA ROLIโs regions and finance department;
- Deliver periodic trainings and other capacity building tools to strengthen ABA ROLI cost and pricing capacity at the regional and finance department level;
- Lead an annual cost preparer long course to develop and grow the cadre of cost preparers across ABA ROLI [including regional and finance staff] who can support new business efforts and financial analysis during proposal development and at award stage;
- Ensure all cost and pricing strategies, tools and processes are updated in alignment with donor policies and industry standards.
- Manage staff and be responsible for staff performance evaluations, oversee staff timekeeping, and recruitment efforts in the assigned division.
Required Education, Qualifications, Experience
- Bachelorโs degree in international development, finance, law, international relations, or a related area.
- Minimum 7 years relevant experience developing proposal budgets and managing program budgets, of which at least three years in developing cost and pricing strategies and implementing appropriate systems and processes for international development organizations.
- Prior experience managing staff.
- Demonstrated skills in analyzing government solicitations for compliance while also dealing with nonroutine and complex funding opportunities.
- Prior leadership in identifying a competitive edge for a compelling, responsive, and high-quality proposal response.
- Demonstrated ability to apply and interpret USAID and US Department of State rules and regulations.
- Knowledge of 2CFR200, FAR, AIDAR, and DCAA rules and regulations.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.
- Prior experience in providing training and with public presenting.
Preferred Education, Qualifications, Experience
- International program experience preferred.