Senior Cost and Pricing Advisor - Dakar, Senegal

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.

The Position The Senior Cost and Pricing Advisor will be a full-time member of the Cost and Pricing team and 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 Advisor work in close collaboration with HQ Finance, NI, 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 guidance and assistance 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.

    SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work
    • Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members
    • Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options

      
      
      

      Supervisory ResponsibilityNone

      Accountability Reports Directly To: Senior Director, Cost and Pricing Works Directly With: Cost and Pricing, NI team members; International Finance and Grants Compliance teams; country team senior leaders and finance teams

      Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy 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 and French is required. Working-level Spanish is a plus.

        Success Factors The Senior Cost and Pricing 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 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 ConditionsThis position will be located in Dakar, Senegal. 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.

        Ongoing LearningIn 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 & InclusionAchieving 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 OpportunityMercy 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 & EthicsMercy 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 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 EmployeesMercy 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.