Global Practice Specialist II/Senior Global Practice Specialist I/II , Local Governance (Grade 9-11) at DAI in Bethesda, Maryland

Job Description:

Job Title/Grade: Global Practice Specialist II/Senior Global Practice Specialist I/II (Grade 9-11)



Department: Development Innovations



Reports to: Local Governance Practice Manager



Date: 09/10/2021



Function of the Position:

The Global Practice Specialist will be responsible for supporting the Local Governance Practice, including leading and supporting new business efforts, developing technical solutions, knowledge management, and product development, with a primary objective of winning new business in the USAID and USG markets and assisting project implementation teams deliver exceptional technical performance The Global Practice Specialist will serve as an in-house technical specialist with a strong preference for experience in local governance, decentralization, citizen engagement, service delivery, and sub-national own-source revenue generation related issues, and will augment his/her capabilities through a professional network of external technical experts and strategic partners to provide technical support to DAI globally. Under the leadership of the Sector Vice President and management by their assigned Practice Area Manager, this position is responsible for delivering superior technical inputs on proposals and projects in the USG Business Unit, growing DAI's market share for development services within the sector, and building a network that connects DAI projects, staff, and clients. The Global Practice Specialist will collaborate with other specialists across sectors and regions to create a competitive advantage in delivering Development Innovations to DAI's donor, government, and corporate clients.



Roles and Responsibilities:

Time will be allocated across the following three responsibilities according to corporate need and personal capabilities; in 2021 and early 2022, the priority will be placed on business development and growth in local governance related opportunities.


Business Development and Growth

• Collaborates with DAI's Regional Project Management Teams and other business units, to identify technical trends and capabilities which guide annual new business plans and technical requirements for proposal support; participates in setting bidding priorities.
• Supports the development of a multi-year plan to expand DAI's work in the Sector's technical areas, focusing on products and services that address the needs of USAID and other select USG entities under the direction of the Sector Vice President and/or a primary Practice Manager.
• Prepares for, leads and/or supports new business efforts including responding to specific Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs), particularly in the practice or Sector to which the Sector Specialist is assigned. S/He will directly support an assigned Practice Manager and the Senior New Business Advisor in their efforts to submit winning proposals to USAID and other USG clients in a range of capacities. Responsible for lead writing or managing multiple proposals and supporting or contributing to 4-5 proposals over the course of a calendar year.
• Responsible for building and growing strategic client relationships with USAID and other USG entities as directed.
• Markets the Practice and Sector's services and portfolio, specifically but also DAI as a whole. Contributes to the marketing of DAI's thought leadership specifically, building recognition of DAI's capabilities, experiences, and results/impacts, by positioning DAI's brand of quality and value.
• Supports the Practice and Sector to develop and maintain a new business pipeline; identifies and develops a network of consultants (especially local consultants) that can provide surge capacity for the sector. S/He will work with the broader Development Innovations team to promote synergies on business development between practices and sectors.

Technical

• Participates in the technical services provided by the Sector to projects, new business endeavors and other internally and externally facing initiatives.
• Supports projects as part of an integrated DI/Programs team to ensure a high standard of technical excellence in delivery of results according to client expectations. This includes leading or participating in technical start-ups and other assignments to ensure awesome delivery of projects. Actively participates across practices, sectors and regions to integrate with other core DAI competencies.
• Participates in cross-sector, cross-practice and cross-business unit initiatives that foster and build DAI's technical leadership or advance process improvements across teams.
• Responsible for leading or contributing to activities, efforts, and research relevant for the sector. Develops integrated technical solutions that leverage technical skills and capabilities within and across sectors and in other DAI business units. Promotes and supports technical staff to widely disseminate DAI's development solutions through multiple venues, including social media, professional conferences, video, and public speaking engagements.
• Undertakes short-term technical assignments providing expertise to DAI USG and other business unit field projects that either directly contribute to exceptional project performance or in the completion of strategic assignments that feed back into technical thought leadership and strengthen DAI's competitive new business advantage in their field.

Brand Development and Project Support

• In concert with the Sector Vice President and the assigned Practice Manager, the Sector Specialist will be responsible for enhancing DAI's brand to USAID. S/He will produce content for the DAI website, internal and external publications including articles, reports, videos, presentations and other multi-media forms, and internal business development resources from DAI's work in the technical area to enhance proposal quality.
• Supports the development and dissemination of DAI's technical brand with the aim of building and advancing DAI's technical reputation and competitive position through participation in conferences, events and seminars, and social media.
• Works closely with Delivery, Strategy and Marketing, and other business units to capture technical achievements, tools, lessons learned, and best practices to build on and advance DAI's reputation as a thought leader in this technical area and to showcase this to advance new business opportunities or expand market capture .

Additional responsibilities as deemed necessary.



Qualifications:


Minimum Qualifications

• Grade 9: 7 years of relevant professional experience and a bachelor's degree; or 5 years of relevant professional experience and a master's degree.
• Grade 10: 9 years of relevant professional experience and a bachelor's degree; or 7 years of relevant professional experience and a master's degree.
• Grade 11: 11 years of relevant professional experience and a bachelor's degree; or 9 years of relevant professional experience and a master's degree.
• Ability to take on both leadership and support roles in the development of plans, proposals and in carrying out work.
• Excellent writing skills and demonstrated experience writing strong technical proposals for USAID or other international donor clients. Has the ability to work effectively across technical areas and leverage resources in different parts of the company.
• Emerging technical area(s) of specialization of interest to the Local Governance Practice, such as:
  • Sub-national service delivery;
  • Decentralization policy reform and implementation;
  • Citizen engagement and civic education;
  • Sub-national resource mobilization and public financial management; and
  • Other related responsive governance areas.
• Ability to travel to all of the countries in which DAI has projects for proposal reconnaissance and the provision of technical support to projects, barring times DAI Security has deemed travel unsafe. Travel requirement can be up to 33% of the time, and will depend on the COVID-19 related restrictions.

Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.


Preferred Qualifications

• Fluency in an additional language besides English, with Spanish, French, Arabic and/or Russian preferred.
• Demonstrated, related new business success with USAID.
• Field experience in developing country context(s).

Supervisory Requirements: None.


DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.


DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All of our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.


DAI is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a commitment to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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