Business Development Assistant - ACDI/VOCA

Overview

Since 1963 and in 148 countries, ACDI/VOCA has empowered people in developing and transitional nations to succeed in the global economy. Based in Washington, D.C., ACDI/VOCA is a nonprofit international development organization that designs and delivers technical and management solutions in agriculture, economic growth, and resilience to promote economic prosperity and social inclusion. Beyond our competitive compensation, full array of insurances, generous 401(k) plan, parental leave, commuter subsidy, career development, we also offer a vibrant, friendly, diverse, inclusive, passionate, and inspiring work environment.

ACDI/VOCA has been named a Top Workplace in 2024 by the Washington Post! In just our first year vying for the award, ACDI/VOCA ranked 7th out of the 100 companies named to the list in the mid-size category (150-499 employees).The Business Development Assistant is responsible for providing administrative support to ACDI/VOCA’s Business Development Group (BDG). This position has three primary areas of responsibility and support within BDG: 1) Knowledge Management and Business/Market Intelligence Support, and 2) Proposal Coordination and Process Management Support, and 3) General Administrative Support. This position reports to the Associate Director, Business Intelligence. Because this position directly supports various key BD functions, this position also reports on a matrix basis to the Sr. Director, Capture and Proposal Management, and the Vice President, Business Development.

• Bachelor’s degree required in international development, international relations, communications, business, English, marketing, journalism, or related field.
• Minimum of one (1) year of professional work experience, preferably in international development or related field; knowledge of USAID preferred.
• Must be authorized to work in the US without requiring company sponsorship.

The base salary for this entry level role is $50,000 annually, plus benefits. This role is a hybrid position based in Washington, D.C., with a requirement for 2-3 days of in-office work.

Responsibilities

Business Development – Knowledge Management and Business/Market Intelligence (approximately 45%)

• Proactively search for and immediately distribute solicitations, notices, and other client communications to correct audiences; periodically recommend revisions to procurement site searches based on evolving ACDI/VOCA market strategies and changing donor landscape.
• Proactively monitor industry news to compile and publish a weekly “BD Digest”, routing items of special interest to appropriate staff members.
• Conduct desk research and data entry to maintain and grow accounts (clients and partners) and contact profiles in CRM system.
• Conduct desk research to compile/maintain market and competitive intelligence; conduct analysis and prepare reports as directed.
• Conduct basic business development resource center maintenance, e.g., updating files with new versions received from authors, publishing files to existing structure, updating proposal and “best of” libraries, and helping users locate desired resources.
• Assist with CRM, Business World and other data entry, retrieval, cleaning, integration, and system testing.
• Ensure proper after-action data entry and reporting, including drafting and coordinating proposal win announcements.
• Help maintain proposal sites and file structure, including but not limited to setting up sites, ensuring proper membership and access, creating OneNote notebooks, updating proposal stages, filing proposal receipt confirmations, and ensuring proposal sites are complete and properly closed out.
• Conduct research and outreach to help identify and set up appropriate meetings, speaking engagements, etc. to support positioning and diversification.

Business Development – Proposal Coordination and Process Management (approximately 40%)

• Support business development and proposal processes, under the direction of the Senior Director, Proposal Capture & Management, by working with staff in BDG and other departments to ensure appropriate business development activities are completed.
• Support proposal teams to use proper proposal templates, job aids, and other BD resources.
• Prepare initial draft calendars for live proposals in alignment with ACDI/VOCA best practices and in collaboration with proposal managers.
• Assist with development of expressions of interest, corporate capability statements, concept notes, etc. as assigned.
• Serve as liaison and provide proposal coordination support to department-led proposals, coordinate other proposals as assigned, ensuring bids follow established BD processes and best practices.
• Assist proposal teams with uploading and updating capture and preparation budgets into Business World.
• Proactively identify process improvement needs and propose solutions.
• Draft and maintain job aids, as needed, related to BDG processes.
• Support positioning efforts, as requested.
• Crosstrain in other BD-related roles and activities and provide backstopping and surge support as needed, including, but not limited to:

           a) Production of final documents for submission to clients;

           b) Providing high-quality copy-editing services on submissions to clients;

        c) Providing basic graphic design and/or graphics editing support, using Adobe Illustrator or other relevant applications;

Business Development – General Administrative Support (approximately 15%)

• Process departmental procurements, invoices, and payments.
• Provide remote meeting technology support, helping meeting facilitator use features such as breakout rooms, polls, etc. to enhance effectiveness of remote meetings.
• Provide logistics and other support for external meetings, events, speaking engagements, etc.

Other duties

• Support and enhance the company's culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion and align with our corporate values by treating others with respect and congeniality.
• Host and/or attend in-person meetings at the Home Office or elsewhere when required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required; reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree required in international development, international relations, communications, business, English, marketing, journalism, or related field.
• Minimum of one (1) year of professional work experience, preferably in international development or related field; knowledge of USAID preferred.
• Adept with Microsoft Office: Microsoft Word, including the use of Styles; Microsoft Excel, including for data analysis and presentation; PowerPoint; SharePoint; and Teams; experience with Dynamics 365, Adobe Pro, Adobe Illustrator (or other similar applications), and Adobe Sign (e-sign software) preferred.
• Basic graphic design skills preferred.
• Proven organizational skills including excellent attention to details, with the ability to learn and apply new skills quickly, meet tight deadlines and balance multiple priorities.
• Superior writing and editing skills, including knowledge of grammar rules and Chicago Manual of Style.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and proactive problem-solving skills.
• Fluency in English required. Professional proficiency in French and/or Spanish language skills are a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team.
• Strong interest in international development within the US Government-funded industry.
• Must be available during core business hours and/or operating hours for international time differences; flexibility to work more hours when needed.
• Flexibility to work in office based on work demands.
• Must adhere to our company's Health Safety Code of Conduct and demonstrate the organization's commitment to sustaining a healthy and safe work environment.