Job Title/Grade:          Principal Specialist/Senior Principal Specialist - Private Sector Development and Skills

Grade:                         P7/P8

Reports to:                   Senior Director, Technical Practice, Economic Growth Sector

Department:                 Economic Growth Sector, Development Innovations

Business Unit:             USG

Work Location:            Bethesda, Maryland or remote in states where DAI is registered

About DAI  

DAI works at the cutting edge of international development, combining technical excellence, professional project management, and exceptional customer service to solve our clients’ most complex problems. Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in areas including crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance, public sector management, agriculture, private sector development, economic growth, finance and trade, land tenure and property rights, public health, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change.

Function of the Position:

The Principal Specialist (PS) will support the Private Sector Development and Skills (PSDS) Practice within Economic Growth Sector in Development Innovations. The PS will be responsible for leading and supporting new business efforts in the practice thematic areas, delivering technical assistance to projects, and supporting knowledge management, with a primary objective of demonstrating DAI’s thought and technical leadership and increasing sales and marketing. The PS will serve as an in-house technical specialist across the organization in the areas of competitiveness, enterprise development, and private sector engagement, and will also contribute to the advancement of Practice capabilities in growing technical areas, such as green economy, green transition for SMEs and circular economy. The PS 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 Practice Director for Private Sector Development and Skills Practice, this position is responsible for delivering superior technical support on projects and proposals in the USG Business Unit, growing DAI’s market share for development services within private sector development and trade technical area, and building a network that connects DAI projects, staff, and clients. The PS will collaborate with other specialists across Development Innovations to create a competitive advantage in delivering Development Innovations to DAI’s donor, government, and corporate clients.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The following percentage time allocations are notional and will be tailored based upon individual capacity in key areas and evolving company needs.

Business Development and Growth (50%)

·       Works with the PSDS practice and with the Economic Growth sector as a whole to set and achieve new business targets based on market knowledge and intelligence gained from interactions with DAI’s project teams, our USG clients and available information.

·       Prepares for, champions and supports new business efforts including responding to specific Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Develops capture strategies and budgets for proposal development for a set of assigned new business opportunities in the pipeline. Serves as a reviewer on bids in the private sector development and trade technical area as well as in other technical discipline areas.

·       Supports the Economic Growth Sector to develop and maintain a new business pipeline; identifies and develops a network of consultants that can provide surge capacity for the sector; works with the broader Development Innovations team to promote synergies on business development between practices and sectors.

·       Supports the development of a multi-year, multi-client plans to expand DAI’s work in the PSDS practice technical areas, focusing on products and services that address the needs of clients in local, national, regional, and international locations.

Technical Delivery (30%)

·       Undertakes short-term technical assignments providing expertise to DAI Bethesda field projects including training, high quality technical reports, assessments, recommendations and other deliverables as requested.

·       Participates in the technical leadership and services provided by the Practice to projects, new business endeavors and other internally and externally facing initiatives.

·       Serves as a Sector Point of Contact and/or Technical Advisory to 1-2 assigned projects; supports projects to ensure a high standard of technical excellence in delivery of results according to client expectations. Engages with Chiefs of Party, Senior Portfolio Directors, Project Managers or relevant field technical leads on assigned projects, to provide advice or review of technical work, help design activities and technical scopes of work, identify possible internal or external experts to provide support. 

·       Supports Practice engagement with Chiefs of Party (COPs) and project teams to identify, adapt, and refine technologies, tools, solutions and approaches that advance the project’s goals.

Strategic Marketing and Thought Leadership (20%)

·       In concert with the Practice Director, the PS will be responsible for enhancing DAI’s brand to our main clients. Markets the Practice’s services and portfolio, and DAI as a whole. Contributes to the marketing of DAI’s thought leadership, building recognition of DAI’s capabilities, experiences, and results/impacts, by positioning DAI’s brand of quality and value.

·       Contribute to the development and implementation of Practice-level client engagement plans to strengthen DAI connections and competitiveness with key USAID clients in Washington and with priority USAID missions.

·       Supports the development and dissemination of DAI’s thought leadership in the area of private sector development and competitiveness with the aim of building and advancing DAI’s technical reputation and competitive position through participation in conferences, events and seminars, and through written publications, blogs and posts on social media.

·       Works closely with project management teams to capture technical achievements, lessons learned, and best practices to build on and advance DAI’s reputation as a thought leader in private sector development. Contributes to internal knowledge sharing through internal presentations, training sessions and learning events. 

·       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.

Additional responsibilities as deemed necessary.

USG Business Unit Core Competencies

All staff hired into positions within the USG Business at DAI are expected to demonstrate these competences throughout their work and interactions with others.

·       Collaborates Effectively:  Recognizes the benefit of working with others from multicultural backgrounds; believes collaboration can lead to better and stronger contributions to USG; views relationships as long-term and meaningful; Communicates with empathy to cross-cultural audiences.

·       Champions Inclusion: Treats others with honesty, respect, and consideration; promotes cross-cultural understanding and inclusion throughout the organization; demonstrates appreciation for the complex environments in which DAI works.

·       Performs with Excellence: Thrives in all aspects of your role and fosters an open and energizing environment that motivates self and peers to contribute their personal best and is reflective of USG’s vision and mission.

·       Creates Innovative Solutions: Problem solves and broadens perspectives, while overcoming biases to find solutions to complex challenges; seeks opportunities to experiment with new approaches and grow/develop the skills of oneself and others.

·       Drives Growth: Able to weigh the costs and benefits of actions both internally and externally and their impact on diverse markets and stakeholders; Understands priorities and behaviors necessary for personal and organizational growth.

·       Navigates Risk: Integrates risk considerations into all aspects of work and planning; understands benchmarks for escalation of a risk-related issue or concern; makes decisions by gathering input from others and displaying trust of their recommendations, while also taking accountability for outcome

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

·       Grade P7: Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in international development, project management, or business development and a college degree. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered. 

·       Grade P8: Minimum of 9 years of relevant professional experience in international development, project management, or business development and a college degree. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered. 

·       Demonstrated experience supporting, designing, leading and/or evaluating projects in areas of private sector development, competitiveness, enterprise development and/or workforce development.

·       Good writing skills; interest and experience in writing technical proposals for USAID or other international donor clients preferred.

·       Demonstrated ability to work with and lead teams for winning new business and delivering excellent results to clients.

·       Ability to take on both leadership and support roles in the development of plans, proposals and in carrying out work.

·       Able and willing to travel to any country where DAI currently operates, or may wish to operate, barring times when DAI Global Security has deemed travel unsafe. Ability to travel up to 33% of the time for proposal reconnaissance and the provision of technical support to projects.

·       Possesses technical knowledge and skills as evidenced by project results, publications, reports, and/or public presentations.

·       Able to build and maintain excellent working relationships with staff at all levels of the organization and external clients from diverse backgrounds.

·       Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

·       *Based in one of the following U.S. locations where DAI is registered: District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington.  

Preferred, but not required:

·       Proficiency in Spanish preferred.

 Compensation & Benefits:

At the P7 level for employees working the United States, the full-time equivalent annual base salary for this position is expected to be between $108,997 to $128,232.

At the P8 level for employees working the United States, the full-time equivalent annual base salary for this position is expected to be between $125,346 to $147,466.

 

Salary for part-time employees will be prorated based on actual hours worked. Actual offers will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, qualifications, relevant education, experience, skills, seniority, performance, and business or organizational needs.  

  

Eligible U.S. based employees, will be able to enroll in medical, dental and vision insurance, plus a 401(k)-retirement plan with a company match. Additionally, employees will be eligible for company-paid annual leave (vacation & holidays), sick leave, parental leave; as well as short- and long-term disability coverage. Detailed information will be provided at the time a formal offer is extended. 

  

For employees working outside of the United States, compensation and benefits will vary based on location.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or status as a protected veteran.

 

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting discrimination in all forms, nurturing respect for our interpersonal relationships, 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, ethnicities, 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 our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.

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