Business Development, Partnership and Reporting Manager

Business Development, Partnership and Reporting Manager - Kinshasa, DRC

Description

Business Development, Partnership and Reporting Manager

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has built a reputation for innovative economic development programming, particularly working with start-ups, and hosts a venture capital arm called Mercy Corps Ventures.

The Program / Department / Team

Mercy Corps is present in the DRC since August 2007, with a current workforce of over 300 national and expatriate employees. The organization has an operational presence in Goma and Beni (North Kivu Province), in Bunia (Ituri Province) as well as in Tshikapa, Kalonda West and Ndjoko Punda (Kasai Province). In the capital city Kinshasa, Mercy Corps has a representation office as well as an operational office covering the Provinces of Mai-Ndombe, Kwilu, Kwango and Kongo Central. As a leading NGO in DRC working with 12 partners, Mercy Corps reached 1.5 million people in 2025 with integrated programs that ensured equitable access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in humanitarian and development settings; supported a comprehensive, rapid response to ongoing humanitarian needs; promoted economic and livelihood development to strengthen food security and resilience, including through improved financial inclusion; strenghtened institutional capacity and social cohesion to foster peace and good governance. It must be noted that active programs are supported by transversal programmatic teams such as the Crisis Analysis Team (CAT) and the Performance and Quality (PAQ) team.

Mercy Corps programmatic portfolio includes various donors such as FCDO, ECHO, SDC, US Department of State and UNICEF. The Country Office continues to fundraise for additional projects to strengthen MC programming in DRC.

The Position

The Business Development, Partnership and Reporting (BDPR) Manager will directly support the Country Director (CD) and the Director of Programs (DoP) in leading strategic positioning and fundraising initiatives. He/she will lead the development of new initiatives (aligned on Mercy Corps programmatic strategy), manage new partnerships, ensure donor representation and provide oversight and support to ensure donor compliance as well as quality reporting for all active and future programs in DRC. As a result, he/she will play an essential role in Mercy Corps DRC strategic development and will contribute to the expansion of its programmatic portfolio.

To ensure a holistic overview during the development of new initiatives, the BDPR Manager will interact with the CD, the DoP, the Senior Management Team (SMT), the program leadership, the field teams, the Communications Advisor, support services as well as HQ and regional teams. The DoP will supervise his/her work and interact regularly to ensure support and give orientations.

It must be noted that Mercy Corps programs in DRC generally include Grant Management capacities within their team. Therefore, the BDPR Manager will focus on programs under development and programs without a dedicated Grant Management team. Yet support to fully staffed programs could also be considered depending on the priorities and needs.

Specific Areas of Responsibility

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

• Map existing implementing and potential partners as well as other donor projects, across a variety of technical sectors (including emergency response, WASH, health, protection, market systems development, livelihoods, natural resource management and social cohesion).
• In collaboration with the CD, DoP and Program Leads, help build strategic relationships with key stakeholders, peer agencies and donors that lead towards funding opportunities.
• In collaboration with the CD, DoP and Program Leads, help build relationships with potential partners, including international and national NGOs for sustainable programming.
• Work with teams to develop a comprehensive and functional mission-level stakeholder engagement strategy aligned with the country strategy to determine opportunities, and support donor engagement and partnerships management.
• Under the delegation of the DoP, participate in key donor meetings and consultations, support donor contacts, when necessary, to foster long-term collaboration, engagement, and strategic prepositioning.
• Ensure key contacts, required formats and donor strategies are kept up to date at the country office level.
• Update and maintain tracking system for potential and current donors and new business opportunities.
• Interface with Mercy Corps headquarters and the regional office to keep abreast of donor strategic priorities, specific requirements, and deadlines

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Lead proposal development processes, drafting and producing high quality concept notes and proposals that support Mercy Corps DRC strategic programming goals. This includes a strong coordination leadership between the CD, DoP, SMT, program Leadership, support services and field teams.
• Develop systems and ensure all program development/new business development opportunities are systematically managed and ensure regular updates and engagement of the CD, DoP and SMT.
• Identify and act on capacity building and inclusion strategies to increase the voice of national staff in the new initiatives process, with an eye for leveraging internal talent into new initiative processes, including but not limited to, supporting trainings, facilitating participatory design workshops, capacity building trainings, etc.
• Coordinate with programming teams to identify key public stakeholder relationships and wherever possible, strengthen the voice of external stakeholders in the design process.
• Ensure new initiatives processes comply with PM@MC standards and are in alignment with Mercy Corps Country Strategy, GEDSI, GDI, and do no harm approaches through the involvement of relevant MEL, gender, youth, and conflict advisors in the design process.
• Ensure full internal and HQ review and sign off as per the proposal development process.
• Support coordination with the HQ and Regional teams.
• Conduct and document after action review processes for new initiatives and partnerships, maximizing learning and internal organizational documentation.
• Following new initiative awards, facilitate teams through a handover process, supporting the onboarding of new staff to the program design and development process, ensuring full understanding of program scope. Provide inputs to kick off processes, particularly as it relates to key concerns and priorities raised during the design process and relevant partnership strategies.
• Liaise with the Programs, Finance and Operations Teams in the development of budgets of funding proposals.

STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION

• Support the program leadership on the development of the broader Country Office strategy.
• Develop external strategic communication materials, such as strategic two-pagers, sector profiles, impact reports, program briefings, leadership and positioning pieces, key messages, talking points, and other relevant pieces.
• Support the DoP in the development of documents or other related initiatives leveraging evidence from programs.
• Ensure high-quality information sharing among internal and external audiences.
• Represent Mercy Corps in external coordination forums, as requested.
• Support the CD, DoP, Program leadership and Communications Advisor in any specific external communication initiative.

REPORTING

While not involved in high levels or report writing or reviewing, the role will oversee processes and quality of reporting

• Oversee reporting workflows and processes between Program Teams, senior leadership, and HQ to ensure the timely and quality development, review and submission of reports and other communication products.
• Maintain a reporting tracker and share regularly with Program and MEL Teams.
• Provide timely, thorough responses to information requests from internal and 
  external sources.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AND RECORD RETENTION

Depending on the needs and resources of each program

• Support the adherence of teams to PM@MC minimum standards in partnership with the DoP, the PQEL Manager and the Program leadership.
• Support program kick-off, regular portfolio review and close-out meetings to ensure that all program information, including deadlines, donor priorities and requirements, are communicated and understood by the team, and programs are closed in compliance with donor regulations.
• Maintain effective communications with headquarters and regional staff, providing timely updates on programs and flagging potential issues promptly.
• Collaborate with the PQEL Manager to develop an evidence base and learning pieces to improve program quality.

GLOBAL BRAND POSITIONING AND PROMOTION

• Support the integration of Mercy Corps’ global rebrand within the DRC Country Office, ensuring that brand positioning, key messages, and visual identity are strategically leveraged to strengthen donor engagement, competitive positioning, and fundraising success.
• Under the direction of the CD as well as DoP and in close collaboration with the CO Communications, PQEL and HQ Brand teams, translate the global brand narrative into compelling, context-specific positioning materials that elevate Mercy Corps DRC’s visibility, thought leadership, and influence with priority donors and partners.
• Help to monitor brand consistency and proactively identify opportunities to use the refreshed brand to advance strategic growth and partnership objectives.

SECURITY

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are 
  aware of policies.

Who You Are

You are passionate about strategic development as well as partnership relations, and you love responding to the challenges and opportunities of coordinating ambitious proposals. You have been involved in project development initiatives and have experience with various stakeholders, such as institutional donors, development finance institutions, national/international NGOs and private sector. You understand how an international NGO such as Mercy Corps needs to design products to raise funds and strengthen partnerships. You are a fantastic communicator, internally as well as externally, and you are strongly interested in international assistance in complex settings.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: the CD, the Senior Management Team (SMT), the program leadership, the field teams, the Communication Advisor, support services as well as HQ and regional teams.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy 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

• BA degree in relevant field and MA preferred.
• 2-5 years experience in roles with significant new business responsibility, with demonstrated strengths in program or portfolio management, proposal development, and donor reporting.
• Demonstrated experience with new business workstreams including donor engagement, pipeline management, prospecting and prepositioning.
• Good familiarity with US and EU donors and corporate, trust and foundation donors, preferred
• Familiarity with institutional donor regulations related to reporting requirements and ability to understand and adjust to the donor contractual requirements.
• Excellent planning, management, and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities.
• Experience in staff management, supervision, and capacity building.
• Demonstrated experience in working in a multi-cultural and high-stress environment.
• Fluent in English and French. Excellent writing and editing skills in both languages required.
• Excellent representation skills required.
• Previous work experience in DRC, preferred.

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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Kinshasa. Housing for this role is in private appartement under housing allowance regulations. Rest and recovery cycle follows the Country Office R&R policy. Kinshasa has limited security regulations, and has many options for healthcare, shopping, restaurants and social life. It must be noted that imported goods can be more expensive than in other locations.

The Mercy Corps Kinshasa office hosts a part of the Senior Management Team, an administrative team, as well as a programmatic team.

It must be noted that the position might require travels to field offices and potentially to implementation sites, which may include unstable locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of working hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

Ongoing Learning

In 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 

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy 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 an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).