Eurasia Partnership Foundation is collecting information on available consultants for proposal writing and the fundraising team management. Experienced candidates with excellent English language, writing, interpersonal, computer and organizational skills and readiness to engage in proposal writing and fundraising teams on behalf of Armenian CSOs are welcome to apply for this position.

The candidate should have the following competencies and capacities:

Proposal Writing

Demonstrable experience in writing successful proposals in English
Capacity to write fast, accurate, and succinctly
Capacity to edit/proofread English texts
Capacity to fit donors’ language/format requirements
Capacity to write proposals in compliance with professional styles and proposal guidelines
Capacity to multi-author, i.e. use inputs from different people to collect and develop one united document
Capacity to work in newly built teams with not well-known colleagues/partners
Capacity to paraphrase, as needed, instead of cut and paste; capacity to update dated texts as needed
Readiness and capacity to work part-time, often at non-working hours, within tough deadlines in teams with CSOs
Capacity to easily comprehend the subject area of the proposal and of the applicant CSO; without being an expert in the designated area, being able to collect all relevant information (e.g. via interviews, desk research, etc.) and draft a proposal within a limited timeframe
Multimedia and computer design skills are a plus
Fundraising Team Management

Capacity to lead a temporary "fundraising team" includes:

o Capacity to effectively distribute duties among team members taking into consideration the size of the team, background of team members and their current workload (who does what and when, e.g. who develops the draft budget, logframe, etc.);

o Ability to develop a realistic action plan for the fundraising team;

o Ability to organize and lead the fundraising team's meetings;

o Ability to organize the work environment combining online and offline tools;

o Ability to follow up with the due and timely accomplishment and submission of the proposal as a leader of the team.

Additional Competences and Skills

Knowledge of international and foreign government funding instruments, policies and strategies for Armenia, such as those of the European Union, United Kingdom, Finland, Norway, USAID, UNDEF, etc;
Ability to effectively review requests for proposals, documents, and other background material relevant to the designated proposal;
Ability to manage the proposal development process including preparing and implementing a work plan;
Ability to list the tasks required to create the proposal such as designing, writing, editing, reviewing and submitting with due dates assigned for every action;
Ability to prepare a list of questions for the team and a list of information or materials they need to help create the proposal;
Ability to ensure each section is written in a consistent format and completed according to the RFP instructions and the Donor guidelines;
Ability to arrange strategy meetings with the team to update the team on how the proposal is progressing on a regular basis, follow up with team members to get feedback and revisions and ensure that the proposal development stays on the agenda;
Ability to create and properly design a proposal template which includes assembling the final texts, graphics, exhibits and supporting documents into a complete and attractive package;
Ability to keep reasonable confidentiality in case of competitive funding and follow other ethical rules as prescribed by the norms of the organizational culture;
Ability to travel to the applicant CSO's location and spend time with the team including several overnight stays, if the CSO is located in a distance from the capital.
Please note that consultants may be requested to work under a flexible schedule, work irregular hours, and meet short deadlines. Also, consultancies may be of different durations: days, weeks, months.

If you feel you are up to the task in supporting the sustainability of Armenian CSOs, and if you have some or all of the above-mentioned competencies and skills, please submit the following documents: (1) CV which emphasizes experiences in the above areas; (2) a writing sample (an excerpt from a successfully funded proposal is the best); and (3) a brief letter of interest with expected compensation rates on a daily and/or monthly basis, indicating the preferred type of service: proposal writing, editing and proofreading, fundraising team coordination, or any combination of the above. The applicants who have submitted their 'expression of interest' previously do not need to re-submit their documents and will be considered for this call.

The shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Successful applicants will be employed periodically during the next 24 months, depending on the need, as part of the DePo program funded by USAID.

Please send the information to gtergabrielyan@epfound.am, and copy to vkarapetyan@epfound.am, with “Proposal Writing Consultant” in the subject line.

The deadline is July 17, 2015.

Notes:
1. Please do send this call to those of your colleagues that you believe might well fit the needed profile.
2. If you have a full-time job but still think that you can do the work, please mention the fact of your current employment in your letter and indicate your free hours/days.

www.epfound.am