Catholic Relief Services Hiring Business Development Specialist II (2026) – Global Remote Opportunity
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is seeking an experienced Business Development Specialist II – Project Design to join its global Institutional Funding team. This home-based remote position offers an exciting opportunity for professionals with extensive experience in international development, project design, and proposal development to support high-impact humanitarian and development initiatives worldwide.
Candidates based in countries where CRS has a legal presence are preferred.
About the Role
The Business Development Specialist II will serve as a key member of CRS’ global Business Development Service Team, providing technical leadership on project design for strategic funding opportunities.
The successful candidate will strengthen project design practices across the organization, lead proposal design processes, facilitate collaborative design workshops, and support country and regional teams in developing competitive, evidence-based funding proposals.
This role combines strategic thinking, donor engagement, proposal development, and capacity strengthening to improve the quality of CRS’ programming around the world.
Key Responsibilities
The selected candidate will:
- Lead project design for strategic funding opportunities and complex proposals.
- Coordinate capture planning and stakeholder engagement activities.
- Conduct literature reviews, needs assessments, and technical analyses.
- Develop theories of change, results frameworks, and MEAL plans.
- Support proposal writing and budget development.
- Facilitate in-person, virtual, and hybrid project design workshops.
- Roll out and strengthen CRS’ flagship project design resource, ProPack.
- Develop project design guidance, tools, and best practices.
- Support Communities of Practice focused on project design.
- Monitor international development trends and donor priorities.
- Contribute to regional resource mobilization strategies.
- Build strong relationships with regional and country programme teams.
Required Qualifications
Applicants should possess:
- Bachelor’s degree in International Development or a related field.
- At least 8 years of international development experience.
- Minimum 3 years in business development, technical programming, or proposal design.
- Experience leading complex proposal design for institutional donors.
- Experience working in multicultural or multilingual environments.
- Excellent English writing and communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
CRS will give preference to candidates with:
- Master’s degree in International Development or a related discipline.
- Experience working in developing countries.
- Experience facilitating project design training.
- Strong remote collaboration experience.
- Knowledge of adult learning methodologies.
- Experience delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines.
Desired Skills
Successful candidates should demonstrate expertise in:
- Project design and proposal development
- Theory of Change development
- Results framework design
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
- Strategic planning
- Stakeholder engagement
- Resource mobilization
- Donor relations
- Facilitation and training
- Cross-cultural collaboration
- Proposal writing
- Systems thinking
- AI tools and Microsoft Office applications
Knowledge of major institutional donors such as the World Bank, European Union (EU), FCDO, USAID, foundations, and corporate donors is highly desirable.
Language Requirements
Required:
- Fluent spoken and written English
Preferred:
- French
- Spanish
- Arabic
Travel
The successful candidate should be willing to undertake approximately 35% international travel.
Work Location
This is a global remote, home-based position.
CRS prefers candidates who are located in countries where the organization has an established legal presence, allowing them to work remotely while supporting international programmes.
Benefits
CRS offers a competitive benefits package that varies depending on the employee’s country of employment. U.S.-based staff receive comprehensive benefits including:
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Retirement savings plan
- Collaborative and mission-driven work environment
Who Should Apply?
This opportunity is ideal for experienced professionals working in:
- International Development
- Business Development
- Proposal Management
- Institutional Fundraising
- Programme Design
- Humanitarian Assistance
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
- Strategic Partnerships
- Donor Engagement
Candidates with experience designing multi-sectoral development programmes and leading competitive donor proposals will be particularly well suited for this position.
Application Information
Organization: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Position: Business Development Specialist II – Project Design
Location: Remote (Home-based)
Experience Required: Minimum 8 years
Education: Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s preferred)
Travel: Approximately 35%
Closing Date: Not specified. CRS advises applicants to apply as early as possible, as the vacancy will remain posted until it is removed from the organization’s careers page.
Final Thoughts
The Business Development Specialist II – Project Design role offers an outstanding opportunity for seasoned international development professionals to influence high-value humanitarian and development programmes worldwide. With a fully remote work arrangement, global collaboration, and the chance to shape innovative donor-funded projects, this position is well suited to experts in proposal design, strategic planning, and institutional fundraising who are passionate about creating lasting impact across diverse communities.
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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
