Overview

The Business Development Manager leads program development, grant acquisition, and new financing innovation to ensure the production of high-quality program designs and competitive proposals aligned with organizational strategies and donor requirements.

Tasks Summary

• Lead the development of high-quality, evidence-informed concepts and proposals.
• Optimize project designs to integrate gender-transformative approaches, humanitarian–development nexus, HRBA, and safeguarding and GEDSI considerations.
• Maintain and manage the funding pipeline for institutional and international donors.
• Lead end-to-end proposal development: bid strategy, writing, partner negotiations, budget coordination, compliance checks, and quality assurance.
• Ensure accurate grant registration, documentation, and recording.
• Explore and develop new financing opportunities, with emphasis on impact investment, blended finance, and philanthropic funding.
• Strengthen engagement with institutional and international donors, foundations, and technical partners.
• Maintain and update business development tools, templates, and operating procedures.
• Provide capacity strengthening to internal teams on proposal development, donor compliance, and partnership processes.
• Ensure all program designs and proposal processes comply with Safeguarding and GEDSI standards.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum 8 years of experience in program development, business development, or similar roles within NGOs/INGOs/non-profit organisations.
• Strong expertise in program development, including theory of change, results frameworks, and fully-costed project design.
• Solid understanding of institutional and international donor requirements, compliance standards, and funding mechanisms.
• Proven experience in leading competitive proposal development and bid coordination.
• Knowledge of gender-transformative programming, HRBA, GEDSI integration, and humanitarian–development nexus.
• Strong analytical skills for donor intelligence, funding landscape assessment, and positioning strategies.
• Experience managing consultants and coordinating multi-disciplinary proposal teams.
• Familiarity with grant registration, documentation, and transition processes from design to implementation.
• Advanced negotiating skills for donor engagement, partnership building, and bid processes.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and maintain high-quality standards.
• Excellent people skills and demonstrated ability to build, guide, and motivate teams.
• High level of computer proficiency, including design tools and collaboration platforms.
• Desirable: 12 years of experience in similar positions within NGOs/INGOs/non-profit organisations.
• Desirable: Experience with new financing models, including impact investment, blended finance, and philanthropic funding.
• Desirable: Knowledge of market analysis, investment landscape scanning, or partnership development with financing actors.
• Desirable: Familiarity with priority funding frameworks and global policies.
• Desirable: Experience working in both humanitarian and development settings.

Qualification Requirements