DevelopmentAid Recruitment Solutions is searching, on behalf of a charity seeking to reduce poverty in Africa through accelerated access to modern energy products and services, a talented and results-oriented Business Development Manager.
Purpose of the role
To develop new funding relationships for the organization in Africa
To contribute to the development and implementation of overall business development strategy
To identify and secure new projects, focusing on conceptualizing and developing high quality bespoke proposals consistent with the organization’s strategy, goals and objectives,
To support project managers in securing extensions and related follow-on work for the existing projects,
To facilitate handing over of newly secured projects to programmes/projects implementation teams
To support country teams to play an active role in origination of funding opportunities and the development of project concepts in their countries.
The post-holder will be expected to contribute to the identification of new funding opportunities, ensure the organization is well-positioned to bid, and play an important role in the submission of Expressions of Interest and Proposals. The post-holder will contribute to developing concept notes for the purpose of marketing the organization’s work to interested funders.
The post-holder will work with other teams across the organisation, such as the Communication team, Programme Management team, Country Managers, as well as with potential bidding partners and projects implementation partners.
We are expecting someone to be comfortable with a very hands-on approach to the job, prepared to “roll up their sleeves and get stuck into the detail”.
Key responsibilities:
To support the execution of BD strategy for the organization in Africa.
To contribute to the organizational efforts to identify and pursue new prospective funding from a variety of donor targets while building and developing relationships with new and existing donor agencies.
Support when required on the development and writing of convincing technical funding proposals with a lucid and compelling style of writing, illustrating technical rigor with donor-friendly language and demonstrating a thorough understanding of objectives and requirements of the tenders/donors.
Support and actively participate in the execution of overall BD and proposal development lifecycle which include: intelligence gathering/research/landscape analysis/gap and competitive analysis, mapping, relationship building, teaming agreements, gathering of administrative documentation, proposal writing, budget development and submission
Write, proofread and finalize support documents for proposals including budgets, logframes, GANNT charts etc.
Provide detailed and strategic analysis of Request for Proposal solicitations, instructions and other proposal-related information and ensure the proposal fits with donor guidelines and international standards.
Keep the organization advised with maximum forewarning of upcoming calls for proposals from relevant donor funding programmes.
Keep fully abreast of Trends, news & developments from outside in the renewable energy/energy poverty field, other initiatives by private companies and other NGOs so that BD efforts can be better streamlined and have more likelihood of success;
Support and lead when required the development of strategic partnerships or consortia for joint bids.
Develop and create the necessary tools and infrastructure to support proposal and business development (proposal plan, proposal develop process, organization history, qualifications, executive summary sections, cv’s, and other relevant information and energy access database)
Support other staff who currently work on business development in addition to their other responsibilities (such as country managers) in generating business for the organization by providing them the required support to originate new funding relationships and opportunities, and develop project concepts.
Report to the BD Manager the status of our current live pipeline of proposals/funding opportunities and a track record of successful and unsuccessful bids and existing and past donors relationship in order to support reporting status of pipeline to board & Senior Management Team, at global & country levels
Represent the organization in appropriate professional and prospective donor networking opportunities with the objective of generating new funding opportunities.
Support and coordinate when required the proposal hand-over process from the proposal development team to the project implementation team
Required qualifications:
Graduate or Postgraduate qualification in relevant subject desirable (energy, climate change, environment, rural development, agriculture, economics, and financing)
Over 5 years’ experience in fundraising, business development, proposal development for donors such as SIDA, WB, UN Women, FCDO (DFID), USAID, GIZ, and foundations (e.g., Ikea Foundation, Ovo Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation), preferably in the Energy/climate change space;
Good knowledge of donors and networks active in Africa / the energy sector.
Proven experience in proposals writing (including log frames) with a track record of developing proposals that attract significant funding from major donors
Experience in preparing donor and tender proposals with budgets of at least 200 000 pounds,
Excellent understanding of budgeting and financial requirements and reporting processes; and good skills in spreadsheet/budget preparation.
Effective at liaising with multiple stakeholders, meeting deadlines, and budgeting.
Excellent communication, writing, and research skills
Experience in summarising synthesizing outcomes of energy projects/research/studies in a very user-friendly language.
Skilled at presenting complex project information in a clear and engaging way.
High level of computer literacy (primarily in Microsoft Office packages).
Excellent planning and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
Ability to work calmly under pressure to deliver as part of a team
A high level of attention to detail and accuracy in working with numbers; strong analytical ability, able to evaluate and to appraise critically quantitative and qualitative information.
Experience in formatting large documents in MS Word.
Energetic, high initiative, approachable, flexible, creative and with willingness and ability to accommodate other people’s ideas and work effectively across cultural boundaries
Fluency in spoken and excellent written English is a must. Fluency in French is desired.
Ability to travel internationally, sometimes on short notice
High level of corporate commitment, demonstrated by an ability to make decisions.
How to Apply
Applications and updated CV should be submitted to
m.mihaila@developmentaid.org at DRS ref. number 10973. Due to the high number of applications, we can reply to shortlisted candidates only. Please note that the above requirements can be modified during the recruitment process according to client’s procedures.
