The role is integrated within the organization’s structure, contributing to key objectives while collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance operational efficiency and strategic growth. By aligning with the company’s mission, the position ensures alignment between individual responsibilities and broader business goals, ultimately driving performance and fostering innovation.
The Regional Business Development Manager is accountable to the Regional Head of Programs at Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa Expertise Centre and collaborates closely with the Managing Director, Country Managers, country-level business development focal points, and respective country teams. This role offers strategic direction and mentorship to country-level teams, enhancing regional business development frameworks, donor intelligence capabilities, and the caliber of proposal submissions.
Key Result Areas
We are seeking a skilled professional to oversee Market Intelligence and Pipeline Management, ensuring strategic alignment with organizational objectives. This role involves meticulous analysis of market trends, competition, and customer insights to identify growth opportunities and mitigate risks. Responsibilities include maintaining an accurate and up-to-date pipeline of prospects, tracking key performance metrics, and providing actionable recommendations to enhance sales and marketing strategies. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, proficiency in data-driven decision-making, and experience in pipeline forecasting and management. A deep understanding of industry dynamics and customer behavior is essential for driving business expansion and maintaining a competitive edge.
Develop and sustain a robust market intelligence framework designed to monitor donor strategies, funding patterns, and new prospects within Solidaridad’s key sectors.
Identify, evaluate, and monitor pertinent upcoming funding opportunities by leveraging proactive intelligence gathering, strategic partner collaborations, and internal organizational resources.
Develop and oversee a dynamic funding pipeline dashboard that consolidates real-time data from country teams and global platforms, fostering immediate decision-making capabilities and accurate forecasting.
Develop quarterly funding forecasts and donor trend reports guiding strategic positioning and resource allocation decisions at the regional level.
Coordinate the Go/No-Go evaluation process to identify, select, and monitor opportunities, utilizing data-driven criteria while maintaining transparency in prioritizing those with the greatest impact.
To establish and embed standardized templates, tools, and processes for concept notes, budgets, and annexes, ensuring efficiency, quality, and consistency across all proposals.
Country capacity strengthening and cross-functional coordination entails fostering collaboration across diverse teams to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of international initiatives. This involves developing strategic partnerships, aligning resources, and implementing best practices to build local capabilities while ensuring seamless integration of efforts across departments. Professional expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive leadership is essential to navigate complex environments and deliver sustainable results. Additionally, the role requires a deep understanding of international development principles, strong analytical skills, and the ability to manage multifaceted projects with a results-driven approach.
Develop country-level business development capabilities by implementing focused training, mentorship, and resources designed to enhance donor engagement, prospect identification, and proposal preparation.
Drive seamless collaboration across Programs, Finance, PMEL, and Communications teams to maintain consistency, ensure prompt contributions, and uphold alignment with regional strategic goals.
Leverage collaborative digital platforms, including CRM systems and Gantt boards, to foster greater transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency across workflows.
Offer strategic leadership and direction to a compact regional business development team and designated country-level business development representatives, guaranteeing uniform implementation of the business development framework and seamless regional alignment.
Our role involves strategic opportunity assessment, crafting compelling proposals, and overseeing the bid management process with precision and efficiency. Through meticulous evaluation of potential opportunities, we prioritize high-value projects that align with organizational goals. Developing detailed and persuasive proposals ensures competitive positioning, while managing the bid lifecycle from inception to submission guarantees adherence to timelines and compliance with requirements. This integrated approach drives successful bid outcomes and supports sustainable growth.
Guide the entire business development process, encompassing initial market positioning and bid strategy formulation through to the final proposal submission, including comprehensive opportunity evaluation, strategic partnership development, and management of technical and financial design components.
Provide leadership as the primary author or coordinating overseer for intricate, multinational, or collaborative funding proposals, guaranteeing adherence to donor specifications and organizational criteria while maintaining high standards of quality and consistency.
Collaborate with technical, financial, and PMEL teams to integrate their contributions into proposals that align with donor priorities, ensuring measurable impact, sustainability, and innovation are clearly demonstrated.
Develop concept notes and proposals by crafting essential narrative components, while ensuring alignment with Solidaridad ECA’s strategic value proposition and donor priorities.
Conduct after-action reviews and lessons-learned sessions to enhance proposal development performance and preserve institutional knowledge.
We cultivate and nurture high-impact strategic partnerships while fostering meaningful donor relationships to drive organizational growth and sustainability. In this role, you will be responsible for identifying, securing, and maintaining partnerships with key stakeholders, including corporations, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals, to advance our mission. Your duties will involve developing tailored engagement strategies, negotiating mutually beneficial agreements, and ensuring alignment with our long-term objectives. Additionally, you will lead donor cultivation efforts, including solicitation, stewardship, and recognition, to maximize philanthropic support. Strong interpersonal skills, a results-driven mindset, and a passion for relationship-building are essential for success in this position. Proficiency in donor management systems and a proven track record in securing partnerships or fundraising are preferred qualifications.
Develop and sustain high-impact strategic alliances with bilateral organizations, multilateral institutions, corporate donors, foundations, and collaborative networks to further Solidaridad’s regional funding objectives.
Facilitate the development and execution of partnership agreements, encompassing memorandums of understanding, teaming arrangements, and collaborative creation frameworks.
Investigate novel financing approaches, including blended finance, impact investment, and corporate social responsibility partnerships, to broaden funding sources.
Perform in-depth donor mapping and design customized engagement strategies specifically for top-tier donors and high-net-worth individuals.
Develop and oversee a well-organized donor stewardship and reporting framework to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with major funders and key stakeholders.
We focus on enhancing skills, performance, and fostering an environment of ongoing growth and development within the organization. This role requires a strong commitment to advancing individual and team capabilities through targeted learning initiatives, performance optimization strategies, and a dedication to perpetual improvement. Key responsibilities include designing and implementing training programs, evaluating progress, and identifying opportunities for skill enhancement to drive overall organizational success. Candidates must demonstrate expertise in instructional design, change management, and performance measurement while maintaining a proactive approach to professional and organizational advancement.
Conduct comprehensive post-proposal evaluations, including win/loss reviews, to identify key insights and institutionalize successful strategies in upcoming bids.
Develop and curate a comprehensive knowledge repository comprising successful proposals, theories of change, and evidence-based materials for easy access and reuse.
Develop and track annual fundraising targets, key performance indicators, and performance dashboards, delivering consistent updates to regional and global leadership.
Promote an environment characterized by ongoing learning, inventive thinking, and teamwork throughout the BD function, while ensuring alignment with Solidaridad’s strategic and thematic priorities.
Possesses a solid background and hands-on expertise in the respective field, having demonstrated proficiency through practical application and professional engagement.
A relevant academic qualification, such as a Bachelor’s degree or higher in disciplines including Business Administration, Development Studies, International Relations, Strategic Management, Project Management, Marketing and Communications, Agribusiness, Economics, or closely related fields, is required.
With a minimum of seven years of progressive experience in business development, resource mobilization, fundraising, and partnership development—including at least three years in a leadership role where similar functions and multi-million Euro funding initiatives were overseen—the ideal candidate will bring a strong track record of success to this position.
Professional experience in the development sector, with a focus on agriculture, agribusiness, industry, and extractives, within developing country contexts, is required.
Experienced in designing programs, expanding business opportunities, and crafting proposals, with a demonstrated ability to convert technical insights into concepts and comprehensive proposals that align with donor priorities.
With a proven history of cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with international donors across diverse funding sources—including bilateral agencies such as the EU, USAID, FCDO, and DANICA, as well as multilateral organizations, philanthropic foundations, and corporate partners—you bring extensive expertise in donor engagement and strategic partnership management.
Proven track record in spearheading or collaborating on consortium initiatives and multipartner proposals, along with expertise in drafting Memoranda of Understanding and facilitating negotiations for partnership or teaming arrangements.
Proven expertise in managing and optimizing pipeline management systems, with hands-on experience leveraging digital tools such as CRMs, proposal trackers, and collaborative platforms to drive efficiency and accuracy in workflows.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across program, finance, PMEL, and communications teams to ensure seamless and efficient proposal delivery.
The position necessitates a set of specific qualifications and competencies to ensure optimal performance. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in relevant technical skills, possess strong analytical abilities, and exhibit excellent communication and collaboration capabilities. Additionally, a thorough understanding of industry standards and best practices is essential, along with the capacity to manage multiple tasks efficiently under tight deadlines. Prior experience in a similar role is preferred, as is familiarity with specialized tools or methodologies pertinent to the field. Strong problem-solving aptitude and adaptability to evolving challenges are also required.
You must possess outstanding abilities in verbal and written communication, delivering engaging presentations, and fostering productive interpersonal relationships.
Proven expertise in stakeholder management and networking, coupled with exceptional negotiation and influencing capabilities, is essential.
Successfully meeting and surpassing established fundraising objectives on a consistent basis.
Proven expertise in analytical thinking and strategic planning, coupled with the capacity to leverage market intelligence to develop effective fundraising strategies.
Proficient in utilizing fundraising software and donor management solutions, including CRM systems and pipeline tracking tools, to enhance organizational efficiency and donor engagement.
A proven ability to cultivate creative financing partnerships—such as social impact investments, blended finance models, and public-private collaborations—is essential.
Proven ability to work independently, address challenges effectively, and maintain a collaborative, proactive approach in team settings.
Demonstrates a strong capacity and willingness to undertake extensive travel across Eastern and Central Africa, with occasional international travel as required.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
7 years
