We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team in a key organizational role. The successful candidate will be responsible for collaborating with various departments to drive strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with the company’s objectives. This position requires a minimum of five years of relevant experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels. Key responsibilities include project management, performance reporting, and fostering cross-functional relationships to enhance operational efficiency. Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree in a related field, along with proficiency in industry-specific software and tools.
The Regional BD Manager operates under the supervision of the Regional Head of Programs at Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa Expertise Centre, collaborating extensively with the Managing Director, Country Managers, country BD focal points, and national-level teams. This role delivers strategic direction and mentorship to country-level teams, enhancing business development frameworks, donor intelligence capabilities, and the caliber of proposals region-wide.
Key Result Areas
Market intelligence and oversight of the sales pipeline are pivotal responsibilities within this role, encompassing thorough analysis of market trends, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities. The position demands a keen ability to gather, interpret, and disseminate actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making across the organization. Additionally, the role involves meticulous monitoring and management of the sales pipeline to ensure alignment with business objectives, track progress against key performance indicators, and identify areas for improvement. A strong analytical mindset, proficiency in data-driven tools, and excellent communication skills are essential for success in this position.
Develop and sustain a robust market intelligence framework 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 relationships, and internal assets.
Develop and oversee a dynamic funding pipeline dashboard that consolidates insights from country teams and global platforms, facilitating immediate decision-making and accurate forecasting.
Develop quarterly funding forecasts and donor trend reports guiding strategic positioning and regional resource allocation decisions.
Coordinate the Go/No-Go evaluation process for opportunity identification, selection, and ongoing tracking by implementing data-driven criteria to ensure objective decision-making and clear prioritization of high-impact opportunities.
To establish 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 are essential to our mission. This role requires collaboration with multiple teams to enhance local capabilities and ensure seamless alignment of efforts. The position involves identifying gaps, developing tailored strategies, and implementing initiatives to bolster institutional resilience and effectiveness. Responsibilities include facilitating knowledge sharing, fostering partnerships, and monitoring progress to drive sustainable development outcomes. Strong interpersonal skills, adaptability, and a results-driven mindset are critical for success in this position.
Develop local business development capabilities by providing tailored training, mentorship, and resources to enhance donor interaction, prospect identification, and proposal preparation.
Facilitate seamless cross-functional collaboration among Programs, Finance, PMEL, and Communications teams to maintain coherence, ensure timely contributions, and align initiatives with regional strategic goals.
Champion the implementation and optimization of collaborative digital tools—such as CRM systems and Gantt boards—to foster transparency, strengthen accountability, and streamline workflow processes.
Offer strategic guidance and supervision to a compact regional business development team and designated country-level business development representatives, maintaining uniform execution of the BD framework and fostering cohesive alignment throughout the region.
We excel in strategic opportunity prioritization, crafting compelling proposals, and overseeing the bid management process with precision and expertise.
Drive the complete business development process, encompassing initial positioning and bid preparation through to final proposal submission, including opportunity evaluation, strategic partnership development, and management of technical and financial design elements.
As the lead writer or coordinating manager for intricate, multi-country, or consortium proposals, you will uphold excellence in quality, coherence, and adherence to donor and organizational standards throughout the development process.
Collaborate with technical, financial, and PMEL teams to develop donor-aligned proposals that are competitive, demonstrate measurable impact, and emphasize sustainability and innovation.
Lead the creation of concept notes and proposals, crafting essential narrative components while maintaining strong alignment with Solidaridad ECA’s strategic value proposition and donor-specific priorities.
Conduct structured after-action reviews and lessons-learned workshops to systematically enhance the organization’s proposal development capabilities and preserve critical institutional knowledge.
We cultivate and oversee strategic partnerships while fostering strong, sustainable donor relationships to advance organizational objectives and secure essential funding.
Develop and nurture high-impact partnerships with bilateral, multilateral, and corporate donors, foundations, and networks to advance Solidaridad’s regional funding priorities effectively.
Negotiate and finalize strategic partnerships by developing, drafting, and executing essential agreements such as memoranda of understanding, teaming agreements, and co-creation arrangements.
Investigate and develop cutting-edge financing strategies—including blended finance, impact investing, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships—to broaden and strengthen funding sources.
Perform detailed donor mapping and devise customized engagement strategies tailored specifically to top-tier donors and high-net-worth individuals.
Develop and oversee a systematic approach to donor stewardship and reporting, ensuring sustained, trust-based partnerships with major funders and stakeholders.
We are seeking a dynamic professional to spearhead learning initiatives, enhance performance standards, and drive continuous improvement across the organization. The ideal candidate will develop and implement comprehensive training programs, evaluate their efficacy, and ensure alignment with strategic business objectives. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify skill gaps, recommend targeted interventions, and foster a culture of ongoing development. Responsibilities include designing engaging learning experiences, measuring impact through KPIs, and leveraging data-driven insights to refine methodologies. The role demands strong project management skills, expertise in instructional design, and a passion for cultivating high-performing teams.
Conduct in-depth post-proposal evaluations, including both win and loss reviews, to identify key insights and incorporate these learnings into upcoming bid strategies.
Maintain a centralized repository of proven proposals, change theories, and evidence-based resources for easy access and reuse.
You will establish and track annual fundraising targets, key performance indicators (KPIs), and performance dashboards while delivering consistent updates to regional and global leadership.
Drive a dynamic culture of ongoing learning, innovation, and collaboration within the Business Development function, ensuring alignment with Solidaridad’s strategic and thematic priorities.
With proficiency honed through hands-on practice or formal education, expertise in the subject is essential. Prior to work exposure in related domains proves beneficial, while familiarity with industry-standard protocols and best practices is required to ensure seamless integration and high-quality outcomes.
A relevant Bachelor’s degree or higher is required, with preferred fields including Business Administration, Development Studies, International Relations, Strategic Management, Project Management, Marketing and Communications, Agribusiness, Economics, or other related disciplines.
With a minimum of seven years of steadily advancing experience in business development, resource mobilization, fundraising, and partnership cultivation, at least three of which were dedicated to leading comparable business development initiatives and securing multi-million-Euro funding commitments.
Professional candidates will possess a proven track record in the development sector, with a strong focus on agriculture, agribusiness, industry, and extractives within developing country environments.
Accomplished in designing programs, expanding business opportunities, and crafting proposals, with a strong ability to convert technical insights into donor-focused frameworks and comprehensive submissions.
Proven expertise in fostering and maintaining relationships with international donors, encompassing bilateral entities such as the EU, USAID, FCDO, and DANICA, as well as multilateral, philanthropic, and corporate partners.
Proven track record in spearheading or actively participating in consortia and multipartner proposals, with expertise in drafting Memorandums of Understanding (Mouse) and finalizing partnership or teaming arrangements.
Experienced in overseeing and optimizing pipeline management systems, leveraging digital solutions like CRMs, proposal trackers, and collaborative platforms to enhance workflow efficiency and productivity.
Skilled in coordinating efforts across program, finance, PMEL, and communications teams to achieve seamless and prompt proposal delivery.
We seek a candidate who meets the following essential criteria for this position. The ideal applicant will possess a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience, along with a bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent practical training. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities are required, along with proficiency in industry-standard software and tools. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are necessary to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. The role demands meticulous attention to detail and the capacity to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines. Additionally, prior experience in a similar environment is highly preferred.
Demonstrates outstanding proficiency in communication, presentation, and interpersonal interactions.
Proven expertise in stakeholder management and networking, coupled with a demonstrated aptitude for negotiation and influence.
Successfully achieved and surpassed established fundraising goals through dedicated efforts and strategic approaches.
Possesses robust analytical and strategic planning capabilities, adept at leveraging market intelligence to develop practical and impactful fundraising strategies.
Possesses advanced proficiency in fundraising tools and donor management platforms, including but not limited to CRM systems and pipeline trackers.
Skilled in forging creative financing partnerships, with expertise in social impact investing, blended finance models, and public-private collaborations.
Proven ability to work independently, solve problems effectively, and collaborate seamlessly within a team environment.
Demonstrated ability and willingness to undertake extensive travel across Eastern and Central Africa, with occasional international assignments.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
7 years
