Reporting directly to the senior management team, this role forms an integral component of the organization’s strategic framework, contributing to high-level decision-making processes. Key responsibilities encompass overseeing departmental operations, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. Essential qualifications include a minimum of five years of progressive managerial experience, a proven track record in leadership, and exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities. The successful candidate will be expected to drive performance improvements, mentor teams, and maintain a strong focus on operational efficiency while upholding the highest standards of professional conduct.
The Regional BD 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 BD focal points, and country-level teams. This role involves offering strategic direction and mentorship to country teams, enhancing business development frameworks, donor intelligence capabilities, and the quality of proposals throughout the region.
Key Result Areas
Market Intelligence and Pipeline Oversight entails the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to identify emerging trends, competitive dynamics, and growth opportunities within the industry. Responsibilities include maintaining a robust pipeline of strategic initiatives, evaluating potential business prospects, and ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. Candidates must possess strong analytical skills, proficiency in data-driven decision-making, and the ability to translate insights into actionable strategies. Experience in market research, competitive benchmarking, and pipeline development is essential, along with excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
Develop and sustain a robust market intelligence framework to systematically monitor donor strategies, funding patterns, and new prospects within Solidaridad’s key sectors.
Identify, evaluate, and monitor pertinent upcoming funding opportunities by proactively gathering intelligence, leveraging partner networks, and utilizing internal resources.
Develop and manage a dynamic funding pipeline dashboard that consolidates insights from country teams and global platforms, facilitating immediate decision-making and accurate forecasting.
Prepare quarterly funding forecasts alongside donor trend reports guiding strategic positioning and resource allocation at the regional level.
Coordinate the Go/No-Go evaluation process to identify, select, and monitor opportunities, utilizing data-driven methodologies to prioritize high-impact initiatives while maintaining full transparency throughout the decision-making journey.
Create standardized templates, tools, and processes for concept notes, budgets, and annexes to institutionalize best practices, enhancing efficiency, quality, and consistency throughout all proposals.
Country Capacity Strengthening and Cross-Functional Coordination
This role focuses on enhancing the skills, systems, and processes within countries to ensure sustainable development and effective implementation of initiatives. It requires close collaboration with various departments and stakeholders to align strategies, share best practices, and foster a cohesive approach to achieving organizational goals. Key responsibilities include identifying capacity gaps, designing tailored training programs, and measuring progress through performance indicators. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical, communication, and project management skills, along with experience in international development or related fields. Proficiency in multiple languages and a deep understanding of regional contexts are highly advantageous.
Develop region-specific business development capabilities by delivering tailored training, mentorship, and resources to enhance donor interaction, opportunity identification, and proposal creation.
Collaborate effectively across Programs, Finance, PMEL, and Communications teams to maintain alignment, ensure cohesion, and deliver timely inputs in accordance with regional strategic goals.
Champion the integration of collaborative digital solutions—such as CRM systems and Gantt boards—to drive transparency, strengthen accountability, and optimize workflow efficiency.
Offer strategic direction and supervision to a compact regional business development team and designated country-level business development representatives, guaranteeing uniform implementation of the BD framework and cohesive regional alignment.
Opportunity prioritization, proposal development, and bid management are critical functions within this role, requiring a strategic approach to identifying and evaluating high-value prospects, crafting compelling proposals tailored to client needs, and overseeing end-to-end bid processes to secure successful contract awards.
Oversee the entire business development process, beginning with strategic positioning and bid preparation and culminating in the submission of final proposals, which includes conducting opportunity analysis, crafting partnership strategies, and managing the technical and financial design components.
Act in the capacity of lead writer or coordinating manager for intricate proposals spanning multiple countries or consortiums, with responsibility for guaranteeing high-quality outputs, maintaining coherence across submissions, and ensuring strict adherence to donor and organizational requirements.
Coordinate contributions from technical, financial, and PMEL teams to produce competitive, donor-aligned proposals that clearly demonstrate measurable impact, long-term sustainability, and innovative solutions.
Lead the creation of concept notes and proposals, crafting essential narrative components while maintaining alignment with Solidaridad ECA’s strategic value proposition and donor-specific priorities.
Conduct after-action reviews and lessons-learned sessions with the objective of systematically enhancing the organization’s proposal development performance and preserving institutional knowledge.
As a key role within our organization, this position is responsible for cultivating and nurturing strategic partnerships, as well as fostering strong relationships with donors to ensure sustained funding and alignment with long-term objectives. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional interpersonal and negotiation skills, along with a proven track record of securing and managing high-value partnerships and donor engagements. Key duties include identifying prospective partners and donors, developing tailored engagement strategies, and overseeing the stewardship of existing relationships to maximize impact and revenue generation. Additionally, the role demands meticulous attention to detail in managing contracts, agreements, and reporting requirements while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to advance the organization’s mission.
Develop and sustain high-impact strategic alliances with bilateral, multilateral, and corporate donors, foundations, and networks to further Solidaridad’s regional funding objectives.
Facilitate the negotiation and establishment of strategic partnerships by developing and finalizing key agreements, including memoranda of understanding, teaming arrangements, and collaborative co-creation frameworks.
Investigate creative financing strategies, including blended finance, impact investment, and corporate social responsibility partnerships, to expand funding options.
Perform in-depth donor mapping to identify and segment top-tier donors and high-net-worth individuals, then design and implement tailored engagement strategies to cultivate and strengthen these key relationships.
Develop and oversee a systematic approach to donor stewardship and reporting, ensuring the cultivation of enduring, trust-focused partnerships with essential funders and stakeholders.
The role focuses on advancing learning initiatives, enhancing performance standards, and fostering a culture of ongoing improvement to drive organizational success.
Conduct post-proposal analyses—including win/loss reviews—to identify key insights and systematically incorporate effective strategies into subsequent bid efforts.
Cultivate and manage a centralized repository of proven proposals, change theories, and evidence-based resources to facilitate easy reference and reuse across the organization.
Develop and track annual fundraising goals, key performance indicators, and performance dashboards, delivering consistent updates to regional and global leadership.
Promote a dynamic environment centered on ongoing education, creative problem-solving, and teamwork within the BD function, while ensuring full alignment with Solidaridad’s strategic and thematic objectives.
We seek candidates with a solid foundation and hands-on expertise in [specific field or industry]. Applicants should possess relevant qualifications, including [required certifications, degrees, or licenses], along with a proven track record in [key responsibilities or areas of expertise]. The ideal candidate will demonstrate proficiency in [specific skills or tools] and a minimum of [X years] of experience in [relevant role or field]. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and the capacity to work both independently and collaboratively are essential. Additionally, familiarity with [specific processes, methodologies, or industry standards] is highly desirable.
A relevant qualification at the Bachelor’s level or above is required, with preferred fields including Business Administration, Development Studies, International Relations, Strategic Management, Project Management, Marketing and Communications, Agribusiness, Economics, or closely aligned disciplines.
A minimum of seven years of progressive experience in business development, fundraising, resource mobilization, and partnership-building is required, with at least three of those years in a leadership role overseeing comparable functions and multi-million-Euro funding initiatives.
Experienced in the development sector, with a focus on agriculture, agribusiness, industry, and extractives within developing country environments.
Demonstrated expertise in designing programs, driving business growth, and crafting proposals, with a strong ability to bridge technical solutions with donor priorities to deliver compelling full proposals.
Proven expertise in cultivating and maintaining relationships with international donors, spanning bilateral partnerships such as the EU, USAID, FCDO, and DANICA, as well as multilateral organizations, philanthropic entities, and corporate collaborators.
Proven expertise in spearheading or actively participating in consortia and multipartner proposals, drafting Memorandums of Understanding (Mouse), and facilitating negotiations for partnership or teaming arrangements.
Experience with pipeline management systems is essential, demonstrated through the effective use of digital tools including CRMs, proposal tracking solutions, and collaborative platforms.
Facilitates seamless collaboration across program, finance, PMEL, and communications teams to guarantee cohesive and punctual proposal development.
Specific job requirements
Proficiency in clear and articulate verbal communication, impactful presentation delivery, and the ability to foster strong interpersonal relationships is essential.
Accomplished at cultivating and sustaining robust stakeholder relationships, demonstrating exceptional negotiation prowess and the ability to effectively influence key decision-makers.
Proven success in consistently meeting and surpassing established fundraising objectives.
Demonstrates exceptional analytical abilities and expertise in strategic planning, adept at converting market intelligence into practical and impactful fundraising approaches.
Possesses advanced proficiency in utilizing fundraising tools and donor management platforms, including CRM systems and pipeline trackers.
Proven ability to structure and cultivate transformative financing collaborations, encompassing social impact investments, blended finance models, and strategic public-private partnerships.
You exhibit strong independence, a knack for resolving challenges, and a collaborative, proactive approach to working within a team.
Professional candidates must be willing and able to undertake frequent travel across Eastern and Central Africa, with occasional international assignments required.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
7 years
