What does a Business Development Lead do at Value for Women?

The Business Development Lead plays a pivotal role in supporting Value for Women’s growth and expansion by identifying and pursuing new business opportunities. This role encompasses activities such as market research, proposal and lead development, building, client relationship management, and supporting strategic knowledge management and communications. The Business Development will work closely with the Director of Development and Partnerships to contribute to the achievement of organizational business development targets and enhance VFW’s reputation in the fields of gender, finance, investment, and business in emerging markets.

This is a full-time equivalent, consulting-based role (approx. 19 days per month) and is a fully remote position.  

In this dynamic role, you will be at the forefront of shaping Value for Women’s growth and impact. We seek someone to:

Drive Growth and Impact through Business Development Management (60%): 

Collaborate with the Director of Development & Partnerships and the Senior Management team to align business development efforts with organizational goals by:

Identifying new business opportunities and trends and offering insights for ongoing industry and partner analysis.

• • Identify new areas of growth for advisory services as well as strategic initiatives and identify funding/ financing prospects.

Tender/RFP Coordination and Management:

• • Lead and manage the comprehensive tender/RFP search and response process, including streamlining and coordinating the proposal submission process. 

Proposal Development with Excellence:

• • • Manage the end-to-end development of proposals and responses to RFPs, orchestrating team inputs for short-term, long-term, and varied projects aligned with VFW’s strategy.
    • Innovate and update proposal compliance templates and boilerplate language, ensuring that common regulatory queries are addressed- from both existing and potential clients.
    • Write complete technical and financial proposals for large public tenders, collaborating with global institutions like international development agencies, multilateral development banks, and development finance institutions (e.g. World Bank, USAID, GIZ, DFIs, European Union, United Nations, DFIs).  

Information Management and Client Relationship Coordination (20%):

In this crucial aspect of the role, you will play a central role in overseeing and driving information management, tracking, and client relationship coordination. Your key responsibilities include:

Business Development and CRM Tracking:

• • Lead, manage, and report on CRM and business development tracking, including win/loss analysis, success rates, and pipeline tracking.
  • Integrate key data into Advisory Services and overarching organisational planning.

Strategic Support to Senior Management Team (20%): 

Your role extends beyond business development into strategic, operational, and communication activities. Toward this, you would establish and leverage seamless communication and linkages between Advisory Services, Business Development, and Business Support Services, for better collaborations. Key responsibilities include:

Learning Events and Thought Leadership:

• • Develop compelling pitch decks in collaboration with the Advisory Services team, enhancing the visual representation of VFW’s initiatives. 
  • Organise webinars, learning events, conference sessions, and BD-focused events in coordination with the senior management team and communications point person.

Support to Marketing/ Communications and Special Initiatives:

• • Draft strategic communications and marketing messages for special initiatives and events, demonstrating organisational thought leadership.
  • Assist the CEO and Senior Management Team in ad hoc strategic initiatives and special projects as directed by the Director of Strategy and Development

What are the requirements for this role?

The ideal candidate is a solutions-driven individual, able to identify gaps and work efficiently and independently to try and solve them. We are looking for a highly organized and driven individual who is quick to adapt to changing realities and communicates effectively across the organization.

The ideal candidate works efficiently against deliverable deadlines and is focused on high quality and timeliness. They are able to work in a fast-paced, dynamic team and consultancy environment, working independently as part of a remote international team. 

They are an excellent written and spoken communicator in English, an innovative thinker and can work effectively with diverse stakeholders. Our team works best with people who interact positively, and who are results-based, entrepreneurial and client-centered.

Additionally, we require the following background and experience:

• • 8 -10+  years of professional experience, with 5+ years  of experience in leading or supporting business development/ sales/ marketing, in sectors such as international development and private sector development
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, Public Policy, International Development, or a relevant field.
  • Bring a firm understanding and preferably experience of working with businesses, investors, development finance institutions, and/ or donors/foundations. 
  • Demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate, and manage proposal writing and submission processes for competitive tenders/bids as well as lead proposal writing for grant opportunities.
  • Strong program, project, or business administration/ management skills.
  • Exceptional written English communication skills with the ability to produce compelling written materials.
  • Proficiency in data, insights, and information management, with IT and systems management experience.
  • Strong proficiency with Google Suite and collaboration products, previous knowledge of Slack, Asana, and Zoho CRM is a plus.
  • Willingness to travel for both domestic & international travel. +/- 15-20% travel time for client meetings, workshops, conferences and/or events may be required.

We also seek these attributes:

• • Ability to stay highly organized and motivated, working as part of a remote international team, working independently while focusing on results and collaboration
  • Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities and deadlines
  • Excellent attention to detail, accuracy and strong time management skills
  • Ideally experienced in working with consulting or consulting /advisory management 
  • International experience- working in your own region, and across borders 
  • Client-centric orientation and understanding of how to manage diverse client relationships in a consulting setting 
  • Uphold the principles of trust, equality of opportunities, transparency and collaboration 
  • Positive attitude and optimism about the role of small and growing businesses in generating positive social impact
  • The ability to thrive in a matrix-based organizational structure; operating internationally as a distributed team across the globe
  • Demonstrated alignment with Value for Women’s mission, vision and ways of working
  • Learning, adapting, and demonstrating their excitement for contributing to the growth of a small and growing business with a social mission

Application process- our internal steps

Step 1: Submit your online application by March 2 2024 including your CV and Cover Letter. If you encounter any problems when filling out your online application, please contact us at valueforwomen@v4w.org

Step 2: Shortlist.  Our recruiting team reaches out if your profile is a match, and you will be invited to   Interview #1, a video call interview with our HR Manager 

Step 3: Interview #2. Successful candidates are asked for a 45-minute video call interview. This is a chance for you to ask us questions too. 

Step 4: Interview#3. Written Interview. We invite you to participate in a written interview. You are asked to upload your responses or send them back to us within 3 days.  You can ask for more time if you have other commitments already scheduled. 

Step 5:  Final Interview! This is the really short- shortlist, and you are a finalist.