Business Development Lead

Value for Women is looking for a Business Development Lead who will work with the best talent in the industry, and learn from a diverse mix of critical thinkers and problem solvers. Our organisation sits at the cutting edge of gender inclusion - and its practical application-- in the context of inclusive business and investment practice. As a Business Development Lead at VFW, you will work with the best group of talent in the industry and apply your strong skills to work on multiple projects with a diverse set of stakeholders and team members from across the globe.

Value for Women is a global social enterprise that is growing in leaps and bounds. Since forming in 2012, Value for Women has grown from a team of 3 to a team of over 30 consultants operating from 14 countries across 5 continents. Our global team’s diverse experience allows us to engage on issues of gender through a regional and/or cultural lens, collaborating on projects that deliver the highest quality standards, and move the broader market forward on gender and social inclusion. In sum, our team is golden; our secret weapon, and our proudest resource. Joining this team will offer the chance for your collaborative, innovative and team-building skills to shine. You will be able to work remotely from home, managing your own time across time zones with a results-driven mindset. This is often optimal for parents and for working toward a work-life balance.

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

The Business Development Lead plays a pivotal role in supporting the growth and expansion of Value for Women's Advisory Services by identifying and pursuing new business opportunities. The Business Development Lead works as part of the Advisory Services team to contribute to the achievement of organisational business development targets and enhance VFW's reputation in the fields of gender, finance, investment, and business in emerging markets. This role encompasses activities such as market research, proposal and lead development, building partnerships, client relationship management, and supporting strategic knowledge management and communications. This is a full-time equivalent, consulting-based role (approximately 19 days per month) and fully remote.

Where does this role fit into the organisation?

The Business Development Lead reports to the Director of Development & Partnerships and the Director/Associate Director of Advisory Services.

How much does this role pay?

Value for Women exclusively hires self-employed individuals, and fees are based on a daily rate. Fees are determined by a range of factors including technical skill level and expertise, years of expertise and longevity as a consultant.

More about the Business Development Lead responsibilities

They will support the work of the organisation to ultimately:

• Drive the growth and expansion of the business by identifying new Advisory Services opportunities, markets, clients, and funding.

• Lead and manage the development of comprehensive proposals for a diverse range of advisory projects, responses to RFPs from key partners and grants aligned with VFW's strategy.

• Write complete technical and financial proposals for large public tenders, collaborating with global institutions, including international development agencies.

• Lead efficient proposal development processes and client relationship management.

This dynamic role is at the forefront of shaping Value for Women's growth and impact. We seek someone to:

Drive Organisational Growth and Impact through Business Development Management

Drive business development efforts in alignment with organisational goals by:

Identifyingnew business opportunities and trends and offering insights for ongoing industry and partner analysis

• Identify new areas of growth for advisory services and develop a pipeline for revenue generation.

• Lead and manage the comprehensive tender/RFP search and response process, including streamlining and coordinating the proposal submission process from end to end in coordination with the business support team.

• Work with Directors, Associate Directors and Advisory teams to develop a pre-proposal Business Development strategy to meet Advisory Services targets to proactively identify new Business Development concepts, converting strategy ideas into active BD proposals.

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.

• Write complete technical and financial proposals including 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 & Client Relationship Coordination

• Oversee and manage CRM and business development tracking, including win/loss analysis, success rates, and pipeline tracking. Present quarterly updates to senior management and ensure key insights are integrated into Advisory Services and broader organisational planning.

The Business Development Lead role extends beyond business development into strategic, operational, and communication activities.

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.

Strengthen Internal Capacity

• Strengthen the capacity of Advisory Services team members to participate in new business development efforts by developing standardised and seamless BD processes.

• Establish seamless communication and linkages between Advisory Services and Business Support Services, for better collaborations.

• Support the team's ability to understand, contribute to and support BD by leading internal BD training sessions via our VfW Academy.

What are the requirements for this role?

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated, structured and solutions-driven individual, able to work efficiently and independently. We are looking for a highly organised and driven individual who is quick to adapt to changing realities and communicates effectively across the organisation.

The ideal candidate works efficiently against deliverable deadlines and is focused on high quality and timeliness. They can thrive 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 are results-based, entrepreneurial and client-centred.

Qualifications and Experience

• 5-8 years of professional experience, with 4+ years of experience in leading business development in sectors such as international development and private sector development in emerging markets

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, International Development, or a relevant field.

• Bring a firm understanding and preferably experience of working with businesses, investors, development finance institutions, bilateral aid agencies, and/or donors/foundations.

• Demonstrable Business Development track record demonstrating the ability to develop, coordinate, and manage proposal writing and submission processes for competitive tenders/bids as well as lead proposal writing for grant opportunities.

• Experience in business development strategies and methodologies, preferably as they apply to our sector and ecosystem

• Strong programme, 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, and previous knowledge of Slack, Asana, and Zoho CRM is a plus.

• Willingness to travel both domestically and internationally. Travel may be required.

Behavioural Competencies

• Ability to stay highly organised and motivated, working as part of a remote international team, 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 organisational 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

Diversity & Inclusion

It’s our mission to unleash potential and we know teams perform best when they are diverse and every team member feels they belong. It’s the unique contributions of all at Value for Women that drives our success and the meaningful work we do.

We are a diverse group of individuals with a wide range of backgrounds including gender, race, ethnicity, geography, cultures and beliefs, as well as experience and education, and our hiring practices aim to deepen that. Application success is based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship or disability.

We encourage applications from emerging market professionals who are from and live in the countries we work in (primarily Africa and Asia,) as well as individuals identifying as Black, Afro-descendant, and/ or Indigenous. However, we do not ask applicants to disclose this. We aim for the composition of our team to reflect the diverse nature of both the work we carry out and the world we live in and are striving to change.

Application process - our internal steps

Step 1: Submit your online application by November 15, 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 People and Culture Lead

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.

While we do our best to make this 5-step process quick, it can take up to 2 months to get to Step 5, depending on how many amazing applicants we receive. We appreciate your interest and patience. You can always reach out to ask about the status of your application at valueforwomen@v4w.org. While we do our best to offer feedback to unsuccessful candidates, this is not always possible due to the volume of applications we receive.