Assistant Manager - Business Development

Location: Delhi

Service area: Business Growth

Duration: 12 months, with the possibility of extension based on performance.

Are you a recent graduate or post-graduate passionate about international development? If so, this is a unique opportunity for you to launch your career. By the end of the first year, you will have gained direct, real-world experience of what it takes to design programmes focused on impact areas including climate change, governance and accountability, security and stabilisation, and inclusive economic growth. You will also work on some of our live programmes, shadowing and supporting colleagues from our platforms across the world.

The fast-paced role includes extensive and tailored training and mentoring from experienced development professionals who will give you an insight to how design and deliver impactful work and carve out a career path that aligns with your interests and aspirations. By the end of the scheme, having gained exposure to different parts of the development sector, you will be able to apply to move into one of our specialist teams at ASI and continue your career with us.

About Adam Smith International

Adam Smith International is a global advisory company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable, and governments more effective. Our clients are governments, international organisations, companies, and foundations. They come to us to develop strategies and to design, deliver and evaluate programmes that address the big challenges facing the world.

Our service lines include education, infrastructure, climate change, inclusive markets, governance, justice, security and peacebuilding, and public financial management and revenue reform. ASI is owned and operated by its employees. We are committed to corporate integrity and a triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance.  This commitment was formally recognised when we became a certified B Corp. The certification indicates we balance profit and purpose through the highest standards of transparency and accountability as well as social and environmental performance.  We are also a participant in the UN Global Compact, which certifies our respect for standards of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.

We serve an extensive mix of public and private sector clients across South Asia, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas and are recognised as leading providers of economic growth and government reform programmes. Our clients are supported by our diverse and global team drawn from our central London Headquarters and offices located in over 20 countries.

About the role

This is an entry level role that sits within our central Business Development Team (BDT) based in Delhi, India. The BDT is responsible for driving and coordinating the growth of the company by helping specialist teams prepare for and produce competitive bids. As an Assistant Manager, you will support the development of technical and financial proposals for a wide range of programmes, spanning different thematic areas and parts of the world. This will include the analysis of political contexts, the recruitment of specialist advisors, and the drafting of proposal sections, as well as bid management and compliance. You will also work with the wider BDT team to develop and operationalise our BD systems and processes, including our crucial knowledge management function. While BD is at the centre of the role, there will also be opportunities to work on live programmes during the first year.

After successfully completing 12 months with the company, and depending on your performance, you will have the opportunity to progress into a Manager position and apply for a role on one of our specialist teams. In addition to a competitive compensation package and excellent benefits, we offer you a friendly and supportive team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. As a certified B Corp, we care about the wellbeing and growth of our people and are committed to supporting your personal development and actively facilitating opportunities to build skills and knowledge in your areas of interest.

Key Responsibilities:

(a) Support bids

• Conduct background research for an upcoming bid, including contextual analysis (e.g. political economy) and competitor analysis.

• Draft proposal sections and contribute to technical workshops.

• Draft competitive and viable financial proposals.

• Recruit best-in-sector advisors for a diverse range of needs, following best practice recruitment processes.

• Support and eventually manage bid and compliance, ensuring proposals are submitted on time and in line with client expectations.

(b) Support knowledge management

• Maintain our database which captures our global project experience.

• Commission, create, and/or edit capability statements which articulate ASI’s technical and geographical offer.

• Contribute to business analytics to support detailed business performance reporting.

(c) Contribute to Project Management

• Support the management of the successful delivery of projects to terms of reference, time, quality, cost and donor and Government satisfaction. This will include assistance in the following areas of project management:

  a. Finances

  b. Operations

  c. Team

  d. Quality assurance

  e. Risks & issues

  f. Evaluations

  g. Client relationships

• Maintain awareness of and conversance with political economy and key topics in priority countries.

• Build strong working relationships with the project team.