Senior Manager - Business Development

Job Purpose

The Senior Manager, Business Development provides strategic leadership for resource mobilization, partnerships, and growth for Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia. Reporting to the Director, Program Strategy and Growth, the role is responsible for proactively positioning the organization for sustainable growth through strategic market intelligence, pre-positioning, capture management, consortium development, and high-quality proposal leadership.

The position plays a critical role in diversifying funding sources beyond traditional grant mechanisms, strengthening strategic partnerships, and enhancing Amref Ethiopia’s competitiveness with institutional donors, foundations, multilateral agencies, private sector actors, and innovative financing partners.

As a senior member of the Business Development and Partnerships Unit, the role contributes directly to achieving Amref Ethiopia’s growth targets, advancing strategic partnerships, strengthening internal systems, and supporting senior-level external engagement.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Growth & Market Positioning

• Lead the development and implementation of a forward-looking business development and resource mobilization strategy aligned with Amref’s corporate and country strategy.
• Develop and maintain a rolling 12–24-month funding pipeline with clear pre-positioning strategies.
• Conduct strategic market intelligence analysis to identify emerging donor priorities, investment trends, and policy shifts.
• Advise the Senior Leadership Team on strategic growth opportunities, competitive positioning, and go/no-go decisions.
• Drive diversification into non-traditional funding streams, including private sector partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and domestic resource mobilization.
• Contribute to positioning Amref Ethiopia in national policy, financing, and sectoral discussions to enhance visibility and influence.

2. Pre-Positioning & Capture Management

• Identify, track, and assess upcoming funding opportunities and grant forecasts.
• Lead donor intelligence gathering and competitive landscape analysis.
• Initiate and maintain early strategic engagement with donors and partners to shape funding priorities and influence concept development.
• Lead capture planning for priority opportunities, including win strategies, value propositions, and partnership alignment.
• Develop and manage structured partnership engagement plans for high-value stakeholders.

3. Proposal Leadership & Quality Assurance

• Oversee and lead end-to-end proposal development processes for priority bids.
• Ensure timely submission of high-quality, compliant, and donor-responsive proposals.
• Lead proposal design workshops and technical solution development in collaboration with program, finance, M&E, and communications teams.
• Ensure strong alignment between technical narratives, budgets, and results frameworks.
• Lead consortium-building efforts and partnership negotiations for complex, multi-partner bids.
• Facilitate post-submission reviews and institutional learning processes to improve competitiveness and win rates.

4. Partnerships & External Engagement

• Build and maintain strategic, long-term partnerships with government entities, development partners, foundations, multilateral agencies, NGOs, and private sector actors.
• Lead negotiations with local and international consortium partners.
• Represent Amref Ethiopia in donor meetings, technical working groups, and strategic forums.
• Strengthen Amref’s external positioning through capability statements, strategic briefs, and marketing materials aligned with growth priorities.
• Promote alignment between communications, visibility efforts, and resource mobilization objectives.

5. Systems Strengthening & Capacity Development

• Strengthen internal business development systems, processes, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Build internal capacity across technical and field teams in proposal development, capture management, and strategic partnerships.
• Supervise, mentor, and support business development staff.
• Strengthen partner relationship management and knowledge management systems.
• Collaborate with HQ and regional business development teams to align with global fundraising strategies and best practices.