It’s hard to believe that today millions of people across the world still don’t have safe water and decent sanitation, resulting in immense suffering, disease and loss of productivity. WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. By 2030, we want everyone everywhere to have clean water, sanitation and hygiene. We believe that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the attainment of rights to water, sanitation and hygiene for all.

Do you want to be part of the team that will make this change happen?

WaterAid is looking for an experienced individual to play a vital role in contributing towards our mission to transform lives with safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in poor and unserved communities. The position will be stationed in Lusaka, Zambia, with periodic local and international travel.

The role will lead on positioning WaterAid to secure significant multi-year, funding from a diverse portfolio of institutional and private donors, often through consortia working. The role will focus on developing new consortium partnerships and donor relationships, as well as building donor intelligence and funding pipeline, positioning WaterAid’s work in our key thematic areas (health and financing), and proposal development.  The role will involve both cultivating donors and other strategic partnerships in country as well as leveraging support and funding from WaterAid affiliate member offices. The post holder will also work closely with colleagues involved in the management of donor-funded projects to promote an enabling environment within the country programme to ensure effective compliance with donor contractual requirements

Specifically, the Business Development Manager, will be responsible for the following amongst others:

Partnership engagement (40%)

• Lead the development and implementation of business development strategy working with WAZ Senior Management Team and Regional Business Development Manager.
• Oversee the Country Programme’s partnership development and resource mobilisation strategy.
• Maintain up-to-date donor intelligence and the funding landscape in country as well as globally.
• Work closely with Country Director and other senior staff to cultivate strong relationships with donor delegations and representatives of strategic / consortium partners in Zambia.
• Work closely with fundraising teams from other WaterAid member offices including UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, Australia, and Japan to identify potential sources of funding for projects in Zambia.
• Coordinate visits for high value donors and other strategic partners including facilitating donor round table and other mechanisms to motivate donors to fund the country programme.
• Work with relevant colleagues to raise the country profile and producing communications to support partnership development including capacity statements and digital content.
• Manage and maintain a register of contacts for donors and strategic partners.
• Lead on ethical check reviews of all new partnership and funding relationships.

Opportunity Management (35%)

• Manage and maintain a system for tracking potential in-country funding opportunities.
• Work closely with colleagues in WaterAid member offices to track global opportunities with potential relevance to WaterAid’s work in Zambia.
• Ensure qualified funding opportunities are recorded on WaterAid’s programme system (WAPS) as opportunities progress and ensure appropriate authorisations through different stages in line with internal restricted funding processes.
• Coordinate the analysis of funding opportunities and support senior colleagues to make go/no-go decisions.
• Provide analysis and recommendations to support bid sign off decisions, working together with country relevant teams to negotiate favourable positions within consortia and with donors.
• Ensure that key programmatic and operational standards are integrated in all projects/programmes developed by the CP.
• Coordinate funding application and proposal development processes drawing on internal technical capacity within the country, region and across the federation as appropriate, including partners.
• Facilitate robust reviews of funding applications as required involving relevant colleagues from the country team as well as Regional and HQ teams.
• Coordinate approval and submission sign-off of funding applications in line with WaterAid’s internal restricted funding processes.

Contracting (15%)

• Provide in-country coordination of contracting processes for funding and partnerships including review and negotiation of terms and conditions.
• Work closely with relevant colleagues including Head of Programmes, Head of Finance, and Head of Policy to plan and facilitate project start-up processes ensuring all parties involved understand and comply with terms and conditions agreed with donors including WaterAid’s global code of conduct and standards for safeguarding, health, safety, security, and data protection.
• Maintain records relating to secured contracts on WaterAid’s programme System (WAPS).
• Support SMT to effectively manage risks associated with donor funding as well as identifying any gaps/support needs that should be addressed.

Learning and Development (10%)

• Facilitate and provide capacity building trainings for relevant staff in fundraising process including external opportunities for staff development.
• Conduct analysis and generate reports from programme system (WAPS) on fundraising implementation to inform decision making and learning.
• Promote a culture of learning and sharing of good practice on fundraising within the country programme and with other business units across the WaterAid federation.
• Regularly update SMT, the region and International Funding and Partnership Department (IPD) in relation to funding and partnership development work and provide specific inputs/advice as required.

Leadership and People Management 

• Cooperate with the Country Director and SMT to create and maintain an environment which upholds WaterAid’s policies including Global Code of conduct; Safeguarding and child protection; Health, Safety & Security; Data protection; Quality programme standards.
• Behave and act in a manner that does not put colleagues or anyone that interacts with WaterAid in immediate danger or harm’s way.
• Immediately reports any health, safety and security incidents or near-misses that occur on WaterAid duty to their line manager, Security Focal Point or CD.
• Support the Country Director and SMT with effectively identifying and managing internal as well as external risks associated with funding.
• Contribute to the smooth running of the country programme as well as regional and global initiatives relevant to the role.
• Promote a culture of wellbeing and practice a leadership style that reflects WaterAid’s values and commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and putting people first.

To be successful, you’ll need:   

• A master’s degree or equivalent relevant experience with proven track record in international development, international relations, diplomacy, business management, or other related discipline or related qualifications.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience including at least five (5) years doing similar work at senior management level.
• Strong experience of soliciting funds with diverse donors particularly multilateral and bilateral institutions including USAID, GIZ, Scottish Government, GAC, UK FCDO, EC, Sida, World Bank among other corporates and philanthropies.
• Experience soliciting funds with non-institutional donors including philanthropies, trusts, corporates, individual givers, and crowd funding.
• Experience of formulation and working in consortia to secure and manage donor funding.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including excellent report writing skills, and the ability to convey compelling information and ideas effectively to diverse audiences.
• Experience coordinating both solicited and unsolicited funding applications including internal review and sign off processes.
• Strong numerical ability.
• Experience managing project inception, donor compliance monitoring and reporting.
• Excellent inter-personal and networking skills with experience of developing and cultivating effective network of business development contacts and relationships.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced working environment and effectively plan, prioritise and co-ordinate work of self and other colleagues.
• Ability to ‘manage without authority’ and influence others to achieve results and deliver on time.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to produce high quality and accurate information and documentation.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Commitment to WaterAid’s values and a working style that reflects these.
• Planning and acquisition of commercial and/or results-based contracts.
• Experience fundraising for innovations as well as humanitarian and emergency response projects.
• Experience managing development and/or humanitarian projects, particularly in the field of WASH.

If you are interested in the position and have the right skills and attributes, send your detailed CV and letter of interest before 12:00PM on 15 July 2024, to [email protected]   using Business Development Manager as the subject of the email.

Please provide details of at least three relevant references and clearly indicate details of your current remuneration package.

Only candidates shortlisted for interviewing will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date for applications.

Our People Promise

We’re looking for people who share a commitment to our vision. We’re looking for people with an appreciation and respect for different people and ideas, and the energy and expertise to help tackle the most important challenges. In return, you can expect to get inspiration from the change you help make happen, a sense of belonging and the feeling of being part of a global community. You will also experience stimulation and fulfilment, the chance to grow, and space to be yourself at your best. This is our pledge to you.

WaterAid is committed to ensuring that wherever we work in the world there is no tolerance for the abuse of power, privilege or trust. WaterAid reinforces a culture of zero tolerance towards any form of inappropriate behaviour, abuse, harassment, or exploitation of any kind. The safeguarding of our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf, is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All staff and volunteers are required to share in this commitment through our Global Code of Conduct. We will conduct the most appropriate preemployment references and checks to ensure high standards are maintained.

WaterAid is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We particularly encourage applications from women who are underrepresented at this level in the organisation.