ForAfrika is Hiring a Business Development and Bid Services Manager: Apply by 20 Mar 2026
Business Development and Bid Services Manager at ForAfrika: Driving Strategic Growth in African Humanitarian Development
ForAfrika is seeking an experienced Business Development and Bid Services Manager to support its mission of delivering African-led solutions for humanitarian and development challenges across the continent. With more than 40 years of impact, the organization partners with communities to build resilience, promote self-sufficiency, and expand sustainable development opportunities.
This senior leadership role focuses on revenue growth, institutional partnerships, and competitive proposal development across priority markets and donor portfolios. The position sits within the Global Support Office and reports directly to the Group Director of Business Development.
About the Organization
Founded and led in Africa, ForAfrika works across humanitarian relief, long-term development, and social enterprise initiatives. Its approach focuses on:
- Saving lives during humanitarian crises
- Strengthening community resilience
- Promoting sustainable economic opportunities
Through partnerships with communities, donors, and private sector actors, the organization works toward long-term transformation and sustainable growth across the continent.
Role Overview
The Business Development & Bid Services Manager is responsible for leading strategic business development initiatives and strengthening the organization’s ability to secure large institutional grants.
Key responsibilities include:
- Building a high-value pipeline of funding opportunities
- Managing capture strategies and proposal processes
- Expanding strategic partnerships and consortium arrangements
- Supporting the implementation of the Revenue Strategy 2026
The role ensures that the organization is competitively positioned with major institutional donors, multilateral agencies, foundations, and private sector partners.
Strategic Business Development Leadership
A major focus of the role is leading a structured business development strategy aligned with the organization’s growth targets.
Core responsibilities include:
- Developing annual and multi-year business development plans
- Maintaining a qualified pipeline of institutional funding opportunities
- Conducting competitive analysis and risk assessments
- Monitoring donor funding trends and procurement forecasts
- Providing revenue projections and performance reports
The manager works closely with senior leadership to ensure that all business development activities align with the 2025–2028 revenue and resource mobilization strategy.
Capture Management and Pre-Bid Strategy
For major funding opportunities, the manager will act as Capture Lead, preparing the organization well before official solicitations are released.
Key capture management responsibilities include:
- Conducting donor mapping and intelligence gathering
- Analyzing stakeholders and decision-makers
- Assessing competitors and market positioning
- Identifying and negotiating with potential partners
- Developing strong win themes and solution strategies
- Preparing staffing and resource plans
This early positioning ensures the organization is fully prepared for large multi-country or consortium-based proposals.
Strategic Partnerships and Alliances
Partnership development plays a critical role in strengthening proposal competitiveness.
The manager will build and maintain relationships with:
- Prime contractors and consortium leaders
- Local and national NGOs
- Private sector partners
- Foundations and impact investors
- Academic and research institutions
Additional responsibilities include negotiating partnership agreements such as:
- Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)
- Consortium agreements
- Strategic collaboration frameworks
Strong partner due diligence processes ensure compliance, delivery capacity, and risk management.
Proposal Oversight and Quality Assurance
The position also provides leadership and guidance throughout the proposal development process.
Responsibilities include:
- Supervising proposal managers and technical teams
- Ensuring compliance with donor requirements
- Aligning technical design with financial strategy
- Strengthening proposal templates and internal tools
- Leading post-submission learning reviews
By improving proposal quality and coordination, the manager helps increase win rates for competitive funding opportunities.
Donor Engagement and Relationship Management
Another critical component of the role is maintaining strong relationships with institutional donors.
The manager supports donor engagement by:
- Developing structured donor account plans
- Coordinating outreach strategies across country offices
- Preparing capability statements and presentations
- Representing the organization in donor meetings
Effective engagement strengthens the organization’s positioning and builds long-term funding relationships.
Systems, Reporting, and Performance Monitoring
To ensure disciplined business development management, the role requires strong reporting and monitoring systems.
Key responsibilities include:
- Maintaining accurate pipeline tracking systems
- Monitoring bid conversion rates and revenue growth
- Delivering monthly performance updates to senior leadership
- Implementing process improvements for business development systems
These systems help ensure accountability and data-driven decision-making across the organization.
Required Experience and Skills
Candidates for this role should demonstrate significant experience in international development business development.
Key requirements include:
- 10+ years of experience in institutional fundraising or business development
- Proven leadership in large-scale proposal and capture management
- Strong understanding of institutional donor procurement processes
- Experience working across multiple African markets
- Excellent proposal writing, editing, and negotiation skills
Strong leadership, financial literacy in proposal budgeting, and the ability to manage complex deadlines are also essential.
Application Details
Interested candidates should submit their applications by 20 March 2026. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This role offers an opportunity to contribute to large-scale humanitarian and development initiatives while shaping strategic growth across Africa.
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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the organization that is hiring. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
