Senior Business Development Specialist

Role Title:  Senior Business Development Specialist

Salary:  £46,537 to £47,822

Location: London

Tenure:  1 Year Fixed Term

ActionAid UK is a member of the ActionAid Federation, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.    As part of the ActionAid Federation, we work with women and girls, our partners, and dedicated staff in 43 countries to end violence and fight poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.   

Are you a keen advocate of women and girls’ rights in emergencies? 

Are you ready to lead in securing funding for transformative global programmes? 

Then we'd love to hear from you! 

ActionAid UK is seeking a Senior Business Development Specialist to join our dynamic team and play a pivotal role in driving our mission. The Institutional Funding Business Development team is a key delivery partner in ActionAid UK’s current strategy to promote a world where women and girls are valued, live free from violence, and can exercise their rights to promote their own economic empowerment, safety, equality and voice. We are looking for someone who has experience in managing the development of large grants (including working in consortia) and has strong knowledge and experience working on commercial contracts (particularly FCDO). The post holder should be able to work well within a team as well as have the confidence to proactively lead proposal/bid development and provide funding support to our Federation Members.

In this exciting role, you will be at the forefront of developing strategic partnerships and securing high-impact funding opportunities. You’ll work closely with our international partners, donors, and in-country teams to craft innovative proposals that support sustainable development and humanitarian programmes. With your expertise, you’ll build an effective pipeline of opportunities, working on everything from multimillion-pound grants to commercial tenders, helping to scale up our life-changing projects.

At ActionAid UK, we believe in pushing boundaries. As a Senior Business Development Specialist, you’ll not only lead funding efforts but also contribute to shaping cutting-edge development programmes that promote equality and resilience. You’ll bring fresh perspectives to institutional fundraising, always looking for ways to innovate and expand our reach within the international development sector. What we’re looking for: We need a fundraising expert with experience in securing grants and contracts at the multimillion-pound level, particularly in the humanitarian or development sectors.   

If you’re passionate about women’s rights, have a knack for building partnerships, and thrive in high-pressure environments, this is the role for you. Ready to take on a challenge that combines leadership, collaboration, and impact? Join us at ActionAid UK and help us change the world for the better. Apply today! 

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will be asked to participate in criminal records checks at the point of offer. 

Additional Information: 

Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging: 

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging are key to our organisational culture.  We are on a journey to become not only an anti-racist organisation but one that proudly celebrates the diversity of all applicants and employees.  We look forward to you bringing your full self to work, proudly sharing your unique perspective and helping us to shape our combined future. We especially welcome applications from those from underrepresented/marginalised communities. 

AAUK is a disability Confident Committed organisation and as such any candidate that declares a disability will be shortlisted for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the role. 

Referencing and Safeguarding: 

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include safeguarding, criminal records and terrorism finance checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures. 

ActionAid UK is committed to preventing any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (including child abuse and adult at-risk abuse) and responding robustly when these harms take place. We expect all ActionAid UK Staff and ActionAid UK Representatives to share this commitment. We will not tolerate our Staff or other representatives carrying out any form of sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse towards anyone we come into contact with through our work. 

Working practices: 

ActionAid is committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share for this role, there will be space to do so during the interview process.   

ActionAid UK has a hybrid working policy for many of our roles.  The requirement will vary from team to team and the responsibilities of individual roles.  As a minimum, all colleagues are expected to attend the office 12 days per year, plus additional time for induction, training, and “Company Connection days.”  Some roles may require in-office attendance on all days and if so, these will clearly be marked as in-office roles.   

Please note that ActionAid UK does not offer fully remote working options.  We encourage you to discuss hybrid working expectations at interview. 

Recruitment Processes: 

Please note that ActionAid UK may review, shortlist and interview candidates prior to the closing date so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible.   

If we receive a very high response, we may close the vacancy early and will not accept further submissions.