Senior Business Development Officer

About us

Practical Action is a change making organisation that works in unconventional ways. We put ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We do things differently, so answers that start small can grow big – bringing people together in bold collaborations, using innovation and knowledge to build futures free from poverty and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

About the role                                    

This position sits within our highly successful Strategic Business Development team, whose role is to support our teams across the world to identify, engage and win funding from some of the largest and most high-profile donors.

Working with colleagues from across the organisation, your focus will be on leading and winning medium-sized opportunities, from existing and new donors. Who these donors are is dependent on the skills and experience you can bring to the role.

Alongside this, you will play a critical role in supporting bid teams working on larger or more complex opportunities.

We are embarking on a new and ambitious strategy and the role offers an amazing opportunity for an ambitious business development professional to help deliver that growth. 

About you

You have a solid track record in business development and are comfortable identifying, leading and winning funding opportunities.  This could be from institutional donors, international trusts & foundations, climate finance, innovation funding, USAID or carbon finance.

You will be a pro-active, self-starter, who is confident at building relationships with a wide range of people; you have great project management skills; and it goes without saying you're an exceptional communicator.

You need to be self-confident, highly organised and a confident problem solver.  And whilst you will need to be passionate for the cause, you also need to be a calm head when things get busy.

The role occasionally requires very intense periods of working – either where you are based or in the country where the bid is being developed. The ability to flex a working schedule and to travel occasionally is a requirement of this role.

Accountabilities

• Deliver exceptional relationship management for a portfolio of existing projects and donors, where the donor relationship is UK-led.
• Research, identify, engage and lead on winning medium-sized opportunities, from existing and new donors.
• Provide support to bid teams working on larger, strategic proposals.
• Support and promote the use of Practical Action's Business Development Processes
• Work with colleagues globally to ensure we maximize opportunities to engage with donors, for example at conferences, events or meetings.
• Represent Practical Action at events.
• Keep abreast of priorities in country offices to ensure they have the business development support they need
• Maintain accurate records within Practical Action's database

PERSON PROFILE

Person Specification

• Business development experience, in an international organisation
• Experience of one or more of the following: institutional donors, international trusts & foundations, climate finance, innovation funding, USAID or carbon finance.
• Good project management skills, with experience of coordinating bid teams and proposal development.
• Excellent understanding of the international development funding environment and key trends.
• Experience of representing your organisation externally at events or donor meetings.
• Excellent writing, analytical, and numeracy skills and the ability to synthesize and communicate complex information.
• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and to set priorities.
• Proven track record of making sound decisions, based on evidence, opportunities and risks.
• Commitment to development principles and Practical Action’s vision, mission and ambition.  

Skills, Abilities and Competencies:

• Able to work with a high degree of flexibility and autonomy
• Ability to work as part of a team, to apply initiative and common sense and prioritise work accordingly
• Focused on getting the job done, including anticipating blockages and challenges and finding solutions to overcome them
• Ability to work well under pressure and to deadlines
• An excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint).
• Enthusiastic and results driven
• A willingness to travel
• Fluent written and spoken English

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Why join us?

The opportunity to work for an organisation that is making a positive difference to the lives of people worldwide, a friendly and supportive culture, and working with values-driven and highly engaged colleagues are just some of the reasons we think Practical Action is a great place to work.

Our open plan offices are located in the centre of Rugby and near to Rugby train station.

In addition, we offer the following benefits:

• Full time roles are contracted at 35 hours per week.
• Hybrid/flexible working options
• 27 days’ holiday rising with continuous service, in addition to public holidays
• Pension scheme - employer contributes 10.5% of salary and the employee contributes a minimum of 5%
• Enhanced family friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Life assurance (3 x annual salary).
• Bike to Work scheme.

Additional information

Practical Action believes that having a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture based on respect will enable us to be an effective organisation. We seek to create an inclusive workplace in which people are accepted as individuals, regardless of their differences and where they feel their contribution is valued.  Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks including criminal checks and terrorist financing.

The successful applicant must have the pre-existing right to both live and work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: Monday 16th September 2024.  Please note that should we recruit a suitable candidate before the closing date, we will close applications earlier than the specified date.

 Interviews: It is anticipated that interviews will take place in the week commencing 23rd September 2024 

(If you do not hear from us within five weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.)

HOW TO APPLY

If you want to work for a charity with significant people ambitions, then we would like to hear from you. For more information please visit our careers page. To apply please submit a copy of your CV (maximum of 3 sides A4) and send us a supporting statement.