Business Development Lead (BDL)

Under the leadership of the Program Manager, the Business Development Lead will drive SPARC's effort towards achieving a financially sustainable organization with the compliment of required resources (Relationships, technical and financial) to generate demand for SPARC's offerings continuously.

The Business Development Lead will identify business development and partnership opportunities, pursue, and harness those opportunities for SPARC. He/She will also support the development of SPARC's product/service offerings working with SPARC's pillar leads. Under the guidance of the program manager, the BDL will support the development of relevant tools, processes, and systems that will ensure a systematic implementation and institutionalization of SPARC's Business Development and Partnership Approach. Principal responsibilities are detailed below:

Demand generation and Business Development: Spearhead proposal development to secure funding and business for SPARC

Collaboration: Establish and maintain partnerships with government teams, relevant institutions, and program partners

Donor Liaison: Develop and continuously update a donor register for key areas of SPARC’s work, including the Bilingual approach 

Partnership: Develop and implement a global partnership strategy as aligned with and contributing to SPARC’s overall strategic objectives

Minimum Education

 Master’s Degree preferred in Public Health, Health Economics, Social Sciences, International Development or other relevant fields. Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline combined with substantive work and international development field experience will be considered.

Experience

 At least 5 years’ experience in grantmaking, business development, and/or partnership development for similar initiatives or in a development/NGO setting.

Competencies

 Strong international development and program/project management background; knowledge of UHC, health financing, and/or health economics is a bonus

 Demonstrated proposal writing and grant-making skills, with verifiable success

 Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate effectively in a variety of internal and external settings, and at different levels including the gravitas and carriage to publicly represent the Institute at all levels.  Superior consultation, diplomacy, influencing and negotiating skills; ability to explain complex concepts in layman’s language, in a clear, convincing, and organized manner  Display exceptional listening and analytical skills to understand clients’ needs and concerns and the ability to respond promptly and effectively to these needs.

 Demonstrated leadership skills; ability to take initiative and solve problems independently; proven ability to design, implement, manage, and make sound business decisions; ability to analyse issues and use logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, and approaches to problems.  Proven project management capability and knowledge; ability to develop goals and plans; allocate resources accordingly and prioritise work to meet deadlines and budget.  High level of self-motivation and standards with the ability to multi-task; balancing “strategic thinking” with “doing”; Ability to set priorities and handle multiple competing time and resource demands; Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure, and meet deadlines

 Strong interpersonal skills and experience working with cross-cultural teams