Director of Business Development

Position: Head of Business Development

Contract: Full-time and permanent

Location: Hybrid working in Sidcup, Greater London 2 days per week and remote

Salary: Commensurate with experience plus benefits

Reporting: this role will report to the CEO

Purpose

The purpose of the role will be to lead business development across Development Pathways with the aim of sustaining and expanding our business portfolio through engaging with more clients and business opportunities, overseeing the development of new products, building our consultant and associate network, enhancing our internal capacity to generate business and maintaining and developing our brand through effective communications.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Head of Business Development are:

Strategy and leadership:

• Developing and leading our business development strategy and plan to consolidate our current portfolio and move us into new areas of growth.
• Providing strategic oversight and management to improve business development functions and increase fee-based revenue, coordinating across our country offices.
• Building and managing to a high standard a strong business development and communications team aligned to the needs of the organisation.
• Ensuring that we are aware of the latest trends in our focus sectors, monitoring competitors and reviewing Pathways’ offering considering competitors’ developments.
• Participating in the Senior Management Team and contributing to leadership and decision-making across Development Pathways

New business development:

• Setting up and maintaining systems and procedures for detecting potential business and tender opportunities through different channels (e.g. online portals, outreach, etc.)
• Building relationships with decision makers within potential client organisations and partners.
• Developing and growing our network of consultants, ensuring Pathways has access to the right knowledge and skills to implement new projects.
• Overseeing the timely delivery of high-quality proposals, submissions and bids across the organisation.
• Oversee the monitoring and evaluating of our business development opportunities.

Communications and marketing:

• Overseeing our communications portfolio including the development of high-quality materials to promote our services and brand to new clients and to reflect best practice in the thematic areas and locations within which we operate.
• Ensuring that our brand reflects Pathways’ values, expertise and the requirements of the global marketplace Securing conference opportunities and sustaining general brand development opportunities.
• In coordination with our technical team, ensuring that we maintain our reputation as a thought leader in international development, in particular, on social protection.
• Representing Pathways at relevant senior meetings, conferences and partner and client meetings.

Other:

• Provide effective line management to members of the business development and communications team and external consultants supporting these functions, as required.
• Ensuring compliance of all aspects of business development with relevant policies, regulations and legislation, e.g. GDPR.
• Engaging in other areas of work as determined by the demands of the business and the CEO.

Person Specification

The Head of Business Development should have the following qualifications, skills and competencies:

Essential Qualifications and Skills:

• Relevant undergraduate degree in business, international development or similar.
• Demonstrable and adequate skills and experience in leading business development in the area of international development.
• An enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit.
• Demonstrable and adequate skills and experience in effectively managing individuals and teams.
• Experience in organization-level leadership positions.
• Excellent interpersonal, time management and communications skills.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently.
• Commitment to social justice, gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Ability to travel internationally as required.

Desirable:

• Master’s degree

Terms of Employment and Benefits

Recruitment will be at the senior level and is a permanent and full-time post. Along with the basic salary, the successful candidate would receive an attractive package of the following:

• Fulfilling work: work directly in support of some of the world’s most underserved communities and in a dynamic and successful team, in particularly supporting the expansion of social protection systems globally.
• Flexible work: Development Pathways offers employees flexible work hours and part remote working options, with a requirement to work in the London office for at least 2 days per week (currently on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
• Generous time off: recharge with 30-holiday entitlement plus standard bank holidays.
• Travel the World: we expect the successful candidate to travel overseas for work for up to a month in a year.
• Health and well-being provision: access to the company private health care scheme (after the satisfactory completion of the probationary period), pension scheme and Employee Assistance Programme.      
• Commitment to professional development opportunities: we encourage our staff to participate in professional learning and development.
• Provision of a company laptop.
• Working at home benefit  
• Travel to work allowance, and
• Access to Development Pathways’ bonus scheme

How to apply

We invite interested candidates to please apply for the post by including the following:

1. A cover letter explaining why you are applying for this position, and how you would be a good fit for the post of Head of Business Development. Please include your salary expectations in your cover letter.
2. A CV (curriculum vitae) specifying your qualifications, education, and relevant work experience for this role.

Closing date for this post will be 13th December 2024.

Applications should be submitted by email.

While this is a UK based post, we welcome applications from other countries and would be willing to consider a sponsorship visa for the successful candidate.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and high-quality candidates may be interviewed before the closing date. We retain the right to close this recruitment without notice.

Due to the high number of applications expected, unfortunately only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Applicants, please note the Privacy Notice on our website.

Development Pathways is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate and support diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications and abilities without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, family or parental status, or disability status.

About us

Founded in 2010, Development Pathways has grown into an internationally respected consultancy and advisory organisation, providing high quality consultancies and project management throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific, in social protection and broader social policy, socio-economic analysis and research, training and software development services. We have a strong commitment to social justice, gender equality, women’s empowerment and inclusive development. We currently work in a number of countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America.

We currently employ 56 staff across our four offices, who work alongside a global network of trusted consultants. Our four main offices are located in the United Kingdom (London – Sidcup), Kenya (Nairobi), Australia (Sydney) and Jordan (Amman). As an employer, we put our staff first and are committed to flexible working practices and developing our staff’s professional capabilities. For more information about our organisation, please visit our website.

The Head of Business Development is a key leadership position within Development Pathways. The successful candidate will have overall responsibility for business development. They will lead a small team in London and engage with our offices in Kenya, Australia and Jordan to support and guide them as they engage in business development. The successful candidate will be expected to expand our business portfolio by continuing to engage with current clients but also seeking to enter into innovative areas of new business. They will also contribute to the broader leadership of Development Pathways as a member of our leadership team.

This position will be located in our London office. It is open to high calibre, qualified candidates from outside the UK, as we will be able to provide a visa for those who do not have the right to work in the UK.