DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Job Summary

The Director of Business Development plays a leadership role in the Institutional Funding and Strategy (IFS) team, managing the full life cycle of proposal development for a variety of key institutional donors including the US Government, World Bank, Green Climate Fund, and others important humanitarian and development work worldwide.

Working in close consultation with program technical units and CARE’s 65+ country offices (COs), the Director oversees the identification, assessment and positioning for priority opportunities, as well as live-proposal design, writing and final submission.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Pipeline Management and Positioning
• Work with IFS, Country Offices, Technical Teams, and Bid Board to identify, screen and prioritize opportunities.
• Ensure alignment of priority opportunities with organizational strategy through regular engagement with Country Directors and senior technical leadership.
• Oversee opportunity tracking across all pipeline stages, working with Proposal Managers, Country Offices and Technical Teams on advance donor positioning, opportunity research and relationship building.
• Play a central role in Go/No-Go decision-making, ensuring timely and strategic progression of opportunities.
• Proposal Development Leadership and Coordination
• Oversee and guide the full proposal lifecycle for complex and high-value institutional bids, from early positioning through submission.
• Lead proposal design processes, including strategy development, team formation, partner engagement, and budget alignment.
• Direct coordination of cross-functional teams (technical, country, recruitment, finance, and external consultants) to ensure strong, cohesive proposals.
• Support writing inputs where relevant, supporting consultant and in-house lead proposal writers.
• Ensure timely, compliant, and competitive submissions aligned with donor expectations.
• Proposal Quality Assurance, Innovation, and Process Improvement
• Lead quality assurance across all phases of proposal development, ensuring strong technical content, compliance, and adherence to CARE and donor standards.
• Develop and continuously improve tools, templates, guidance, and training to strengthen proposal development capacity across HQ and Country Offices.
• Oversee structured review processes (e.g., color team reviews) to enhance proposal competitiveness.
• Drive innovation in business development, including the application of AI and knowledge management tools to improve efficiency, quality, and positioning.
• Team Leadership, Resource Planning, and Partnership Management
• Supervise consultants and mentor Proposal Managers as needed.
• Lead resource planning across the pipeline, including consultant engagement and surge capacity management.
• Oversee proposal budgeting to ensure strategic investment in bid development.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships and consultant relationships to strengthen proposal positioning and delivery capacity, while contributing to IFS SMT priorities and organizational initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in development studies, or related field
• US work authorization
• 7-10 years of experience in international development with a focus on business development, proposal writing and management
• At least 4 years of experience in one or more relevant technical area including: global health, food security and nutrition, livelihoods, education, or governance.
• Proven track record of managing and winning competitive USG-funded international development and/or humanitarian proposals
• Team management experience
• Understanding of compliance and competitiveness requirements of USG and other institutional funders
• Strong communication skills, especially in writing

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters in Public Health, Policy, Agriculture, Nutrition, or international development
• Ability to travel to remote countries (up to 20% travel)
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Experience using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce
• Multiple language skills desirable (Spanish, French, Arabic)
• Demonstrable use of AI to produce research and content