Business Development Manager at Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR)

Role Summary

• As a Business Development Manager, you will lead SCIDaR’s business growth, geographic expansion, and strategic partnership development across Africa, while being based in Nigeria.
• You will identify, qualify, and convert high-value opportunities across priority African markets, with a focus on the public health and development sectors, by engaging governments, public health institutions, donors, international development organisations, foundations, private-sector entities, and other strategic partners.
• Leveraging a strong understanding of Africa’s public health and development ecosystem, including country and regional health priorities, donor funding mechanisms, procurement processes, and the consulting and technical assistance landscape, you will translate SCIDaR’s technical expertise into compelling, locally relevant value propositions.
• Through strategic market intelligence, stakeholder engagement, proposal development, and opportunity pipeline management, you will expand SCIDaR’s regional footprint, drive sustainable business growth, and advance the organisation’s mission across Africa.

Key Responsibilities
Regional Expansion Strategy:

• Develop and implement an Africa-wide business development and market expansion strategy aligned with the organisation’s overall strategic priorities;
• Identify and prioritize African countries and markets with the greatest potential for growth and impact; 
• Develop country- and region-specific market-entry and growth plans, including priority sectors, clients, donors, partners, and engagement strategies;
• Assess markets based on public health needs, funding flows, donor priorities, market potential, competitive landscape, regulatory environment, organisational capabilities, and likelihood of success;
• Establish measurable business development targets for the Africa portfolio and track performance against agreed KPIs.

Business Intelligence & Opportunity Identification:

• Build and maintain strong knowledge of the African public health and development landscape, including national and regional health priorities, government program, donor investments, procurement mechanisms, and emerging opportunities;
• Proactively identify and track consulting, technical assistance, research, program implementation, capacity-building, and other relevant opportunities across African markets;
• Monitor donor platforms, government procurement portals, development partner announcements, tenders, grants, and other relevant sources;
• Map key decision-makers, funders, implementing partners, competitors, and influencers across priority markets.

Client, Donor and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Establish and maintain relationships with government ministries and agencies, national public health institutions, donors, development partners, foundations, NGOs, private-sector organisations, and other strategic stakeholders across Africa;
• Develop and execute stakeholder engagement plans for priority countries and strategic accounts;
• Represent the organisation at relevant African and international conferences, technical meetings, donor forums, industry events, and networking platforms;
• Lead introductory meetings, capability presentations, partnership discussions, and opportunity-development engagements with prospective clients and partners;
• Build a strong network of senior-level contacts and influencers across priority African markets.

Business Pipeline Analysis & Database Management:

• Work with the KML unit and other critical stakeholders to develop business development dashboards and periodic management reports to provide insights into pipeline health, market performance, opportunity conversion, and revenue forecasts;
• Work with the leadership team to review SCIDaR’s business development performance indicators, including pipeline value, conversion rates, win rates, revenue projections, and opportunity status;
• Analyze historical proposal and project data to identify patterns in successful bids, client preferences, pricing, and win/loss factors, and translate findings into actionable recommendations;
• Analyze financial data and performance metrics to track progress against business development goals and identify areas for improvement or optimization;
• Support the development of annual business development plans and market-entry strategies, using market intelligence and organisational performance data to inform growth priorities;
• Maintain an up-to-date database of donors, development partners, government agencies, NGOs, private-sector organisations, and other target clients relevant to the firm's growth strategy.

Key Success Measures
Success in the role will be measured by the ability to:

• Build and grow a high-quality Africa-wide business development pipeline.
• Identify and convert opportunities across priority African markets.
• Secure new clients, contracts, grants, and strategic engagements.
• Establish a strong and diverse network of African partners and stakeholders.
• Improve proposal submission quality and win/conversion rates.
• Support successful entry into new African markets.
• Generate measurable growth in revenue and/or funding from African opportunities.
• Strengthen SCIDaR’s visibility, reputation, and positioning within the African public health ecosystem.
• Provide actionable market intelligence to support strategic decision-making.
• Contribute to SCIDaR’s long-term growth, sustainability, and public health impact across the continent.

Requirements
Essential:

• Academic training: Minimum of a Second-class Upper Bachelor’s Degree with a Master’s Degree in Public Health, International Development, Business Administration, Business Development, Social Sciences, Marketing, or a related discipline from an accredited institution.

Experience:

•  7 – 10 years progressive experience in business development, partnerships, consulting, fundraising, or a related growth-focused role, preferably within the public health, healthcare, international development, management consulting, or non-profit sector;
• Demonstrated experience in business development and market expansion across multiple African markets, with a strong understanding of the African development ecosystem;
• Experience developing winning bids to organisations such as USAID, FCDO, Global Fund, World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, Gates Foundation, Gavi, or comparable institutions;
• Strong understanding of the African public health and development landscape, including key health priorities, funding mechanisms, major development partners, and health system challenges;
• Proven track record of identifying, developing, and converting business opportunities into contracts, grants, consulting engagements, or strategic partnerships;
• Experience working with bilateral and multilateral donors, governments, international NGOs, foundations, development partners, and/or private-sector organisations;
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating competitive proposals, bids, EOIs, RFIs/RFPs, concept notes, and grant applications;
• Experience developing and managing a substantial business development pipeline, including opportunity qualification, forecasting, and conversion.

What we Value:

• A genuine interest and commitment to the mission and values of SCIDaR;
• Intellectual curiosity and a strong appetite for continuous learning and development;
• Strong analytical, strategic and problem-solving abilities, coupled with creative and logical thinking;
• Initiative, ownership and a results-oriented approach to achieving meaningful outcomes;
• The ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and engage constructively with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels;
• Adaptability and resilience, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage competing priorities;
• Strong attention to detail and a consistent commitment to delivering high-quality work;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively;
• Openness to feedback and a willingness to learn from and contribute to colleagues at every level of the organisation.
• Candidates from East Africa are strongly encouraged to apply.

What We Offer

• At SCIDaR, beyond a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, we offer an exciting, fast-paced and intellectually stimulating environment where ambitious individuals can learn, grow and make a meaningful impact.
• You will have access to continuous learning and development opportunities, hands-on exposure to challenging projects, mentorship from experienced professionals, and opportunities to take on increasing responsibility and build a rewarding career.
• We provide a collaborative workplace where talented, driven individuals are empowered to develop their skills, expand their networks and reach their full potential.