Head, Business Development Unit (BDU) at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Description

• The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Head, Business Development Unit (BDU).
• As IITA implements its 2024–2030 Strategic Plan, the Institute is establishing a Business Development Unit (BDU) — a new institutional function designed to professionalize and coordinate the full continuum from funding intelligence and proposal development to portfolio performance and donor compliance. 
• This is a leadership role: the Head of BDU will build the unit from the ground up, integrating existing functions, establishing new systems, and positioning IITA as the partner of choice for the next generation of large-scale agricultural investment. 
• Increasing competition for funding and evolving donor requirements require a coordinated and strategic approach to resource mobilization, proposal development, and project oversight. The Business Development Unit (BDU) aims at strengthening institutional competitiveness, funding success, and delivery performance.
• The Head, Business Development Unit (BDU) will provide strategic leadership and operational management of the Unit, ensuring that IITA maintains a strong funding pipeline, secures high-value partnerships, develops competitive proposals, and delivers projects efficiently and in compliance with donor requirements.

Position Responsibilities

Resource Mobilization and Partnerships:

• Lead institutional resource mobilization efforts to secure diversified and sustainable funding.
• Develop and implement IITA’s institutional business development and resource mobilization strategies to access public and private sector funding.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with bilateral and multilateral funders, foundations, development finance institutions, private-sector partners, and philanthropic organizations.
• Establish and lead funder intelligence and funding opportunity tracking.
• Advise senior leadership on partnerships, funding strategies, donor intelligence

Project Development and Proposal Management:

• Develop value propositions and funder engagement materials.
• Lead negotiations and partnership discussions related to major funding opportunities.
• Oversee the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, and business cases from identification to submission.
• Ensure high-quality and competitive proposals, their compliance, and alignment with donor requirements.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and their contribution to proposal preparation
• Establish proposal review and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Support staff capacity building initiatives related to project development, donor compliance, and portfolio management.

Project Implementation and Portfolio Oversight:

• Oversee institutional project portfolio performance and implementation quality.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements.
• Monitor project performance, timelines, and budgets,
• Promote effective knowledge management and documentation of project achievements and lessons learned.
• Oversee reporting, documentation, audits and donor communications.
• Develop and maintain project performance dashboards and management information systems.
• Monitor proposal success rates and continuously improve proposal development.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications and Experience:

• PhD or Master’s Degree in Agriculture, International Development, Business Administration, Economics, Public Policy, Project Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in international development, research-for-development, business development, resource mobilization, or program management.
• Demonstrated track record of securing and managing large-scale donor-funded programs.
• Proven experience in developing successful proposals for bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, and development finance institutions.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and complex project portfolios.
• Strong understanding of donor compliance, grants management, and project governance.

Core Competencies:

• Institutional Transformation: Proven ability to build and strengthen institutional functions.
• Strategic Influence: Drives alignment across decentralized, multi-country teams.
• Business Development: Skilled in proposal development, donor negotiations, and growth strategy.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Builds strong relationships with senior-level partners and funders.
• Portfolio Management: Experienced in managing complex multi-country programs and donor compliance.
• Execution & Adaptability: Delivers results under pressure across diverse cultural environments.

Benefits

• Duty Station: The position is based at IITA Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. The role requires periodic travel to IITA's five regional Hubs and country offices across sub-Saharan Africa to support business development engagement, partnership building, and portfolio oversight.

General information:

• The contract will be for an initial period of three years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in US Dollars.