Business Development Manager at Oxfam Nigeria

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations (affiliates) committed to creating a just world without poverty. In Nigeria Oxfam works in the areas of Economic Justice/Sustainable Livelihoods, Humanitarian Programming to save lives, Advancing Gender Justice and Good Governance, adopting a right based approach.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Business Development Manager

Lagos: Abuja
Type of appointment: Fixed-term Contract
Contract duration: 12 months (With Possibility of renewal depending on budget and performance)
Work schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week)
Reports to: Director of Programmes and Influencing
Start date: September 1, 2024

Objective of the Position

• To provide strategic support and management by collaborating closely with the Institutional funding team in Oxfam alongside the country programme team. Also provide initiatives that will ensure appropriate integration with user departments. Accordance with country strategy and donor requirements and planning, coordination, securing, management and reporting of restricted income to enable Oxfam in Nigeria to deliver on its Oxfam Country Strategy.

Key Responsibilities
Strategy Implementation, Review and Resource Mobilization:

• Develop and implement anLead on Oxfam’s business development and fundraising strategy and processes
• Develop and implement a business development and fundraising strategy including establishing the infrastructure to grow the current annual revenue stream through e.g. solicitation, government grants, competitive bids and corporate and foundations support for Oxfam.
• Produce regular reports for Country leadership on business development performance analysis
• Oversee overall coherence and quality of donor relationships in the country
• Conduct a new Donor mapping focused on Donors supporting influencing projects
• Research and analyse changing donor environment and strategies and advise on effective influencing of donors, linking in with affiliate HQ (donor leads) as appropriate
• Advise on donor priorities and identify specific opportunities. Identify, pursue and successfully capitalize on funding opportunities among major particularly bilateral and multilateral donors.
• Research, analyse and maintain regular register of donor calls for funding applications including tenders, expressions of interest and requests for proposals.
• Advise on potential partnerships with other organisations and agencies and identify specific opportunities:
  • Development of fact sheets on all Oxfam in Nigeria Programme pillar initiatives in coordination with relevant staff.
  • Strengthen the capacity of colleagues (Programme, Business Support and partners) across the Country Programme (through formal training delivery, coaching and accompaniment) in the planning, securing and managing of donor/restricted funds.
  • Ensure effective coordination and information flows with Global Programme Funding Team, Affiliates HQs as appropriate.
  • Ensure relevant internal approval processes at different levels are followed on making the decision whether or not to pursue a business opportunity

Programme Development and Bid Development:

• Project design and document production: Lead the development and writing of successful funding proposals and budgets. This will involve leading or supporting proposal development teams across the organization and, where relevant, using outsourced consultancy services. This includes organizing pre-proposal strategy sessions (e.g. developing win themes, SWOTs, partnering assessments); working with technical, management and finance leads on strategy; and ensuring that log frames, budgets and narrative text are developed, reviewed and edited per donor requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to development of proactive concepts, converting ideas into sellable proposals and actively participate in identifying sources of support for such proposals.
• Deliver training and support country staff with project cycle management according to capacity building needs.
• Identify programming ideas and areas of technical excellence with which Oxfam can cultivate donor interest.
• Subscribe to and monitor regularly electronic notices for relevant funding opportunities, and monitor websites of potential donors for information on priorities, requirements and funding.
• Track calls for proposals and tenders as they are published, identify those relevant to Oxfam programmes; determine with Oxfam Country Leadership team when/whether to respond.
• Provide bid development support as well as specialist information about donors to programme staff in order to maintain levels of funding for the Country Programme and achieve the income targets of the overall funding strategy.
• Provide leadership in the development of concepts notes and long-term quality proposals and seek multi-year funding from potential donors.
• Management of information: Direct the development and maintenance of information required for proposal development including updating capability statements, descriptions of Oxfam’s technical areas of expertise, country programme and/or project write-ups, development of graphics and presentations.

Donor and partner affiliates relationship Management:

• Ensure the highest possible level of service to donors: Ensure coordinated communication with donors and partner NGOs. This may involve managing relationships for a portfolio of donors. Ensure quality, consistency and continuity in Oxfam’s approach with donors.
• Be responsible for developing good relationships with key potential donors in Nigeria and pro-actively identify funding potentials, including advising and guiding Oxfam colleagues on country funding plans and donor liaison.
• Represent Oxfam as required with donors.
• Monitor regulatory revisions, proposal guidelines and application requirements for priority donors together to ensure that new proposals adhere to them.
• Develop/cultivate relationships with for-profit and other organizations to increase Oxfam’s opportunities for partnering for funding opportunities.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with donor organizations, foundations, affiliate fundraising contracts at Executive affiliates and thereby maximize income from these sources.
• Support, build and maintain strong relationships with donors and host country government representatives: This could include representing Oxfam at meetings, conferences and workshops, networking with other NGOs, and working with Country Directors and their teams to access thematic working groups, as well as other Oxfam teams to support their external relations efforts
• Provide quality control on all donor solicitations, reports and communications.
• Ensure sign-off of donor proposals, reports and contracts according to agreed Oxfam processes.
• Support preparation for audits of donor funded programs as required.
• Obtain any donor approvals, extensions and amendments in line with Oxfam standards

Grant Management:

• Provide programmatic support e.g. in relation to reporting to donors and affiliates.
• Support quality contract management, including donor reporting, in collaboration with Oxfam colleagues.
• Ensure that donor-reporting schedules are distributed to programme leads /budget holders and finance department to ensure that donor reports will be managed on time and with the quality needed.
• Work closely with colleagues in finance and programme to ensure the timely submission of high-quality reports.

Strengthen internal new business development capacity:

• Strengthen the capacity of Oxfam team members to participate in technical and cost proposals and other business development efforts through mentoring, technical assistance visits and direct training. Support country programmes to develop fundraising strategies, develop and deliver trainings and on-the-job tools and aids as required.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Oxfam’s systems by developing better tools, systems, techniques and strategies for identifying, tracking, and pursuing new business opportunities, developing proposals and budgets, and managing institutional knowledge.

Education / Knowledge & Experience

• Advanced qualification in relevant areas (Humanities, Business Administration, Economics) or proven experience at this level.
• Five years (5) experience of raising funds, preparing project proposals for international organizations such as, MoFA, DFID, EU, OFDA, DANIDA [TAH1] etc., foundations, Private corporate organizations as well as UN Agencies and other institutional donors which are predominant in Nigeria.
• At least seven (7) years of work experience in the field of development cooperation, preferably with INGOs.
• Successful track record of securing multiple high-value projects/contracts from bilateral and multilateral donors, trusts and foundations.
• Experience with donors’ rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of the landscape of Influencing in Senegal and West Africa and its stakeholders
• Significant capacity building and training experience.
• Good communication and facilitation skills.
• High level of analytical skills and critical thinking.
• Ability to network and represent Oxfam to donors and external institutions.
• High level numeracy, budgeting, financial reporting and IT skills.
• Excellent research skills: knowledge of how to find new sources of funding for advocacy work.
• Good communication skills; both written and verbal; experience with writing proposals and reports.
• Experience with project cycle management (Planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning).
• Excellent planning and budgeting skills.
• Self-motivated, target-driven and an entrepreneurial approach to fundraising opportunities.
• Strong sense of integrity and personal commitment to the goals of Oxfam, including Gender and Diversity.

Salary & Scale
Grade Level C1 – Annual Gross Salary (N13,892,653)

Application Closing Date
31st July, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online