Business Development and Partnerships Lead

About WaterAid:

Want to use your skills in institutional Funding and Partnerships to play a vital role in making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere?

We need passionate, creative and dedicated people. In return, you will be encouraged and empowered to be yourself at your very best. Together, we will make a bigger difference.

Join WaterAid as Business Development and Partnerships Lead to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good. On top of that you'll be joining a 2020 Great Place to Work® award-winning organisation.

About the Team:

The role is part of WaterAid UK's Institutional Funding and Partnerships (IFP) Team in the International Programmes Department. The IFP team contributes to WaterAid's mission by cultivating and securing income from institutional and non-institutional partners for all of WaterAid's programmes globally. The IFP team supports the effective design and delivery of restricted funded programmes, with a special focus on strategic, high value and/or complex opportunities.

Within the IFP Team there are four sub-teams: business development & partnerships, bid management, contract and compliance and priority projects made up of colleagues both in the UK and the global south. The four team leads, alongside the Head of IFP, make up the IFP senior management team. The IFP SMT is responsible for the wellbeing and development of the IFP team and works across WaterAid to ensure the strong delivery of the restricted funding strategy.

About the Role:

The overall purpose of this role is to optimise funding from institutional donors and multilateral partnerships, through evolving and implementing a strategy for business development in line with the International Programmes' Dept's Restricted Funding Strategy. This will focus on ensuring WaterAid is well positioned within key donor and consortium partner/key supplier markets as a "go to" consortium partner for sustainable WASH programming. This includes a larger focus on health and climate opportunities in line with WaterAid's new strategy.

The post holder will manage a team of Business Development Managers, to build a portfolio of key consortium partnerships and facilitate WaterAid's desired positioning with external stakeholders. They will also play a key internal role, in leading the team to develop thematic funding strategies across WaterAid. The lead will develop and manage partnerships with significant WASH funding partners in the UK and Europe.

In more detail the role will:

• Ensure WaterAid is well positioned within key institutional donor markets through developing a network of strong, collaborative consortium partnerships, including leading on the agreement of formal partnerships with strategic partner organisations;
• Be responsible for growing the pipeline of relevant funding opportunities to WA country programmes through supporting donor and partner engagement across the International Programmes Department;
• Lead the team to build, maintain and track global relationships with and influence a select number of priority institutional donors' strategies, including the UK Government;
• Work closely with colleagues across the International Programmes Dept to facilitate the design, shaping and development of ambitious funding propositions that position WA's new strategy in response to the institutional donor marketplace;
• Develop a strong internal communications and knowledge sharing strategy, to ensure colleagues in country programmes are aware of and able to access information and resources around donors and partners;
• Lead the Business Development team of four - three Business Development Managers and one Officer, develop annual team plans and monitor performance;
• As a member of the Institutional Funding & Partnerships Senior Management Team lead on a strategic development area across the team, ensure strong cross-team collaboration and support the development of team strategy, reporting and people development;
• Deputise for the Head of Institutional Funding & Partnerships when required;

About you:

Essential skills

• Substantial experience and knowledge of the institutional funding space and a deep understanding of bilateral and multilateral donors' routes to market
• Demonstrable track record of growing institutional income
• Strategic networker with the ability to identify and transform opportunities into tangible results
• Excellent communication, listening and collaboration skills
• Ability to work in a flexible and agile way to identify opportunities and address challenges
• Ability to work independently, be a pro-active self-starter and instigate new approaches, ways of working and initiatives
• Ability to take complex information and simplify for audiences
• Ability to regularly travel in order to attend external events and meetings in the UK and across Europe, and to occasionally visit WAUK regional and country offices
• Excellent people management skills, including managing performance and development, and supporting team wellbeing;
• Demonstrated ability to work across institutional boundaries, units, and teams in an effective, empowering, and productive way;
• Commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace
• Working style that reflects WaterAid's values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation

Desirable skills

Knowledge of the design or management of multi-stakeholder consortiums

Understanding of WASH, or climate or health networks and stakeholders

How to Apply:

To see the full job pack, please click 'Apply'. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter in one document in either Word Document or PDF format.

Pre-employment screening: In order to apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK. All our vacancies require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to comply with our Safer Recruitment policy.

Closing date: Applications will close at 23:59 on 16th October 2023. Shortlisting and interviews may take place on a rolling basis and the application process will close if a suitable candidate is found prior to the advertised closing date.

Our Benefits:

• 36 days' holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)
• Option to buy an extra 5 days annual leave
• We offer a generous pension plan with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Wide range of flexible and agile-working arrangement
• Season Ticket Loan
• Free annual eye tests
• Pay as You Give charitable giving scheme
• Enhanced Maternity and Adoption/Surrogacy pay, Shared Parental Leave and Paternity Leave
• Sabbaticals
• Volunteer Day

Our Commitment

An inclusive workplace:

We are committed to being an organisation where everyone is included, respected, and empowered to be their best. We represent and celebrate our staff, partners and everyone we work with, and create a culture where everyone can reach their full potential.

Equal opportunities:

We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.

Safeguarding:

We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.