Head of New Business Development -SCI Malawi-Zimbabwe Cluster

he Opportunity

Save the Children is inviting applications from suitably qualified personnel to fill the position of Head of New Business Development (NBD) Manager – Malawi-Zimbabwe Cluster. The position will provide strategic leadership in driving and coordinating the growth and diversification of funding across Malawi and Zimbabwe, in alignment with the Cluster’s strategic priorities. The Head of NBD will lead the development and implementation of a Cluster-wide Funding Strategy that supports the achievement of the Country Strategic Plans and ensures the mobilisation of resources for quality, high-impact programming for children across both countries. The position reports directly to the PDQ Director.

The post holder will work closely with the PDQ Director, Cluster NBD Coordinator, Zimbabwe NBD Manager, Senior Programmes and Partnerships Lead, Technical Experts, Cluster Country Director and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to identify and pursue strategic funding opportunities, strengthen donor relationships and ensure effective coordination of new business development activities across the Cluster. The role will foster strong relationships with Save the Children Members, institutional donors, partners, corporate organisations, foundations and other key stakeholders, while also supporting local and national partners to strengthen their own resource mobilisation capacity in line with Save the Children’s localisation agenda.

The Head of NBD will lead the Cluster’s annual funding strategy development and establish effective systems and processes for pipeline, opportunity and proposal management across Malawi and Zimbabwe. The position holder will provide strategic oversight of donor engagement, portfolio planning, opportunity scoping, capture planning and proposal development, ensuring that funding opportunities are aligned with the Cluster’s strategic priorities, Country Strategic Plans, Save the Children’s Theory of Change and emerging donor priorities.

The job holder will play a key role in maintaining a real-time understanding of the Cluster’s funding pipeline, identifying thematic and operational funding gaps and facilitating scenario-based portfolio analysis to inform growth, risk and sustainability discussions. The role will lead cross-country and cross-functional opportunity scoping and capture planning, build donor and competitor intelligence, facilitate Go/No-Go decision-making and ensure that appropriate resources are mobilised to pursue strategic funding opportunities.

The Head of NBD will coordinate and oversee high-quality proposal development and submission processes for both country offices, ensuring timely submission, compliance and strategic alignment. The role holder will serve as lead writer or quality assurer for strategic, complex and high-value proposals, including humanitarian funding requests, and will ensure meaningful participation of local and national partners throughout the proposal development process. The position will also ensure that proposals incorporate localisation objectives, equitable partner roles and budgets, appropriate learning and MEAL frameworks, and strong technical and programme approaches.

The position holder will support the PDQ Director and Cluster Country Director in maintaining high-level strategic donor relationships across Malawi and Zimbabwe and will represent the Cluster in donor forums, working groups and high-level meetings. The Head of NBD will also act as the primary liaison with the Save the Children Regional Office and Members on new business development matters, ensuring collaboration, consistency, learning and the adoption of best practice across the Cluster.

The job holder will provide strategic leadership for humanitarian resource mobilisation, working closely with the Humanitarian and Anticipatory Action Manager, regional teams and Members to ensure readiness for rapid mobilisation of emergency resources. The role will also support pre-positioning through early warning analysis, pipeline mapping, donor engagement and participation in relevant coordination mechanisms. In addition, the position holder will explore opportunities for private funding, climate finance and innovative finance mechanisms in collaboration with relevant Save the Children teams.

The Head of NBD will provide line management, coaching and mentoring support to NBD staff within the Cluster and foster a strong culture of performance, learning, collaboration and innovation. The position will build effective working relationships across Programme, Technical, Operations, Finance, Awards, Partnerships and Communications teams to ensure quality contributions to new business development and strengthen the capacity of staff and partners in resource mobilisation, programme design, positioning, capture planning and proposal development.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly, including travelling at short notice and for extended periods where required.

In order to be successful, you will bring/have:

• A minimum of a Master’s Degree in International Development, Project Planning and Management, Social Studies or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 7 years of demonstrated experience identifying and securing funding from government donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors and/or foundations.
• Demonstrated experience in analysing funding landscapes and developing programme funding strategies aligned to strategic organisational goals.
• Proven experience facilitating programme design and Theory of Change development with technical, operations, MEAL and finance teams.
• Excellent proposal writing skills, with demonstrated experience as a lead writer/penholder for large-scale grant applications.
• Experience working within an INGO environment and a strong understanding of operational and programme management issues.
• A detailed understanding of funding mechanisms for development and humanitarian programming.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex issues through critical thinking, analysis, clear decision-making and stakeholder engagement.
• Highly developed networking and relationship management skills, with the ability to build productive relationships with donors and external stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including influencing, negotiation, facilitation and coaching skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage multiple stakeholders and deliver high-quality outputs within tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated people leadership skills, including the ability to manage direct reports and lead teams through matrix management arrangements.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a Senior Management Team and contribute constructively beyond the resource mobilisation function.
• Experience in project and change management, including working with international and cross-functional teams and delivering organisational change initiatives.
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing needs and priorities, including humanitarian emergencies.
• Fluency in English with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding of innovative finance mechanisms for international development is desirable.
• Experience in child rights programming and/or thematic expertise in areas such as health and nutrition, education, poverty reduction, child protection or governance is desirable.
• Programme management experience within an INGO is desirable.
• Experience in climate finance, localisation and/or private sector resource mobilisation will be an added advantage.

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the rights of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, collaboration, accountability and integrity are highly valued.

We believe in providing reasonable accommodations to support the professional growth and success of all employees. We therefore encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including persons with disabilities.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at  www.savethechildren.net/careers

We need to keep children safe, so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment, safeguarding, equal opportunities, diversity, health and safety policies and procedures.