Business Development Lead (7225)

Save the Children; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading humanitarian organization in the UK is looking for a Business Development Lead to drive the growth of its Humanitarian Leadership Academy. This role involves overseeing business development strategies, identifying funding opportunities, and building partnerships. The ideal candidate should have significant fundraising experience, strong account management skills, and a commitment to humanitarian values. This one-year maternity cover contract provides a chance to make a substantial impact on locally led humanitarian action.

Benefits

Flexible working environment

Health and wellbeing benefits

Inclusion and collaboration focus

Qualifications

• Significant experience in institutional and/or philanthropic fundraising with a proven track record.
• Ability to build partnerships and develop compelling proposals.
• Excellent account management skills with diverse partners.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and shape the HLA's business development pipeline.
• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities.
• Build, manage and cultivate relationships with donors.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Partnership building

Account management

Proposal development

Communication skills

Job description

Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and influential individual with a strong background in business development and fundraising to join us as our Business Development Lead within our Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) on a one-year maternity cover contract. In this role, you will work across the HLA, Save the Children UK, and external partner networks to diversify and grow income streams that strengthen locally led humanitarian action.

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

About the role

As Business Development Lead, you will drive the growth and diversification of the Human Leadership Academy's charitable income. You'll lead the business development strategy, identify and cultivate new funding opportunities, and build strong partnerships that enhance HLA's financial sustainability and long-term impact. Working closely with colleagues across the HLA and wider organisation, you will be instrumental in positioning the HLA as a leading force for locally led humanitarian leadership development.

In this role, you will :

• Oversee and shape the HLA's business development pipeline, ensuring a balanced mix of funding that supports strategic and programmatic objectives.
• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities across institutional, philanthropic, and corporate markets.
• Build, manage and cultivate relationships with donors, funders and strategic partners across the humanitarian and development ecosystem.
• Coordinate the end-to-end business development process—from opportunity identification to proposal development and smooth handover into delivery.
• Work collaboratively with teams across SCUK and the international movement, ensuring strong internal alignment and representation of HLA in external forums.
• Ensure compliance with internal fundraising processes, maintaining accurate, donor‑compliant and audit‑ready information throughout the project cycle.

About you

To be successful, it is important that you have :

• Significant experience in institutional and / or philanthropic fundraising, with a proven track record of generating substantial income.
• Strong ability to build partnerships and develop compelling, fundable proposals with clear budgets and value propositions.
• Excellent account management skills with partners and donors across diverse sectors, including governments, institutions, private foundations and corporates such as the Clinton Foundation, Google, AWS, and ECHO, with particular experience in working with FCDO and other institutional donors.
• A solid understanding of the humanitarian system, including funding landscapes, trends, and opportunities.
• Experience managing complex bids and partnerships ideally in excess of £1 million or more.
• Resilience in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment, with the ability to adapt and maintain performance under pressure.
• The ability to work proactively, flexibly, and collaboratively in an emergent, people‑centred, and agile environment.
• Excellent communication and representational skills, able to articulate strategic vision and influence senior stakeholders.
• A commitment to Save the Children's vision, mission, and values.

What we offer you :

Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work / life balance.

• We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
• We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day. You can read more about our benefits .

To learn more about the position, please review the Job Description in the attached Documents.