Director of Business Growth (Hybrid)

Zinc Network; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic organization committed to promoting open societies and combating threats. As the Director of Business Growth, you will lead efforts to expand our influence and secure funding through innovative proposals and strategic partnerships. This role requires a seasoned professional with a strong background in business development and a passion for impactful work. You will collaborate with a diverse team to drive revenue and enhance our mission, ensuring that our initiatives align with the needs of our clients and stakeholders. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in securing funding and leading proposals.
• At least 12 years of experience in business growth.
• Deep knowledge of UK government procurement processes.

Responsibilities

• Drive business growth by identifying new opportunities and securing funding.
• Lead proposal development and manage client relationships.
• Mentor business development team members for high performance.

Skills

Business Development

Proposal Development

Client Engagement

Strategic Communications

Project Management

Research Skills

Writing Skills

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Communications

Bachelor's Degree in Business

Bachelor's Degree in International Development

Job description

3 weeks ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Introducing Zinc Network

Zinc Network promotes open societies and protects them from threats such as hostile state influence and extremism. Our programmes draw on strategic communications, behavioural science, and technology to deliver meaningful, measurable change for our clients. We work in partnership with networks of civil society organisations (CSOs), activists, media, businesses, and influencers to ensure our work is sustainable.

We are headquartered in London, with 50+ team members from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. We work with a broad range of governmental, NGO, and private sector clients, including the UK Home Office (HO); the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); the U.S. Department of State (DOS); and foundations.

Outline of the job

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Business Growth to drive Zinc Network’s expansion and strengthen our position in key markets. This role is responsible for identifying and securing new business opportunities, leading proposal development, and cultivating strong relationships with clients and partners. This is a 12-month full-time position.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Tracking business development opportunities from the UK government and other governmental pipelines.
• Liaising and pitching to potential clients to position Zinc for upcoming opportunities.
• Upselling Zinc’s work on existing programmes to secure co-funding opportunities.
• Developing a consistent rhythm of concept notes to shape new projects.
• Leading and managing Zinc’s team in developing winning proposals in response to competitive tender requests.
• Writing and contributing to proposals, including technical approaches, corporate capabilities, past performance, stakeholder management, duty of care, social value, handover and exit strategies, and quality assurance.
• Working closely with Zinc’s commercial team to ensure budgets and budget narratives align with proposal evaluation criteria.

What You’ll Be Doing…

As Director of Business Growth, you will play a critical role in driving Zinc’s revenue and impact. Your responsibilities will include:

Business Development & Opportunity Tracking

• Monitoring UK government and other international funding pipelines to identify new business opportunities.
• Mapping Zinc’s capabilities against upcoming opportunities and ensuring early positioning with potential clients and partners.
• Conducting research to inform new business strategy and sector trends.

Client Engagement & Pitching

• Leading the development of client engagement strategies to establish and maintain strong relationships with donors, foundations, and commercial clients.
• Representing Zinc at industry events, networking opportunities, and client meetings to showcase our capabilities.
• Preparing and delivering compelling pitches and presentations to secure new work.

Concept Development & Strategic Positioning

• Generating innovative project ideas and developing regular concept notes to expand Zinc’s portfolio.
• Collaborating with internal teams to refine concepts into fundable proposals that align with donor priorities.

Proposal Leadership & Writing

• Leading the full lifecycle of proposal development, including bid strategy, technical writing, compliance, and quality control.
• Writing and reviewing key proposal sections, including technical solutions, corporate capability statements, stakeholder engagement strategies, and social value propositions.
• Managing proposal timelines and teams to ensure high-quality, competitive submissions.

Financial & Commercial Oversight

• Working closely with Zinc’s commercial team to develop budgets and budget narratives that align with technical approaches and donor evaluation criteria.
• Ensuring proposals are financially competitive while maintaining the integrity of Zinc’s programmatic delivery.

Team Leadership & Internal Coordination

• Leading and mentoring business development team members, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Coordinating effectively with Zinc’s research, strategy, and implementation teams to ensure business growth efforts are well-integrated across the organisation.

Requirements

What we need from you…

We are looking for a business development leader with a proven track record of securing funding and leading winning proposals in the international development and strategic communications sectors. The ideal candidate will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree in communications, business, international development, or a related field.
• At least 12 years of experience in proposal development and business growth within a related field.
• Deep knowledge of UK government procurement processes, particularly with FCDO, Home Office, Crown Commercial Services, and other international donors.
• Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to craft compelling proposals and persuasive pitches.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple bids and business development efforts simultaneously.
• A track record of securing funding from governmental, foundation, and commercial clients.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Willingness to occasionally work outside of regular business hours to meet proposal deadlines.
• Knowledge of communications and campaigning, media development, and/or information integrity is preferred.

Conditions of Employment

Candidates who receive a job offer will be required to:

• Disclose any previous disciplinary action against them resulting from a substantiated safeguarding (including any breaches involving trafficking-related activities) or workplace investigation.
• Undergo background checks including employment verification, sexual offender registry (as available), identity confirmation, and anti-terrorism vetting.

Area of Selection

We’re committed to hiring a diverse workforce from different professional and cultural backgrounds, and to that end we encourage a variety of people to apply to join our company to represent the diverse range of subjects associated with our projects.