Senior Business Development Specialist

Job Summary
The Senior Business Development Specialist will play a vital role in supporting the planning and development of business opportunities through a variety of strategies to support the growth of ICBA as laid out in the ICBA Strategy 2013-2023. He/she will utilize professional skills to support the Partnerships and Knowledge Management (PKM) Director in identify funding opportunities, support donor/partner relationships, offer strategic ideas and help develop proposals to make ICBA success and increase revenue. The Business Development Manager will be play a key role in developing business opportunities with the private sector. 
As part of the PKM team the position will play a key role in the development and implementation of ICBA’s business plan and provide input into strategic business growth and improvement decisions.
Job Responsibilities

  • Manage the Business Development Process including:
    1. Ensuring a robust pipeline of opportunities through proactively seeking and identifying potential new donors and partners, including private sector and private foundations.
    2. Identifying the decision makers within the donor and partner organizations, and assist in setting up meetings with them with senior level ICBA management.
    3. Ensure all business opportunities are managed professionally and opportunities are maximized.
    4. Present to, and consult with, senior level management on business trends with a view to developing proposals and distribution channels.
    5. Arrange and participate in internal and external business development debriefs.
    6. Support ICBA senior level management and scientists with the presentations to donors and partners ensuring that these are on message and on brand.
    7. Work with ICBA senior level management and scientists to meet donor and partner communication needs.
    8. Develop business opportunities with the private sector.
  • Research and develop a thorough understanding of ICBA’s services and develop a plan on how the scale of services can be enlarged.
  • Design and develop an effective system to ensure that senior level management, scientists and proposal development specialists are aware and can act on existing and new business opportunities.
  • Support the planning of approaches and pitches and work with the Senior Proposal Development Specialist to develop proposals that speaks to donor’s needs, concerns, and objectives. Including:
    1. Ensure that prerequisites for proposals (CV’s, institutional information etc.) are provided within a timely manner.
    1. Provide input to teaming partner and subcontractor selection.
    2. Work with the Senior Proposal Development Specialist to develop a yearly work plan for proposals' development and submission to ensure that all opportunities are maximized.
    3. Work with the Senior Business Development Specialist and the Finance Section to develop pricing models and establish a database for costs, that tracks the different costing guidelines from the major donors and will maximizes full cost recovery for ICBA.
    4. Ensure that business information data is accurately entered and managed in an institutional record.
    5. Provide strong representation of ICBA, if required, attend relevant functions, such as events, conferences, meetings and seminars, and provide feedback and information on donor and partner trends.
    6. Identify trendsetter ideas in agriculture research and development by researching related events, publications, and announcements; tracking individual contributors and their accomplishments.
    7. Present business development training and mentoring to staff.
    8. Oversee and track ICBA's partnerships and the development and updating of MOUs.
    9. Updates resource mobilization knowledge by reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
    10. Fundraising support for the planned ICBA endowment/ trust fund.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential
    • Degree in marketing and/or business development (MBA preferred).
    • A minimum of 10 years of marketing, resource mobilization or business planning and development experience preferably in international agriculture research and development.
    • A solid understanding of the international agricultural research and development arena.
    • Fundraising experience.
    • Confident and articulate in all communications in English (bilingual Arabic English would be preferable).
  Other Skills and Competencies
    • Clear strategic mindset with analytical focus.
    • Rapport and relationship building at organizational level.
    • Project management skills, problem solving, organizational and planning skills.
    • Demonstrated ability to improve efficiencies.
    • Superior interpersonal and networking skills
    • Effective business plan, report writing, presentation and proposal writing skills
    • Results driven, innovative, creative and able to work on own initiative.
    • Professional, energetic
    • Multi-tasking
    • Advanced computer literacy
  Applicants are kindly requested to send an updated cover letter and C.V combined in one PDF file along with two names as references to:    Human Resources ICBA P.O. Box 14660 Dubai- UAE Fax: +9714 3361149 Email: hr@biosaline.org.ae
Post Date
2 July 2015
Status
Closed
Vacancy Type
Full-time
Closing Date
18 September 2015
Location
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, UAE
Report To
Director of Partnerships and Knowledge Management
Job Number
ICBAPKM-SBDS-2015-006