Business Development Coordinator – Institutional Funding

Background of Oxfam:

Oxfam started working in Southern Africa in the 1980s. Since then, we have implemented both development and humanitarian programmes to support practical and innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty.

We work with local stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the root causes which keep people in poverty. Oxfam is currently collaborating with the Government, international and local CSOs, UN Agencies and other stakeholders.

Oxfam envisions Southern African countries to be free of extreme inequality and injustice; a society where citizens and particularly women across all age groups claim and exercise their rights and responsibilities and can influence decisions that affect their lives.

Our regional program aims to promote women’s rights, good governance and accountability, resilient livelihoods, as well as enhance preparedness, reduce vulnerability to disaster and ensure an effective response to humanitarian crises.

Job Summary:

The Business Development – Institutional Funding Coordinator provides technical coordination, pipeline management, and strategic donor engagement leadership to strengthen Oxfam’s positioning with institutional funders across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster. The role ensures that engagement with bilateral and multilateral donors, development finance institutions, UN agencies, and other strategic institutional partners is coordinated, evidence-based, and aligned with organisational priorities and programme ambitions. The role plays a central function in building and managing a regional institutional funding pipeline, supporting donor positioning, coordinating proposal development, and strengthening consortium and partnership arrangements. It works closely with programme, humanitarian, and influencing teams to identify emerging funding opportunities, facilitate competitive funding bids, and ensure that institutional engagement contributes to programme impact and long-term financial sustainability.

In addition, the role leads focal points working on institutional funding and donor engagement across the Cluster, ensuring effective coordination, capacity strengthening, and delivery of results.

The role requires a high level of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and analytical capability, with the ability to operate with autonomy in a complex, multi-country, partner-led environment.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

Essential

• Master’s degree in international development, Business Administration, Public Policy, Economics, Development Finance, or equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in institutional fundraising, grant acquisition, business development, or donor relations, including 2–3 years in a coordination or leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience working with bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, development finance institutions, UN agencies, and/or institutional foundations.
• Proven experience coordinating complex proposal development and consortium bids.
• Strong understanding of institutional donor compliance frameworks and funding mechanisms.
• Excellent strategic planning, analytical, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Experience working in multi-country and partnership-led environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Portuguese would be a strong advantage.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding, feminist principles, and localisation agenda.
• Proven experience as a team worker and demonstrably cooperative with members of other teams
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Desirable

• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly, at times at short notice, locally and regionally.
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English and ideally Portuguese.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical coordination, pipeline management, and strategic donor engagement leadership to strengthen Oxfam’s positioning with institutional funders across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster.
• Ensures that engagement with bilateral and multilateral donors, development finance institutions, UN agencies, and other strategic institutional partners is coordinated, evidence-based, and aligned with organisational priorities and programme ambitions.
• Plays a central function in building and managing a regional institutional funding pipeline, supporting donor positioning, coordinating proposal development, and strengthening consortium and partnership arrangements.
• Works closely with programme, humanitarian, and influencing teams to identify emerging funding opportunities, facilitate competitive funding bids, and ensure that institutional engagement contributes to programme impact and long-term financial sustainability.
• Leads focal points working on institutional funding and donor engagement across the Cluster, ensuring effective coordination, capacity strengthening, and delivery of results.

Skills

• Strategic planning
• Analytical skills
• Negotiation skills
• Relationship management skills
• Written and verbal communication skills in English
• Portuguese (advantage)
• Teamwork
• Cooperation with other teams

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, Business Administration, Public Policy, Economics, Development Finance, or equivalent qualification.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in institutional fundraising, grant acquisition, business development, or donor relations, including 2–3 years in a coordination or leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience working with bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, development finance institutions, UN agencies, and/or institutional foundations.
• Proven experience coordinating complex proposal development and consortium bids.
• Strong understanding of institutional donor compliance frameworks and funding mechanisms.
• Experience working in multi-country and partnership-led environments.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding, feminist principles, and localisation agenda.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work (desirable).
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly, at times at short notice, locally and regionally (desirable).

How to Apply

Job application procedure

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

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