Business Development Lead – mat cover

The HLA is seeking a dynamic and influential individual with a strong background in business development and fundraising to join us as our Business Development Lead 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.

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.

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.