Senior Business Development Manager

Position: Senior Business Development Manager

Job Location: Damascus Head Office

Reporting to: Deputy Country Director for Programs

Working area: Syria

Number of positions open: 1

Last date for application: June 8th 2025

Key relationships:

Senior Program Managers, Senior Operations Manager, Finance Manager, IMU Manager

Purpose of Assignment:

The Senior Business Development Manager Will Lead the Business Development (BD) Unit, overseeing funding strategy, donor engagement, and proposal development aligned with SAMS’ mission. Coordinates field assessments, local partnerships, and technical inputs to inform program design. Serves as the main liaison with HQ, RO, and country leadership. Ensures effective donor stewardship and supports organizational growth.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Develop and execute the BD Unit’s strategic plan in coordination with the Country Director (or Deputy CD) and HQ BD/Grant Manager.
• Provides regular updates and attends internal BD meetings with Syria, RO, and HQ BD counterparts.
• Routinely identifies funding opportunities, in coordination with Syria, RO, and HQ staff and maintains funding opportunity tracker.
• Prioritizes funding opportunities based on SAMS Syria funding needs, in coordination with Syria CD/Deputy CD
• Supports direct reports in donor mapping, donor engagement, proposal development, budgeting.
• Leads proposal budgeting from the BD side, in coordination with finance colleagues
• Lead Donor Due Diligence & Vetting, ensuring all proposals meet the specific eligibility and compliance requirements of each donor and ensures timely submission of due diligence packages.
• Conducts final proposal package quality control check prior to submission to RO/HQ for review.
• Organize high-level donor meetings, ensuring effective follow-ups.
• Oversee formal partnership development, using local partner mapping inputs from the Technical Specialist.
• Maintain regular coordination with the existing field assessment team for ongoing contextual updates.
• Supervise and mentor direct reports from initially the senior officers and officers S/he will recruit in Damascus National Office (or with more specialized staff in the future : Proposal Dev Officer, Donor Engagement Officer, Technical Specialists)
• Improves internal and external BD processes.
• Conduct comprehensive field and needs assessments focused on health service delivery, health systems strengthening, and mental health.
• Local Partner Mapping: Identify, document, and analyze potential local partners (charity groups, community organizations) to inform partnership development.
• Develop detailed technical inputs for proposals, including intervention design and activity outlines.
• Engage with local stakeholders (e.g., Ministry of Health) to validate findings and ensure technical accuracy.
• Collaborate with the Proposal Development Officer to integrate local partner insights into proposals.
• Coordinate with the existing field assessment team for enhanced local data collection.
• Leads preparation of go/no-go forms and proposal development workplans in coordination with relevant Syria, RO, and HQ staff.
• Draft comprehensive proposals that integrate technical, MEAL, operational, and financial inputs.
• Develop detailed project budgets in consultation with technical and operational stakeholders.
• Ensure proposals comply with donor eligibility and quality control measures (in coordination with the BD Manager).
• Integrate Local Partner Mapping Data: Leverage mapping insights from the Technical Specialist to structure and formalize local partnerships in proposals.
• Maintain and update proposal submission calendars and templates based on evolving donor feedback.
• Manage donor relationships through regular follow-up communications and scheduling, as directed by CD and DCD.
• Maintain detailed donor engagement records and manage donor databases.
• Prepare tailored briefing materials and communication packages for donor meetings.
• Assist in partnership negotiations, especially for multisector proposals that include local partners.
• Stay informed about evolving donor priorities and adjust engagement strategies accordingly.
• Supervise the Donor and Partner stewardship function, through maintaining strict deadlines meetings, responsive relationship between Program Staff and the counter partners within donors and partners, implement PSA Partners Satisfaction Assessment, find urgent solutions for any dispute or misunderstanding or misconduct with the partners or donors (taking into consideration the two ways of partnerships).
• BD Senior Manager Reporting:
  The BD Manager reports directly to the Country Director (or Deputy CD) and coordinates with the HQ BD/Grant Manager for strategic guidance and quality control.
• Regular coordination meetings (weekly or bi-weekly) should be established between the Syria BD Unit, RO Program and Business Development, and HQ Sr. BD Officer.
• Syria BD Senior Manager will liaise between their BD Unit and external Syria, RO, and HQ colleagues/focal points or delegate Proposal Dev Officer to coordinate as needed.
• Proposal prioritization to be done by BD Senior Manager in collaboration with CD/Deputy CD.
• Shared use of Amplifund Grants Management System for Proposal Filing and Donor Engagement Updates (Meeting readouts saved to donor contact on AF).
• Shared use of Google Drive for proposal development and opportunity management.
• Shared use of grant search tools for opportunity capture (Darpe, Devex, etc)
• Promote and model a positive, professional, and respectful office culture.

THE CANDIDATE’S REQUIREMENTS

Mandatory Qualifications required

• Bachelor’s degree in any related field
  • 5 years’ experience in Grants management in NGO Sector

Languages

• Fluent written and spoken in Arabic
• Fluent written and spoken English

Competencies:

• Grants / Partnerships Cycle Management
• Proposal Development
• Performing Audit
• Business Development
• Sub Grant Management
• Report Writing
• communication skills
• Gmail