Business Development Assistant

Opportunity International • Chicago, IL

22h • Onsite

About The Position

The Business Development Assistant is a high-potential, early-career role designed for a recent graduate seeking exposure to executive operations and international business development. This role blends Business Development production support with administrative and operations responsibilities, offering hands-on experience across calendar and travel management, proposal development, and sales enablement. The ideal candidate is highly organized, tech-savvy, detail-oriented, and eager to learn transferable systems and processes, including data analysis and research, in a fast-paced and mission-driven environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, business, public policy, economics, finance, or related field required.
• Technical understanding and fluency of inclusive finance, access to finance, market-based development models, and/or private sector partnerships.
• Exceptional writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to engage with senior-level internal and external stakeholders and manage high-pressure, time-bound deliverables.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Microsoft Teams.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Comfort learning new tools, systems, and processes quickly.
• Interest in business development, partnerships, or international development is strongly preferred.
• Passionate about Opportunity’s mission. Able to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.
• Written and verbal fluency in English required.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s level degree preferred.
• Internship or academic experience related to consulting, sales, fundraising, or proposal development.
• Exposure to CRM systems, proposal tracking tools, or shared document management platforms.
• International experience, language skills, or interest in global development
• Strong formatting and visual presentation skills.
• fluency in French or Spanish desirable.

Responsibilities

• Support BD capture and proposal development across institutional and corporate opportunities.
• Track opportunities, deadlines, and deliverables across the BD pipeline.
• Assist with proposal coordination, including formatting, compliance checks, assembling attachments, and version control.
• Produce and update sales pitch decks, concept notes, and briefing materials in Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.
• Support donor research, background briefs, and internal meeting planners for partner meetings.
• Maintain BD trackers and shared systems ensuring information is current and well-organized.
• Coordinate internal reviews and contribute to post-submission debriefs and lessons learned.
• Manage complex calendars across multiple time zones; coordinate internal and external meetings using Microsoft Outlook and Teams.
• Coordinate domestic and international travel (including flights, hotels, and visas, as needed) and prepare detailed itineraries.
• Process and reconcile expense reports accurately and on time.
• Draft, proofread, and format emails, meeting agendas, briefing notes, and follow-up communications.
• Maintain organized digital filing systems and shared workspaces (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive).
• Support preparation for executive meetings, donor calls, and board-related engagements.
• Serve as a trusted administrative partner, anticipating needs and proactively solving scheduling or logistics issues.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, disability, accident, critical illness, cancer, and pet insurance, identity theft protection, 403(b), and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level