Global Director of Business Development

Women for Women International•,

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Women for Women International (WfWI) invests where inequality is greatest by helping women who are forgotten — the women survivors of war and conflict. In Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan, women learn skills to rebuild their families and communities through the Women for Women International’s Stronger Women, Stronger Nations Programme. Here support networks are formed, women are equipped with the skills to earn an income and save, and gain knowledge and resources about health and their rights. Since 1993, our global community has invested in the power of over half a million women across 17 conflict-affected countries, to create a ripple effect that makes the world more equal, peaceful, and prosperous. The Global Director of Business Development drives Women for Women International’s institutional fundraising strategy, focusing on securing restricted support from governments, multilateral agencies, and private foundations. This position is responsible and accountable for setting and achieving global business development targets. The role provides overarching direction for global proposal development, strategic donor engagement, and partnership cultivation. By offering strategic input into program design, grant management, and reporting, the Director strengthens the competitiveness of WfWI’s funding efforts and supports long-term donor retention. Through direct engagement with donors and close collaboration with Communications, Policy, Advocacy, and key technical teams, this role elevates the visibility of WfWI’s impact and advances programmatic partnerships that position the organization as a preferred partner for work with women survivors of conflict. As a senior leader within both the Global Programs Unit and the Global Revenue Leadership Team, the Global Director of Business Development ensures strong alignment and coordination across Country Offices, Regional Hubs and Global Support Center functions to secure and steward complex grants tied to WfWI’s 2030 strategy and Global Revenue Strategy. The role oversees strategic partnerships, donor mapping, and pipeline development across regions and technical areas, ensuring cohesive organizational approaches to growth in partnership with Regional Directors. Within the Global Revenue Team, the Director collaborates with leaders of other high‑value revenue streams and Regional Directors to effectively allocate resources and drive collective revenue targets. This includes guiding Business Development Unit staff who may support corporate or major donor proposals and working closely with the Directors of Corporates and Development to align staffing and stewardship for corporates, trusts, and foundations. This role calls for a collaborative and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to balance strategic thinking and execution. As a pivotal position, it requires strong leadership to guide a proactive team and effectively manage conflict. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced institutional fundraising leader who is energised by building partnerships, navigating complexity, and unlocking new opportunities across regions and technical areas.

Requirements

Located in Germany, Iraq, Nigeria, UK or US with the existing right to work.
Proven track record of successfully achieving multi-million USD awards, increasing annual income by at least USD 5M a year in new business.
At least 10 years of experience in institutional fundraising, with a strong record of securing government, foundation, and multilateral grants in Africa, Europe, UK and the USA.
Extensive experience managing donor relationships across geographies.
Strong experience in developing complex, multi-country and multi-year proposals, with excellent writing, budgeting, and compliance skills for restricted funding.
Demonstrated leadership of teams and cross-cultural management capabilities. Passionate about working in partnership internally to achieve results through knowledge-sharing at both the country, regional and global level.
High levels of self-awareness and strong conflict management skills.
Strong analytical, planning, and CRM (Salesforce preferred) proficiency.
Commitment to WfWI’s mission and values, with familiarity with global gender, development, or humanitarian sectors.
In addition to fluent written and spoken English, competency in a second language spoken in a region where we work (French, Arabic, Dari, German, Swahili etc.)

Nice To Haves

Experience working directly with or in Program Country teams.
Deep understanding of women’s rights, gender equality, and conflict-affected contexts.
Proven success in consortium-based proposals or strategic partnerships.
Multi-lingual or regional expertise in conflict-affected settings.

Responsibilities

Shape and lead WfWI’s global institutional funding strategy, ensuring it reflects organisational priorities and regional realities.
Help drive the organisation‑wide revenue strategy and identify opportunities for growth in new and existing markets, including regions where WfWI does not yet have a presence.
Represent WfWI externally, building and nurturing relationships as well as identifying partnership opportunities that enhance our competitiveness and visibility in the fundraising space.
Manage the global pipeline, working with regional teams to track opportunities and ensure timely, coordinated submissions.
Lead and mentor a global team of business development professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, learning, and excellence.
Lead annual planning and revenue forecasting for the Business Development Unit, contribute to organisational leadership forums, and report regularly to WfWI’s International Board, UK Trustees, German Supervisory Board, and US Board of Advisors.
Oversee donor intelligence systems and CRM processes, ensuring accurate pipeline tracking and forecasting.
Work closely with Finance and Programs to ensure budgets are realistic and compliant, and uphold safeguarding and ethical fundraising principles across all institutional funding efforts.