Dev-Afrique Development Advisors is an Africa-focused advisory and implementation firm that helps governments, development institutions, foundations, and businesses address complex public-sector and development challenges. Dev-Afrique works at the intersection of policy, technology, and implementation, with experience spanning digital public infrastructure, geospatial systems, impact assessment, and institutional strengthening in agriculture, conservation & climate, health, water and sanitation.
As Dev-Afrique enters its next phase of growth, the firm is seeking an exceptional Director of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships to expand its markets, deepen institutional relationships, and build a more systematic engine for sustainable growth.
The Opportunity
This is a senior, commercially accountable leadership role for a professional who can identify opportunities, build trusted relationships, and convert them into high-value engagements and partnerships.
Working closely with the leadership team, the Director will lead market development, opportunity origination, strategic partnerships, major bids, and commercial negotiations. This role is beyond a proposal-writing position, rather, it requires the judgement, credibility, and persistence to engage senior decision makers and carry opportunities from conversations to signed agreement.
The role offers considerable autonomy and the opportunity to help build a distinctive, globally respected African advisory and implementation firm.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development and Function Development
- Develop and execute Dev-Afrique’s business development and market-expansion strategy.
- Identify priority clients and service offerings and develop a qualified pipeline of opportunities.
- Originate consulting, advisory, implementation, and partnership opportunities and lead opportunity cultivation from initial engagement through solution design, negotiation, and closure.
- Expand existing client relationships through follow-on and cross-sector opportunities.
- Establish comprehensive systems for opportunity qualification, pipeline review, and revenue forecasting.
- Mobilise technical and leadership teams around priority pursuits and build a high-performing business development and partnerships team.
Strategic Partnerships and Market Engagement
- Build senior-level relationships with governments, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, corporations, and implementing organisations.
- Position Dev-Afrique as a preferred African implementation partner and develop partnerships with international consulting firms, universities, technical institutions, and technology providers.
- Structure consortium arrangements, teaming agreements, and other strategic collaborations.
- Represent Dev-Afrique at relevant conferences, industry forums, and high-level meetings.
- Provide market intelligence to guide the firm’s investment, hiring, and expansion decisions.
Proposal and Deal Leadership
- Lead major expressions of interest, proposals, concept notes, and partnership pitches and work with technical teams to develop practical, differentiated, and commercially compelling solutions.
- Establish a clear win strategy and value proposition for each major pursuit and coordinate pricing, negotiations, and internal approvals.
- Strengthen the firm’s opportunity-management systems and reusable business development assets and support the development of case studies, thought leadership, and market-facing materials.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have:
- At least 10 years of relevant experience, including significant responsibility for business development, partnerships, fundraising, or client acquisition.
- A demonstrated record of personally originating, developing, and closing significant consulting, development, technology, or public-sector engagements.
- Strong networks across African governments, foundations, development agencies, international NGOs, consulting firms, technology companies, or impact investors.
- Experience developing consortiums or partnerships involving African and international organisations.
- Strong commercial judgement and the discipline to prioritise opportunities with a credible prospect of success.
- Excellent proposal writing, presentation, negotiation, and executive-communication skills.
- Be available to travel regularly across Africa and Internationally
The successful candidate will be entrepreneurial and relationship-led and will be comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-moving, high-expectation environment.
What Dev-Afrique Offers
- A senior leadership role with significant autonomy to shape the firm’s growth strategy and partnership portfolio.
- Competitive fixed compensation and highly attractive performance-linked incentives tied to business origination and closure.
- A flexible, entrepreneurial environment focused on outcomes, impact, and contribution.
- Exposure to influential institutions, decision makers, and projects across Africa and the opportunity to build new markets, service lines, and institutional partnerships alongside a team of exceptional delivery professionals.
Application
If you are a strong fit for this role, please share your resumé or professional profile with us via email at recruitment@dev.africa.
