Partnership Development Associate

Scout and identify new opportunities across funders, implementers, and research partners, both proactively and through inbound channels.

Maintain CRM compliance and metrics tracking in Copper, ensuring all submitted opportunities are logged consistently.

Support proposal development, drafting sections, accessing approved technical content, coordinating inputs across teams, and ensuring submissions are responsive to partner priorities.

Manage submissions and maintenance of Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) with partner organizations, including tracking timelines and compliance requirements, and collecting input from relevant teams.

Forging strategic partnerships with academic, commercial, public sector, and third sector organizations, with whom we can design, test, and scale solutions, with support from Senior Leadership.

Manage a pipeline of organizations to watch.

Maintain the BD calendar, including trainings, conference schedules, and the cadence of the Director Activation Strategy.

Plan and coordinate trainings for internal staff, including scheduling, materials preparation, and follow-up.

Support facilitation of partner landscape analysis as part of the Director Activation Strategy, initially in collaboration with senior leadership.

Attend external networking meetings alongside senior leadership, responsible for note-taking, drafting follow-up communications, and identifying next steps.

Manage follow-ups from high-level meetings, ensuring commitments are captured and actioned.

Update and maintain the Partnership Development landing page, ensuring content is current, accurate, and aligned with Busara's positioning.

Support the development of partnership tools, templates, and resources.

Advocate for knowledge management within Busara’s Partnerships function.

Operator of partnership intelligence methodology. 

Serve as internal liaison between the Partnership Development function and other Busara teams, ensuring delivery teams are connected to the right technical and operational expertise.

Facilitate the creation and coordination of inter-portfolio delivery teams when opportunities cut across thematic areas.

Maintain and improve internal Partnerships Team resources (e.g., shared team drives) and ensure that content is relevant, appropriate, and up to date.

Assist in the planning and execution of weekly Partnerships team meetings.

Assist the VP, Partnerships, in the tabulation and reporting of business development targets and attainments.

Plan and manage logistics for Busara roadshows, including scheduling, briefing materials, and follow-up coordination.

A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or other related field

1-3 years of previous work experience related to business development or partnership relationship management.

Experience in managing large proposal development processes across multiple teams.

Fluency and excellent communication and writing skills with a mastery of English.

Outgoing personality and enjoys making connections with new people.

Ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations.

Understanding of qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methods.

Excellent management and organizational skills.

Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player

Interest and experience working in a fast-paced environment.

A Master’s degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or related fields

Experience in business development with core Busara funders, e.g., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, USAID, DfID, etc., will be an added advantage.

Experience in developing country contexts.

Experience managing or mentoring staff.

Familiarity with behavioral science.