Partnerships and Business Development (BD) Manager

Role Overview

The Partnerships and Business Development Manager will grow NIRAS International Consulting’s development portfolio across East Africa, working from the Nairobi hub to identify opportunities, build donor and delivery-partner relationships, and lead competitive bids. The role combines market development with hands-on proposal work and, for selected assignments, project management or technical quality assurance. It supports work across Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Rwanda, with regional travel of up to 30%.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with bilateral and multilateral donors, regional organisations, foundations and development finance institutions operating in East Africa.
• Build a dependable network of technical specialists, subcontractors and consortium partners, keeping regional contact records current and useful.
• Monitor donor plans, market activity and procurement opportunities; conduct regional research and represent NIRAS at relevant conferences and industry events.
• Set positioning and capture plans for priority opportunities, and prepare go/no-go papers, market assessments and competitor analyses for internal decisions.
• Lead or contribute to bids in roles such as bid manager, proposal writer, budget lead or recruitment lead, applying required quality, risk and business development procedures.
• Maintain the East Africa opportunity pipeline, update CRM records, assess win likelihood and support revenue forecasts and regular pipeline reviews.
• Manage selected Kenya-based projects, including budgets, risk registers, quality processes and subcontractor arrangements; provide technical input or quality review where relevant.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, international development, economics, public policy or a related discipline; a master’s degree is an advantage.
• Substantial experience in business development or partnerships within international development consulting.
• Evidence of building effective donor relationships in the region, with familiarity with organisations such as the World Bank, FCDO/UKAid, MCC, USAID, development finance institutions or major foundations.
• Understanding of one or more relevant development fields, such as climate resilience, clean energy, infrastructure, agriculture, governance, education, gender equality, or peace and stability.
• Commercial capability in fee calculations, pricing, consortium budgets and proposal financial planning.
• Strong English writing and presentation skills, sound judgement under bid deadlines, and an entrepreneurial approach to developing opportunities.
• Ability to work effectively with multicultural, distributed teams and travel within Kenya and East Africa for up to 30% of the role.

What We Offer / Why Join

• Full-time position based in Nairobi, with regional engagement across East Africa.
• Monthly remuneration of KSh 550,000–650,000.
• Opportunity to contribute to international development projects across a broad regional portfolio.