Business Development Lead at Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK)

Job Summary
CHAK is seeking a dynamic and strategic Business Development Lead to drive the Organization’s growth through innovative business initiatives, strong partnerships, and competitive proposal development. The role will oversee CHAK’s new business activities and partnership strategies, manage a portfolio of strategic projects and business while enhancing a robust business intelligence platform. The position involves identifying and analysing Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) aligned with Chak’s program priorities and ensuring full understanding of donor requirements.

The Business Development Lead will build and maintain strong relationships with donors and other CHAK Business partners and contribute to the implementation of CHAK’s Strategic and Business Plans. The business development lead shall also support CHAK business services limited, a for profit social enterprise owned by CHAK to incubate business ideas and grow its portfolio through strategic partnerships. The role directly supports the General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer

Key Responsibilities
Leadership

• Provides technical, rating and proposal development leadership for any proposals assigned within the Health Programs Directorate. The role is expected to also provide mentorship to new technical or contributing writers.

New business development

• Provides technical, writing and proposal development leadership for any proposals assigned within the Health Programs Division. The role is expected to also provide mentorship to new technical or contributing writers.
• Provides proposal development experience and expertise to capture, design and witting of strong winning proposals. The position is expected to bring an entrepreneurial spirit, seizing opportunities in the local marketplace, creating and nurturing opportunities for new business generation and visibly representing CHAK with stakeholders. Plans and executes with technical insight and intellectual curiosity/Innovation lens.
• Serves as a lead writer on capture and proposal efforts for restricted and unrestricted funding opportunities in the Health Programmes Division.
• Develops key proposal products including annotated outlines, executive summaries, technical approach sections, and material to support oral presentations.
• Participate in capture trips by developing a scope of work for trips, objectives and agendas for meetings. Identifies potential partners and candidates for program implementation. Establishes local relationships during proposal development and capture phases, obtains cost information pertinent for budgeting, provides regular updates to MT.
• Participates in Proposal Strategy Design Writing and review sessions with technical teams throughout the life of the proposal.
• Participates in the proposal development process, contributes to program design, and serves as technical lead writer or contributing writer or other sections as necessary.
• Provides mentoring and support to other colleagues in writing proposal sections and in other processes related to bid preparation.
• Provides contextual analysis and information from relevant / key sources to inform technical sections of proposals or in support of project implementation with project teams.
• Participates in the recruitment process of key and non key personnel
• Develops and maintains strong working relationships with partner and/or donor organisations
• Provides training and mentoring to build the capacity of CHAK staff in technical writing
• Participates in technical Working Groups and other fora
• Develops technical materials and knowledge products
• Lead proposal development teams liaising with program finance, communications, contracts and county office staff to ensure high-quality proposals are submitted
• Lead formation of partnerships with international and local Nongovernmental organisations for proposals and future opportunities
• Conduct capture research efforts to collect data and technical information that will inform strategy creation and proposal rating that reflects an understanding of the local technical contexts, strengths and weaknesses of competitors, the donor landscape, and client preferences
• Work with colleagues to set win themes and guide their incorporation into proposal sections
• Work closely with other team members to ensure that the proposal is well written, cohesive, organised according to donor requirements and that all technical proposal sections are consistent and aligned
• Provide leadership in implementation of organisations BD strategy, expanding CHAK’S portfolio in strategic program and technical areas
• Conduct exploratory visits to and engage with donors and potential partner and staff
• Monitor and track business opportunities for priority counties, stroke regions, and assess organizational fit
• Lead debrief sessions with key members of proposal teams to identify and conduct lessons learned and best practices for future efforts.
• Manage business development processes, including pipeline, quality review and collaboration with other divisions
• Support data analysis, reporting and knowledge management to inform business development strategy and operations
• Conduct long term and short-term strategic research that informs the growth strategy of the organization
• Manage a database of partners, setting up meetings and facilitating relationships
• Maintain new business files, resources and tools
• Serve on capture and proposal terms (as manager, writer, subs coordinator, recruiter etc)
• Support training programs to build the capacity of business development across the health programs division.
• Support CHAK business services limited to grow and expand its portfolio through business ventures and partnerships.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, Public Health, Development Studies, Health Economics, Project Management, International Relations, Business Administration, or another relevant field from a recognized institution.
• A basic degree in health-related field such as in Nursing, Public health, clinical medicine is an added advantage
• A master’s degree in health economics, business administration or related fields is a big advantage.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in business development, proposal writing, fundraising, or resource mobilization in the health or development sector.
• Proven experience in developing successful proposals for institutional donors and a proven value of portfolio won for previous employers
• Practical knowledge of donor-funded project lifecycles, including capture, design, budgeting, compliance, and reporting.
• Familiarity with health programming or working in faith-based or community-driven development contexts is desirable.

Desired Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Strong proposal writing, concept development, and strategic communication skills.
• In-depth knowledge of the funding landscape for health and development programs, both locally and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate multi-disciplinary proposal teams under tight deadlines.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, with a proven ability to engage and maintain productive partnerships with donors, government, and civil society organizations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to synthesize data and present compelling business cases.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with business intelligence or CRM tools is an added advantage.
• High level of initiative, integrity, and ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Commitment to CHAK’s mission, values, and the broader goals of improving health outcomes through faith-based approaches.