Partnerships and Business Development Lead
Position Description
Partnerships and Business Development Lead
WORK LOCATION: Preferred: Bulli NSW; Yass NSW; Melbourne VIC; or Canberra ACT.
Remote working arrangements from other locations within Australia are also feasible.
JOB TYPE: Preferably full-time. Part-time arrangements will be considered.
REMUNERATION: Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
Who are we?
Strategic Development Group (Strategic) is a professional services firm committed to seeing improved quality of life and thriving communities resulting from collaborative and thoughtful development. We work with clients in Australia and internationally to help them engage effectively with their communities and stakeholders, understand how to achieve the best outcomes for people and businesses, and measure the effectiveness of what they do.
The word and the process of ‘development’ can be contentious. At Strategic, we adopt a broad definition of development as a process of creating something positive over a period of time. People and communities are central to our understanding of development. Development should enable people to lead lives they have reason to value, in order for communities to thrive.
Strategic is made up of a group of people with exceptional skills in a diverse range of areas allowing us to bring together project teams that are tailor-made to clients’ specific needs. Through our design, monitoring and evaluation capability, we lead and support program design, implement monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks, collaboratively develop theory of change/program logic models, undertake program reviews and evaluations, and provide specialist advice to clients. Our approach is characterised by practicality, collaboration, clear and accessible communication, and culturally attuned and inclusive approaches including a strong focus on gender, disability and social inclusion.
What drives us?
We are driven by our company values, which govern the decisions and actions of Strategic and its team members:
• Humility: We are down to earth and value the expertise of others. We cherish diversity and treat everyone with respect because we believe in the innate worth of all people.
• Integrity: We nurture honest and transparent relationships. We stand firm in what we think is important and make sure we ‘do no harm’. We say what we mean and we do what we say.
• Ambition: We have big dreams for our company, our people, our clients and our communities. We have the courage and curiosity to seek innovative ideas and solutions. We’re committed to a brighter, sustainable future for all.
Who do we work with?
Our clients span all levels of government, and we also work with the private sector and for-purpose organisations. We do a lot of work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). We also work with clients like CSIRO, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals (BCCM), ACT Government, Riverview Group, the Australian Water Partnership, and many others.
What will this role do?
The Business Development unit is a fast-paced and agile team targeting the growth and diversification of Strategic’s client base and revenue by implementing the business development strategy. This is a highly collaborative role that proactively seeks new business while coordinating and being accountable for the submission of high-quality tenders and bids with the team.
The position manages a part-time Business Development Officer, supporting the identification, coordination and development of bids and tenders.
This position does not require a business development ‘expert’ with many years of experience in business development. Rather, it requires a strong knowledge of one or more sectors that Strategic works in (particularly the international development and/or federal government sectors), the ability to write with influence, and the drive and passion to win new work and make a key contribution to the ongoing growth of the company.
The Partnerships and Business Development Lead will develop strong relationships across the Strategic team to understand the team’s capabilities and successfully pitch that capability to potential clients. Depending on their interest and capabilities, the Partnerships and Business Development Lead may also participate in project teams that deliver work for our clients. That is, this role could be a combination of business development and project work.
Core Responsibilities
1. Lead implementation of business development strategy Clarify business development priorities, identify high-priority prospective clients and opportunities, articulate our unique value proposition, and position Strategic to win new work with both existing and new clients. This will include research to map out opportunities with potential clients and partner organisations, actively managing the pipeline of prospects of interest, and gathering information to help the team position for those opportunities.
Support networking and customer relationship management, including proactive development of new relationships and exploration of new opportunities in order to generate the kinds of work we want to be doing. Support Strategic’s public communications to ensure our public messaging supports the acquisition of new work and informs prospective clients about our capabilities and unique value proposition.
2. Be accountable for high-quality bids for submission to prospective clients
For each opportunity, determine our value proposition and work with our team of inhouse specialists to identify the most compelling team for the work.
Manage the bid writing process to ensure high-quality bids that present a compelling case to prospective clients about why the Strategic team is the right one for the project. These bids will be in a diverse range of formats – from informal pitches, tailored responses to limited tenders, to large formal tenders – for small, medium and large projects. Refine proposal templates and standard text to streamline proposal writing processes. International development and federal government will be a strong initial focus of this work, alongside a much broader set of opportunities including in the property development, infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.
3. Strengthen the systems that support effective business development Refine the internal systems Strategic uses to track, position for, evaluate and respond to opportunities. These include a database to track opportunities, a customer relationship management system, bid decision forms, capability statements and bid templates. Develop strong collaborative partnerships with like-minded organisations and build mutually beneficial relationships with potential sub-contractors and delivery partners. Track feedback on successful and unsuccessful bids and analyse trends to support ongoing improvement.
4. Diverse other tasks depending on interest, capabilities and the needs of the business Enthusiastically get involved in the diverse range of work that Strategic undertakes and support colleagues to grow and make an impact.
Contribute expertise and ideas to projects, including in program design and strategy, community and stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. Attributes needed To be successful in this role, you’ll need familiarity with clients in one or more relevant sectors, including international development, federal government, property development, infrastructure, renewable energy, and/or state and local government.
You’ll also need some practical experience in preparing (or evaluating) tenders, quotes and proposals for consultancy work or similar. You will need excellent writing skills, including the ability to bring together written inputs from multiple team members into a coherent and compelling document and the ability to synthesise CVs and company experience into summaries tailored to the proposed work. You will be self-motivated, with a passion and drive to win new work and grow the business. You will be able to work proactively both in person and remote from colleagues in a fast-paced environment, always fostering a collaborative team approach. You will have some experience managing or working closely with supporting team members.
You will need to be client-focused, driven to make a difference, highly flexible and interested in being involved in a wide range of work. Bring a sense of fun.
Selection criteria
The following selection criteria outline what we’re looking for in candidates, but we are flexible in shaping the role to fit the right person. Accordingly, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of these precise criteria.
Essential
1. Demonstrated experience in one or more of the sectors in which Strategic works, ideally including a strong understanding of how clients such as government departments, research organisations and infrastructure or property developers procure services.
2. Demonstrated experience in coordinating bids for consulting or contracting work. Alternatively, demonstrated experience in a related area such as assessment of proposals, preparing terms of reference for consultancies and writing funding proposals in different contexts.
3. Demonstrated ability to write high-quality documents that are both thorough and highly readable, with attention to detail.
4. Exceptional interpersonal skills and commitment to teamwork.
5. Exceptional organisational skills to manage diverse pipelines of work, bid writing processes and engagement with a range of stakeholders.
Desirable
6. Pre-existing networks in one or more of the sectors in which Strategic works.
7. Other passion and expertise that you want to bring to your work – let us know what issues and sectors you’re skilled and passionate to work on.
How to apply
We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with disabilities.
Please submit to connect@strategicdevelopment.com.au by 7 October 2024:
1. Your CV (maximum 3 pages), including the names and contact details of two referees;
2. A written application (maximum 3 pages) that explains why you’re attracted to seek this position and directly addresses the six selection criteria above; and
3. An example of a piece of work that you’ve recently completed that demonstrates your capabilities.