Business Development and Partnerships Manager

Job Title: Business Development and Partnerships Manager
Job Type: Full-Time, Hybrid
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Reports to: Executive Director
Start Date: August 2025
Compensation: ₦650,000 – ₦800,000/month (Negotiable based on experience)
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About Our Client:

Our client is dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa to drive sustainable development and economic growth. They support initiatives that empower Africa innovators, providing them with resources and opportunities to thrive in a global economy.

Our client is seeking a dynamic and proactive Business Development and Partnerships Manager to join our team. In this role, you will be at the forefront of building and nurturing strategic relationships with key stakeholders, including corporate partners, academic institutions, innovation hubs, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. The successful candidate will drive collaborative initiatives that align with the foundation’s mission to empower entrepreneurs and promote sustainable development across Africa.

Key Responsibilities:

Sourcing and Closing: Driving New Revenue through Diverse Partnerships

Identify and pursue new business development opportunities aligned with the Foundation’s strategic priorities, including corporate, philanthropic, development, and public sector partners.
Conduct market and ecosystem scans to discover emerging trends, aligned actors, and whitespace opportunities for collaboration.
Lead prospecting efforts—research, outreach, and relationship-building—with potential donors, sponsors, and strategic collaborators.
Develop tailored proposals, pitch decks, concept notes, and partnership packages that articulate the Foundation’s value proposition and impact model.
Manage the end-to-end partnership lifecycle: from initial outreach to negotiation and closing, including drafting and coordinating agreements with executive teams.
Track, measure, and report on business development KPIs such as pipeline growth, conversion rate, revenue secured, and partnership types.

Stewarding Partners and Sponsors: Ensuring Long-Term Engagement and Value Creation

Act as the primary relationship manager for donors, partners and sponsors, ensuring regular communication, mutual accountability, and long-term value.
Design and execute stewardship plans for key partners, including personalized engagement touchpoints, annual reviews, and co-creation opportunities.
Collaborate internally to ensure timely delivery of partnership commitments and milestones.
Monitor and evaluate partnership outcomes, gathering data, feedback, and stories of impact to demonstrate results and inform renewals.
Identify opportunities for partners to deepen engagement through additional support, strategic collaboration, or ecosystem participation.
Keep a comprehensive and up-to-date partner database, including engagement history, contact information, and renewal timelines.

External Communication: Amplifying the Impact of Partnerships

Coordinate with the marketing and communications team to spotlight the impact unlocked by key partnerships through campaigns, features, and reports.
Collaborate on storytelling and public recognition strategies for partners across digital platforms, newsletters, social media, and events.
Contribute to annual reports, donor updates, and ecosystem-facing publications to highlight co-created successes.
Represent Our Client at external events, panels, or pitches—positioning the organization as a high-impact collaborator.

Internal Communication: Activating Team Collaboration for Partnership Success

Facilitate internal alignment by regularly briefing team members on new and ongoing partnerships, including roles, deliverables, and timelines.
Host cross-functional planning meetings to ensure that team members are looped in early and often.
Develop internal resources such as partnership playbooks, reporting templates, and FAQs to guide consistent execution across the organization.
Collaborate with the Program & Partnership Coordinator and marketing team to ensure accurate impact reporting and partnership performance insights.
Champion a culture of partnership across the organization—encouraging everyone to think as ecosystem builders and relationship stewards.

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Requirements

Experience

Proven track record in business development, sales, partnerships, or fundraising
Strong experience in managing the full partnership lifecycle—from lead generation to proposal development and deal closure.
Solid understanding of stakeholder management and donor relations.

Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills—especially in proposal writing, stakeholder presentations, and storytelling.
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building abilities, with a flair for managing diverse stakeholders.
Excellent organizational and project management skills; ability to track multiple relationships and timelines simultaneously.
Analytical thinking and ability to evaluate partnership ROI and impact metrics.
Proficiency in using digital tools for communication, CRM, and documentation.

Attributes

Proactive, self-driven, and highly motivated to meet and exceed targets.
Persuasive, creative, and strategic thinker who can spot opportunities and tailor compelling propositions.
Professional demeanor with the ability to represent the foundation credibly in high-level forums.
Collaborative mindset and ability to wor