Zinc Network

Head of Business Development

Zinc Network

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: London • United Kingdom

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Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Monitoring UK government and other government and client funding pipelines to identify new business opportunities.
  • Mapping Zinc’s capabilities against upcoming opportunities and ensuring early positioning with potential clients and partners.
  • Conducting research to inform new business strategy and sector trends.
  • Leading the development of client engagement strategies to establish and maintain strong relationships with donors, foundations, and commercial clients.
  • Representing Zinc at industry events, networking opportunities, and client meetings to showcase our capabilities.
  • Preparing and delivering compelling pitches and presentations to secure new work.
  • Generating innovative project ideas and developing regular concept notes to expand Zinc’s portfolio.
  • Collaborating with internal teams to refine concepts into fundable proposals that align with donor priorities.
  • Leading the full lifecycle of proposal development, including bid strategy, technical writing, compliance, and quality control.
  • Writing and reviewing key proposal sections, including technical solutions, corporate capability statements, stakeholder engagement strategies, duty of care descriptions, staffing solutions, and social value propositions.
  • Managing proposal timelines and teams to ensure high-quality, competitive submissions.
  • Working closely with Zinc’s commercial team to develop budgets and budget narratives that align with technical approaches and donor evaluation criteria.
  • Ensuring proposals are financially competitive while maintaining the integrity of Zinc’s programmatic delivery.
  • Leading and mentoring business development team members, fostering a high-performance culture.
  • Coordinating effectively with Zinc’s research, strategy, and implementation teams to ensure business growth efforts are well-integrated across the business.
  • Represent Zinc at high-level meetings with clients and project partners, all while embodying the values of Zinc Network.

Requirements

  • A bachelor’s degree, or significant professional experience, in communications, business, international development, or a related field.
  • At least 10 years of experience in proposal development and business growth within a related field.
  • Knowledge of UK government procurement processes, particularly with FCDO, Home Office, Crown Commercial Services, defence, and other international government clients.
  • Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to craft compelling proposals and persuasive pitches.
  • Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple bids and business development efforts simultaneously.
  • A track record of securing funding from governmental, foundation, and commercial clients.
  • Willingness to occasionally work outside of regular business hours to meet proposal deadlines.
  • Experience improving BD or organisational processes using AI.
  • Knowledge of communications and campaigning, media development, and/or information integrity is preferred.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
proposal developmentbusiness growthtechnical writingbudget developmentcomplianceproject managementstakeholder engagementconcept developmentfunding strategyresearch
Soft Skills
communicationorganizational skillsleadershipmentoringrelationship buildingpresentation skillscollaborationinnovationtime managementstrategic thinking