Senior Specialist, Business Development

Position description

The Basel Institute on Governance is a hands-on centre of competence dedicated to promoting good governance and countering corruption for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Established in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Institute works with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery and business integrity. With field operations worldwide, it has some 130 staff covering 28 nationalities. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

We are seeking a motivated and experienced fundraising and business development specialist to support the Basel Institute’s financial sustainability. The role is central to our mission as a non-profit organisation working worldwide to promote good governance and counter corruption.

With an annual budget of approximately CHF 15 million, the Basel Institute relies on a combination of core funding from government donors (25 percent) and project-specific grants and services (75 percent). Our objective is to diversify and expand long-term funding streams to ensure organisational sustainability and amplify our impact.

Fundraising and business development efforts may include a) pursuit of traditional development assistance or research grants; b) engagement with potential new core donors; c) outreach to high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and foundations to secure philanthropic contributions; d) efforts to optimise revenue from paid services and products such as the Basel AML Index, compliance advisory services, continuing education programmes and training courses.

This position reports to the Basel Institute’s Executive Director, and will involve close collaboration with the members of the Management Team as well as other senior staff.

Key responsibilities

1. Strategy and cross-cutting tasks

• Lead efforts to identify and define the Basel Institute’s unique selling points and competitive advantage across all its specialised areas.
• Support the development, evolution and implementation of an Institute-wide business development strategy and annual work plan, which is in line with the Institute’s strategic priorities and responsive to evolutions in the fundraising landscape.
• Identify and implement ways to use technology to increase efficiency, coordination and record-keeping in fundraising and business development efforts.
• Identify barriers to fundraising and financial sustainability and develop creative and effective ways to overcome these.
• Work with the communications team to refine external messaging and create relevant materials (flyers, videos, etc.) for fundraising and business development purposes.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising and business development initiatives as part of a process of continuous improvement.

2. Secure grants and development assistance funds

• Research and identify opportunities for traditional development assistance and research grants from government donors, international organisations and other funding bodies.
• Develop donor-specific strategies and plans to increase market share or break into new donor markets.
• Support market positioning efforts with a view to increasing market share or breaking into new donor markets.
• Manage and prioritise an opportunity pipeline.
• Increase efficiency by developing standard content for proposals, capability statements, etc.
• Draft and/or manage the production of high-quality funding proposals aligned with donor priorities and the Institute’s mission and goals.

3. Engage core donors

• Support efforts to engage new core donors for the Basel Institute and its major workstreams, including from government or subnational government partners.
• Develop tailored engagement strategies to secure long-term core funding partnerships.

4. Seek philanthropic contributions

• Identify and arrange connections with high-net-worth individuals, foundations and corporate donors that might contribute to the Basel Institute or one of its areas of work.
• Develop compelling cases for support to secure significant contributions.

5. Optimise revenue streams

• Develop and implement strategies to enhance revenue from the Basel Institute’s existing services and products, including the Basel AML Index, compliance or anti- money laundering advisory services, continuing education programme and training courses.
• Analyse market trends and client feedback to identify opportunities for growth and innovation in these offerings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or master’s degree in business administration, international development, public administration, economics or a related field.
• At least seven years’ experience in fundraising and/or business development in non- profit, charitable or international organisations.
• Proven experience working with a variety of funding sources, including governments, foundations, corporations and high-net-worth individuals.
• Experience in creating and implementing successful fundraising or business development strategies, including the ability to develop innovative solutions to overcome barriers to fundraising and take advantage of untapped opportunities.
• Familiarity with designing and pricing revenue-generating products or services.
• Strong grant-writing skills, including the ability to craft compelling proposals tailored to donor requirements and priorities.
• Advanced knowledge of financial management in the context of grants, including budgeting, forecasting and reporting.
• Proficiency in using technological tools to increase efficiency and quality.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills to prepare applications, materials and presentations. Relevant experience in marketing is an advantage.
• Capacity to effectively coordinate across teams and work with senior leadership to align strategies with organisational goals.
• Familiarity with anti-corruption, governance or compliance issues is highly desirable.
• Understanding of international fundraising landscape, including tax-related considerations.
• Excellent English skills; proficiency in German and other languages an advantage.

Offer

We offer an interesting and rewarding working environment with a proactive, dynamic and international team spirit. The work is both routine and varied, and offers scope for initiative and innovation. The salary is competitive.

Application instructions

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