Business Development Specialist

This position is covered under CUPE Bargaining Unit

Save the Children believes every child has the right to a future. In Canada and around the world, we do whatever it takes – every day and in times of crisis – to support children to fulfill their rights to a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. With over 100 years of experience, Save the Children is the world’s first and leading independent children’s organization – transforming lives and the future we share.

THE IMPACT YOU WILL MAKE:

Reporting to the Director, International Programs & Partnerships, the Business Development Specialist (BDS) will be responsible for designing and securing funding proposals for international development and humanitarian programs, with a focus on improving outcomes for children globally at Save the Children Canada (SCC). Working across teams, the BDS leads the development of high-quality proposals for a range of donors, including Global Affairs Canada (GAC), development banks, and philanthropic partners, while strengthening internal processes, tools, and learning.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Lead prospect research, competitive analyses, and donor engagement strategies to identify and assess new funding opportunities aligned with SCC priorities.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with institutional donors (e.g., GAC, development banks) and external partners, supporting pre-positioning and donor strategy.
• Advise internal and external interest holders on donor requirements, Save the Children’s federated model, and partnership protocols to ensure compliant and competitive submissions.
• Guide internal approval processes for new opportunities, including financial and risk analysis, using structured assessment tools.
• Assist in the negotiation of pre-teaming agreements, partnership roles, and governance structures during proposal stages.
• Manage institutional and non-institutional proposal development (narrative and financial), ensuring alignment with donor criteria, internal strategy, and cross-departmental inputs.
• Navigate multi-country, multi-partner proposal teams, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and SCC internal processes.
• Leverage expertise in gender equality, sustainability, and core programming sectors to strengthen proposal quality and coherence.
• Maintain internal systems and documentation throughout opportunity and proposal phases, ensuring accurate records and knowledge transfer.
• Strengthen capacity of Country Offices and partners to develop proposals and pitch to institutional and non-institutional donors, especially GAC.
• Maintain and update donor-specific templates, guidelines, and training resources across shared platforms.
• Provide strategic input to improve internal systems, tools, and processes related to business development and proposal submission.
• Collaborate closely with SCC, SCI, and partner interest holders to drive efficiency and strong cross-functional coordination.
• Lead or support cross-member account management and partner engagement strategies, including building SCC’s profile with key institutional donors.

Qualifications include (but are not limited to):

• Post-secondary education in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in International Development, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO/INGO), or other not-for-profit sectors is required.
• Demonstrated experience with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) standards and guidelines including Results-Based Management (RBM) approaches and Gender Equality results expectations.
• Proven track record securing institutional funding, particularly from GAC, with strong budgeting skills and knowledge of GAC financial parameters.
• Understanding of how to efficiently guide proposal development processes to meet diverse donor needs across institutional and non-institutional opportunities
• Familiarity with child rights programming across Health, Education, Child Protection, Livelihoods, and Gender Equality sectors.
• Advanced communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills for diverse audiences to build strong working relationships across cultural and organizational settings, both internally and externally. French/Spanish/Arabic language skills is an asset.
• Demonstrated project management experience for task execution of assigned objectives supported by proficiency with MS Office tools and relevant technologies. Ability to work under pressure within tight timelines to achieve SCC objectives.
• Displays analytical and problem-solving skills to support initiatives with demonstrated adaptability to support change management for successful task implementation.
• Applies judgment and make sound decisions that are accountable, justifiable, and in adherence to policies and procedures.
• Considers organizational strategy and thinks creatively to support innovative initiatives and collaborations that deliver benefits for the children and families we serve.
• Ability to occasionally travel locally, nationally and internationally (less than 10%) as required.

WHAT WE OFFER

This position salary range between $61,778.85 - $78,336.60 CAD depending on skills and experience. In addition to this, our employees will have the following package of additional benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package for you and your dependents available in three months after employment.
• Coordinated benefits for your partner paid by Save the Children Canada.
• Hybrid workplace, and flexible work hours to support employee wellbeing and productivity.
• Confidential Employee Assistance Program services available to you and your dependents from your first day of employment.
• Discounted rate for a GoodLife membership.
• Organization-wide membership with Headspace.
• 3 weeks of annual leave.
• In addition to annual leave, we offer a December 25 - January 1 office closure (SAVE Days) so we can all recharge simultaneously.
• Paid 5-day-personal days.
• Paid 1-day-float days.
• Paid 10-day-sick leave.
• Parental leave top-up.
• Employer contributions to group pension plan.
• Learning and development opportunities and specialized training.

HOW TO APPLY?

If you are interested in this position, please visit https://www.savethechildren.ca/ and submit your resume and cover letter by 5:00 PM EST September 18, 2025. Internal candidates, please apply via ADP by 5:00 PM EST September 11, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on ongoing basis. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Please note that AI is used in some components of the recruitment process.

It is our individual and collective responsibility to ensure all children are protected from deliberate or unintentional acts that lead to the risk of, or actual, harm caused by our employees. Each employee shall be aware that there may be additional vulnerabilities facing children associated with their age, socio-economic background, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, identity, sexual orientation or identity, and is committed to ensuring this does not form barriers to effective safeguarding.

Each employee is committed to fostering and sustaining a safe environment through proactive, accessible, and effective approaches that seek to prevent and respond to any harm to the children including but not limited to sexual exploitation and abuse. SCC and all its employees will take all reasonable steps to make itself safe, both as an organisation and in the conduct of all aspects of its day-to-day operations of emergency, humanitarian, developmental, policy, campaigning and administrative work.

SCC support and acts in compliance with the Human Rights Code. *SCC is committed to providing accessible employment practices that are in compliance with theAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act(‘AODA’).*Providing an accessible and barrier-free environment is a shared effort, and as an organization, SCC is committed to working with the necessary parties to make accessibility for all a reality.If you require an accommodation during any stage of the recruitment or employment process, please notify People & Culture atpeopleandculture@savethechildren.ca

Please Note: This job opportunity is to fill an existing vacancy.

Please note that AI may be used to support certain parts of the recruitment process (e.g., application screening); however, all final hiring decisions are made by our hiring team.