Head of Business Development

Introducing Zinc Network

Zinc Network uses behavioural science and AI to address the toughest problems of our time. We do this with networks of local actors who help us advance meaningful, measurable change.

We are headquartered in London, with 50+ team members from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. We work with a broad range of governmental, NGO, and private sector clients, including the UK Home Office (HO); the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); the U.S. Department of State (DOS); and foundations.

Outline of the job

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Business Development (BD) to drive Zinc Network’s expansion and strengthen our position in key markets. This role is responsible for identifying and securing new business opportunities, leading proposal development, and cultivating strong relationships with clients and partners.

This is a full-time position based in London three days a week.

Key responsibilities include:

·       Shaping Zinc’s BD strategy alongside its teams, while monitoring and reporting against revenue targets and iterating strategy and tactics as needed.

·       Working with Zinc teams to build relationships with and position the business for opportunities from the UK and other donor governments, technology companies, and other private clients.

·       Upselling Zinc’s work on existing programmes to secure co-funding opportunities.

·       Developing a consistent rhythm of client presentations and concept notes to shape new projects.

·       Leading the proposal development process from end-to-end in response to competitive tender requests.

·       Writing and contributing to proposals, including authoring technical approaches, corporate capabilities, past performance, stakeholder management, duty of care, social value, handover and exit strategies, and quality assurance.

·       Working closely with Zinc’s commercial team to ensure budgets and budget narratives align with proposal evaluation criteria.

What you’ll be doing:

As Head of BD, you will play a critical role in driving Zinc’s revenue and impact. Your responsibilities will include:

Business Development & Opportunity Tracking

• 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.

Client Engagement & Pitching

• 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.

Concept Development & Strategic Positioning

• 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.

Proposal Leadership & Writing

• 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, and social value propositions.
• Managing proposal timelines and teams to ensure high-quality, competitive submissions.

Financial & Commercial Oversight

• 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.

Team Leadership & Internal Coordination

• 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 organisation.

What we need from you:

We are looking for a BD leader with a proven track record of securing funding and leading winning proposals in the international development and strategic communications sectors. The ideal candidate will be eager to step into a senior position at Zinc and help us grow the business. Qualifications include:

·       A bachelor’s degree in communications, business, international development, or a related field.

·       At least 7 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, and other international government clients.

·       Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, with a strong ability to craft compelling proposals and persuasive pitches.

·       Excellent organizational 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.

Conditions of Employment

Candidates who receive a job offer will be required to:

·       Disclose any previous disciplinary action against them resulting from a substantiated safeguarding (including any breaches involving trafficking- related activities) or workplace investigation.

·       Undergo background checks including employment verification, sexual offender registry (as available), identity confirmation, and anti-terrorism vetting.

Area of Selection

We’re committed to hiring a diverse workforce from different professional and cultural backgrounds, and to that end we encourage a variety of people to apply to join our company to represent the diverse range of subjects associated with our projects.