Business Development Lead

About the role

Catalpa International is seeking an experienced Business Development Lead to shape its growth across the Southeast Asia and Pacific region. The role is part‑time (four days a week) on a 24‑month fixed‑term contract and can be performed remotely.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor donor, government and procurement pipelines to spot early opportunities and translate market intelligence into actionable insights.
• Research clients, partners, markets and competitors, turning findings into strategic recommendations.
• Collaborate with technical and program teams to understand problems, craft compelling proposals and make go/no‑go decisions.
• Lead priority proposals from early positioning through submission, ensuring compliance, brand consistency and timely delivery.
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, partners, governments and consultants across the region.
• Develop capability statements, case studies, pitch decks and other content to better tell Catalpa’s story.
• Identify and implement digital or AI tools to make business development processes smarter and more efficient.

Required profile

• 5+ years of experience in business development, partnerships or proposal development within international development, preferably with government, bilateral or multilateral donors.
• Demonstrated judgement to assess opportunities, ask the right questions and decide where to invest effort.
• Excellent written communication – able to turn complex technical material into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Strong relationship‑building skills, comfortable connecting diverse stakeholders around an opportunity.
• High cultural competency and proven ability to work effectively in diverse Asian‑Pacific contexts.
• Self‑organised, able to keep complex proposals moving without excessive bureaucracy.