Business Development and Proposal Manager

Good work starts with the right opportunity. Development and climate funding is moving fast: DFIs, multilaterals, foundations and NGOs are all looking for partners who can deliver. The best contracts go to those who prepare early, choose well and write clearly.

We are a group of two brands under common ownership. MzN International has helped more than 300 NGOs in over 35 countries since 2011. Human Planet, including Human Planet Carbon, helps NGOs, foundations, development agencies, DFIs, founders and companies mobilise private capital for a healthier, fairer, greener and more just planet.

We are now looking for a Business Development and Proposal Manager, part-time or full-time. The purpose of the role is to find the right bidding opportunities, position us early, and turn the expertise of our whole team into winning proposals.

We work with advanced AI agents that scan the market, filter opportunities and help draft. They make us fast. They do not make decisions. People do. You will be the human judgement at the centre of that system.

You will run the business development cycle for both brands: from spotting and qualifying opportunities, through pre-positioning, to compliant and compelling submissions. At the heart of the role, you draft and submit high-quality proposals every week.

You bring the commercial acumen and the process. The technical content comes from our partners and experts across the group, in blended finance, carbon markets, NGO strategy and organisational development. You draw it out, shape it and hold it to a deadline. You have weekly access to all partners.

Our AI agents do much of the scanning, sorting and first drafting. You direct them, check their work and make every call that matters: what we bid for, who we team with, what we promise and at what price, with the partners signing off.

• Opportunity pipeline. Track tenders, calls and expressions of interest from DFIs, multilaterals, bilateral donors, foundations and NGOs. Use our AI agents to scan and filter, and keep a clean, current pipeline.
• Bid or no-bid. Qualify each opportunity against clear criteria: strategic fit, relationship with the funder, competition, our capacity and likelihood of winning. Bring a recommendation to the partners, who decide.
• Approval gates. Take every bid through our internal gates: partner approval to bid, price sign-off, and final sign-off before submission. Nothing goes out without them.
• Pre-positioning. Help both brands get known before a tender is published: funder intelligence, early conversations, concept notes, capability statements and visibility with marketing. This includes MzN International, Human Planet and Human Planet Carbon.
• Repeat business. Work with the partners to spot follow-on needs with existing clients, and turn them into well-timed proposals. Our best new work often starts with work already done well.
• Teaming and experts. Screen and approach consortium partners and external experts. Secure CVs, letters of support and teaming agreements in time.
• Proposal management. Read the terms of reference closely, build the compliance matrix, outline and schedule, assign sections and keep everyone to the timeline. Start early, so work never piles up against the deadline.
• Writing. Draft high-quality proposals every week. Write the strategic and non-technical sections, and shape technical input from the team into one clear, persuasive voice. Develop theories of change, logframes and M&E plans with the technical team.
• Commercial proposals. Build budgets, fee structures and budget narratives with the partners. Check that the price is competitive and the work is deliverable at that price.
• Quality reviews. Organise independent reviews of each draft before submission. Make sure feedback is acted on.
• Human judgement over AI. Check every AI-assisted output for accuracy, fit and tone. No claim, figure or reference goes out without a human verifying it.
• Confidential data. Handle tender documents, CVs, pricing and client information with care. Use only approved AI tools and settings, and keep all personal data GDPR-compliant.
• Submission. Deliver complete, compliant and on-time submissions on each funder’s portal or format.
• Post-submission. Handle clarification requests, prepare the team for interviews and presentations, and support the partners in contract negotiation.
• Knowledge base. Maintain our library of past performance, CVs, references and reusable content, so each bid starts stronger than the last.
• Learning. Request debriefs, record why we won or lost, and report on win rates and lessons.
• Records and reporting. Keep our CRM system current, and report monthly on pipeline, submissions and results.

• Plan and run the proposal process, and set internal deadlines for contributors.
• Recommend whether to bid, and with whom.
• Request technical input from partners and experts across the group.
• Direct and configure the use of our AI agents in business development.
• Request materials, content and event support from marketing.
• Raise concerns with the Managing Partner.

The decision to bid, the final price and the sign-off of every submission rest with the partners.

• Ultimately, your win rate, and how well we are pre-positioned for the projects that deliver the most impact.
• Complete, compliant submissions every week, on time and to our quality standard, which is rigorously quality assured.
• A growing value of contracts won, including repeat business from existing clients.
• Fewer, better bids: time spent on opportunities we can win.
• Partners and experts find it easy and efficient to contribute.
• A knowledge base and CRM record the whole team can rely on.

FrequencyFocusWeeklyReview the AI-filtered pipeline; bring bid or no-bid recommendations; draft and submit proposals; meet the partners; update the CRM.MonthlyReport on pipeline, submissions and results; plan pre-positioning with partners and marketing.QuarterlyReview win rates, debriefs and lessons with the partners; refresh priority funders and markets.AnnuallyReview the business development strategy for both brands with the Managing Partner.

PeriodPrioritiesMonth 1: OrientationGet to know the partners, both brands, our services and our AI agents. Review the pipeline, past proposals and the knowledge base.Month 2-3: PlanningLead at least one live proposal from bid decision to submission. Agree priority funders and markets with the partners, and propose improvements to our process.

• At least four years’ experience in business development or proposal writing for an international development, climate or impact consultancy, NGO or DFI-funded programme.
• A track record of winning bids, with examples you can share.
• Working knowledge of how DFIs, multilaterals, bilateral donors and foundations procure services: tenders, EOIs, calls for proposals and framework contracts.
• Professional experience in blended finance: structuring, advising on or raising capital for transactions, facilities or funds. Familiarity with NGO proposals, including theories of change and logframes.
• Commercial acumen: budgets, fee structures and pricing that win and are deliverable.
• Excellent written English. Clear, concise and persuasive.
• A structured way of working that keeps proposals well ahead of deadlines. This is essential for quality assurance and for your own well-being.
• Confident, critical use of AI tools, with the judgement to check and correct their output.
• Proven ability to work remotely and independently across time zones.

• French, Spanish, German or another language relevant to our funders.
• Experience with World Bank, IFC, EU, AfDB, ADB or UN procurement.
• Experience with carbon markets or climate finance bids.
• Experience with proposal methods such as Shipley or colour-team reviews.
• Experience of living or working in emerging or frontier markets.

• Self-driven. You see what needs doing and do it.
• Structured and ahead of the game. Our work comes in peaks and troughs and submission dates are set by the market, so you plan early rather than rush late.
• Decisive, and honest when an opportunity is not worth chasing.
• A clear writer and a good listener, who can draw the best out of busy experts.
• Curious about AI, and sceptical enough to check its work.
• At home in a partner-led firm and an international team.
• You share our conviction that capital and expertise carry responsibility.

• Meaningful work at the intersection of finance, climate and development.
• A strong track record to sell: a group that has worked with more than 300 NGO clients in over 35 countries since 2011.
• Weekly access to all partners, and deep technical expertise across the team to draw on.
• Advanced AI agents that take the routine work off your desk.
• Full freedom over when you work. We are an international team across many time zones, connected by good digital tools.
• A small senior team with short decision paths and considerable autonomy.
• A practice grounded in the Code of Conduct of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

• Reports to: all Partners of Human Planet and MzN International.
• Location: Remote, under our work anywhere, anytime policy.
• Working hours: Freely chosen. Submission deadlines and quality expectations are set by the market, and you plan around them.
• Contract: Part-time or full-time, according to your preference. Please state how many days a week you can offer.
• Remuneration: Competitive.
• Travel: Occasional, for funder meetings and events.
• Start date: Flexible.