Business Development Specialist

Shape the opportunities. Position us to win. Turn strategy into funding.

You'll help drive 54 reasons' growth by analysing the landscape, understanding where funders are heading, and shaping our approach before opportunities reach the market. From opportunity scanning and capture planning through to compelling tenders and funding submissions, you'll play a key role in securing the investment that helps children and families thrive. Join a high-achieving, low-ego team that loves a good strategy discussion, backs each other to deliver, and gets things done.


54 reasons is Australia's leading child rights organisation - no ordinary not-for-profit.

Proudly part of the Save the Children Australia Group and global movement, we're here to make sure that children and young people have their rights met and thrive, in all their diversity.

With the child's voice at the centre, we provide quality services to children and their caregivers in every state and territory, and across regions, remote areas and capital cities. From our programs to our support services - this is the place to realise your purpose.


A place to make a difference:

In this full time permanent role, you'll work as a part of our Strategy and Partnerships team in Melbourne (hybrid or remote arrangements welcome) to help us create lasting change for children everywhere.

You will make a difference by:

• Analysing policy, funding and sector trends to identify and shape future opportunities through positioning, influence and capture planning activities;
• Supporting strategic decision-making about where and how 54 reasons invests its business development effort;
• Planning, coordinating and drafting high-value government and institutional tenders and funding submissions;
• Driving structured bid processes that keep teams aligned, focused and on track; and
• Strengthening business development practice across the organisation through reviews, retrospectives and continuous improvement.

A place to feel valued:

You're curious, strategic and highly organised. You enjoy making sense of complex environments, identifying opportunities and helping shape the approach that puts 54 reasons in the strongest position to succeed. Equally comfortable thinking about long-term growth and coordinating a live bid, you bring strong writing skills, sound judgement and the ability to turn strategy into action. You build trust quickly, work effectively across diverse teams, and know how to keep momentum moving when there are competing priorities and tight deadlines. Most importantly, you're excited by the opportunity to secure funding that creates lasting impact for children and young people.

This role requires:

• Demonstrated experience (at least 3-5 years) in business development, tender management, grant acquisition or a related field;
• Experience identifying, assessing and progressing new business opportunities through activities such as market analysis, opportunity planning or capture planning;
• Exceptional writing and editing skills for government and institutional audiences
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to interpret policy, funding and market trends;
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines; and
• A collaborative, proactive approach to working with diverse internal stakeholders.

A place to belong:

At 54 reasons, we invest in the development and wellbeing of our people. Our workforce is approximately 600 people strong, and proudly diverse, whether in race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexuality, cultures and beliefs.

It takes all types of people to do the challenging work we do. We are diverse personalities, backgrounds and talents, embracing our differences as one strong and united team. We see and celebrate the unique value you bring to our organisation, and offer a range of rewards for your effort, including:

• Individual learning plans to help map and deliver on your career development - we're super committed to supporting you towards your career ambitions.
• Support for workplace wellness, including access to our free, confidential Employee Wellbeing Program
• Opportunity to work on additional projects to enable you to stretch and feel connected to programs in a different way
• $95K-$105k base salary + 12% superannuation + full salary packaging benefits (please use this link to see how much this benefit could mean to you!)
• Celebrate and feel supported in your diversity. We have a highly inclusive culture and diverse workforce reflecting the communities we serve, allowing you to bring your whole self to work (if that's what you want!).

Follow this link for the full list of our employee benefits.



Does this sound like the place for you?

We'd love to hear from you. Submit your cover letter and resume below.



We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates to apply.



Closing Date: Sunday 20th September 2026. Applications will be reviewed as they come in and may close the advertisement earlier than the closing date as we anticipate strong interest in the role. If this sounds like the opportunity for you, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today!



For more information, including a copy of the position description, Click "Apply". This will redirect you to the main ad on our careers page.



We have tested our application process with diverse groups in mind, with the intent to ensure its straightforward and accessible for all to apply. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our culture and improve our ability to reach our most vulnerable client groups. But we also know there is no one-size fits-all when it comes to recruitment - so if we didn't quite hit the mark for you, please let us know at people.culture@savethechildren.org.au. We're dedicated to ensuring Save the Children Australia is a place where everyone can feel supported - no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexuality, neurodiversity, culture and beliefs.

Save the Children Australia is a child-safe organisation. All employees are required to undergo a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check, and sign our Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. We also support the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

Save the Children is committed to providing and maintaining a safe working environment for its employees and client groups, consistent with our obligations under OH&S legislation.

If you are having any issues with uploading your application for this role, please contact people.culture@savethechildren.org.au for further support.

Desired Skills and Experience

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. We are working hand in hand with our supporters to create a world in which every child has a healthy, happy and safe childhood. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn and has a voice to speak for themselves.

OUR VISION is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.

OUR PURPOSE is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Save the Children manages and implements programs designed to save and improve the lives of the world's most disadvantaged and vulnerable children. We have programs running all across Australia and have offices and staff in each State and Territory. Globally, we also work in over 120 countries. Each year Save the Children touches the lives of over 80 million children.