Business Development & Communications Manager

Summary

Laterite is looking for a hands-on Business Development and Communications Manager to coordinate our BDC Team. The BDC Team is responsible for all Communications activities (internal & external), leads on Business Development (in particular bid management) and is the custodian of Laterite’s knowledge management system.

About Laterite

Laterite is a data, research, and analytics firm specializing in complex development challenges. We work with universities, global think tanks, international NGOs, multilateral donor organizations, and government ministries and agencies. Our clients include, for example, the World Bank, USAID, TechnoServe, the Mastercard Foundation, and more.

We currently have offices in the Netherlands, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Peru. The team brings together more than 90 full-time local and international staff, as well as 2,000+ enumerators across all countries. We are proud to be a culturally diverse organization, and we welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in our team.

We work in socio-economic development research projects. We believe that impact is a long-term endeavor that requires being embedded in the local context. Delivering high-quality research requires building local teams and data collection systems, knowing the country, and establishing close working relationships.

One of Laterite’s key strategic goals is to create a collaborative and rewarding working environment for our staff, where every team member feels engaged, represented, and heard. Laterite is committed to creating opportunities for learning and career development within the team and across our offices.

Laterite is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

About the team:

Our new colleague will join the Business Development and Communications (BDC) team in our Amsterdam office. The Amsterdam office consists of 14 full-time team members, including our BDC team of 3 people.

The BDC team leads and supports Laterite’s business development processes including scoping for new opportunities, proposal development and support for local outreach activities led by the different offices. The team is also responsible for developing and implementing Laterite’s communications strategy, and for maintaining and updating the knowledge base.

What you will do:

Leadership & strategy:

• Lead on all BDC tasks and mentor the BDC Analysts & Associates
• Develop and implement business development and communications strategies that align with organizational goals and build on each other.

Business development:

• Develop a deep understanding of the client landscape in the development research sector across our operating countries.
• Coordinate outreach and business development activities at country-level in partnership with country offices.
• Manage the Laterite’s proposal pipeline from strategy to delivery, and work with the Research Team to prepare strong bids and grant applications.

Communications:

• Oversee and enhance Laterite’s website and social media presence to amplify the organization’s voice and impact.
• Work with the wider Laterite team to source and develop new content to showcase Laterite’s work and impact (e.g., blogs, publications).
• Improve how Laterite communicates its findings by exploring and implementing interactive and engaging methods of presenting data.
• Work with project teams to craft polished, client-ready reports and presentations

Knowledge management:

• Maintain, improve, and expand Laterite’s knowledge base, ensuring it supports internal learning and operational efficiency.

Day-to-day responsibilities:

• Coordinate day-to-day BDC activities to ensure smooth operations and timely delivery of goals.

What you will bring:

Our ideal candidate is a natural communicator and relationship builder, with experience in the development sector, for example a research firm, an NGO, a consultancy. They are organized, self-motivated, with excellent attention to detail and a drive to get things done, while working in a collaborative environment.

Our future colleague has:

• At least a Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
• 5+ years of relevant experience working in a similar setting
• Excellent oral and written communications in English
• Experience in leading and mentoring delivery teams
• Experience with managing proposal pipelines according to funder and donor procurement rules (including private funders as well as multilaterals and donors such as the World Bank, USAID, FCDO, among others)
• Experience with Communications, especially strategic communications activities geared towards business development and outreach, and a passion for writing and creating engaging content
• Experience with knowledge management solutions (ideally Confluence)
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, self-motivation and drive to flourish in a fast-paced environment, where timelines can often be unpredictable

In addition, we are looking for:

• A strong understanding of, and/or interest in, social and economic research in development contexts, particularly in the areas of agriculture, education, public health, livelihoods, and gender

What’s in it for you?

We offer an initial one-year contract, with a view to extending this upon satisfactory performance.

We offer a flexible working environment, including the choice to work from home a couple of days per week and the possibility of working from a remote location of your choice for up to 6 weeks per year. We are also committed to supporting learning and development of our team members, providing an annual learning budget of up to $1,000 per person and 10 days of time off for professional learning each year. Our office is in the heart of Amsterdam, about fifteen minutes’ walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station.

The salary range for this role will start at EUR 82,110 annual gross, commensurate with experience. We are advertising a full-time role at 40 hours per week, but we are open to negotiating a 32-hour part-time contract (0.8 FTE) for interested candidates. In the case of a 32 hour contract, the salary will be paid pro rata. Salaries are pegged against Laterite’s pay matrix, and grades are reviewed every 12 months.