Job Description

At Plan International Sweden, we believe in a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We work to create lasting change by addressing the root causes of inequality and poverty. Our priorities include gender equality, protection from violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and strengthening local civil society.

We are now looking for a Business Development Manager with focus on institutional donors, global foundations, and strategic partnerships. This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen existing and build new donor relationships, expand Plan’s funding base, support Country Offices in co-designing programmes, and lead on high-quality applications that mobilise resources for Plan International’s work globally.

About the Role

As Business Development Manager, you will lead strategic external positioning towards institutional donors and global foundations — including EU institutions (DG INTPA, DG ECHO), Sida, UN agencies, and strategic global philanthropic partners such as IKEA Foundation and H&M Foundation. You will provide in-depth market and donor intelligence, promote localisation approaches, and enable Country Offices to develop strong programme concepts and consortia rooted in rights-based and gender-transformative design.

You will also manage Plan Sweden’s institutional funding pipeline, tracking opportunity value, forecasting, and reporting against business development KPIs such as win rate, pipeline health, conversion ratios, and donor portfolio diversification — informing senior decision-making and contributing to financial sustainability.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead strategic external engagement and positioning with institutional donors and global foundations.

• Drive opportunity identification, donor intelligence, and strategic partnership development with Country Offices.

• Provide strategic guidance and support Country Offices to design competitive, locally led programme concepts and proposals.

• Lead institutional proposal processes (including EU), ensuring quality, compliance, and alignment with donor priorities.

• Strengthen localisation through equitable partnership models and consortium development.

• Oversee and track portfolio performance, manage the funding pipeline, and report progress against BD KPIs.

• Analyse donor trends and funding landscapes to inform business development strategy.

• Build internal capacity and share learning on donor engagement and business development practices.

What You Bring

• Extensive experience in business development and institutional fundraising, including proposal development and donor engagement.

• Proven ability to manage and influence donor and partner relationships at a strategic level, represent the organisation externally, and negotiate complex partnerships.

• In-dept understanding of institutional donor funding mechanisms, compliance requirements, and market trends (EU, Sida, Norad, UN, foundations).

• Experience supporting business development in programme countries, preferably in partnership with local organisations or civil society actors.

• Demonstrated ability to oversee and optimise a funding pipeline and report against business development or financial KPIs.

• Skilled in programme design or proposal coordination with a rights-based and gender-transformative lens.

• Strong analytical and communication skills, with ability to translate insights into strategic decisions.
• Fluency in English; additional languages such as French or Spanish are an asset.

To succeed in this role, you are a strategic fundraiser and positioning specialist, able to combine relationship-building with sharp donor intelligence and hands-on programme support. You are proactive, analytical, and results-oriented. Above all, you are committed to advancing locally led development and humanitarian action, and ensuring that funding translates into impactful, context-driven programmes.

Location and Employment Conditions

The position is a fixed-term contract of one year. The employment is on a full-time basis which corresponds to 37.5h/week. The position is based in Stockholm and a valid work permit for Sweden is a requirement.

We are also open to candidates based in a country where Plan International has a legal presence, subject to the agreement of the respective local office to host the position. Should this solution be implemented, the position will include a limited number of trips to Plan Internationals office in Stockholm.

Application and Contact

We look forward to receiving your application as soon as possible, as selection and interviews will be held on a rolling basis. Please submit your CV no later than 4 January 2026.

For questions about the role, please contact Charity Meijer, charity.meijer@plansverige.org. For questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Partner Johanna Jennel at  johanna.jennel@plansverige.org

Union representatives (Unionen and Akademikerförbundet) can be reached at 08-587 755 00.