Job Description

Head of Business Development

Contract type: Fixed Term – 3 years

Location: Dar Es Salaam – Tanzania.

Salary: Competitive with excellent benefits

Change starts with water. Change starts with you.

Every day, millions of people live without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid exists to change that – for everyone, everywhere. Join us, and your energy will help unlock people’s potential and create a fairer future.

About WaterAid

We’re a global federation driven by one vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030. Powered by our values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation, we work alongside communities, partners and supporters to make change happen.

About the team

WaterAid Tanzania is a leading WASH organization that works with government and partners to improve access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. Guided by its national and global strategies, the team focuses on expanding sustainable WASH services, strengthening systems, influencing policy, promoting innovation, and advancing gender equality and inclusion to achieve lasting impact across Tanzania

About the role

The role exists to lead and strengthen WaterAid Tanzania's fundraising and partnership efforts, ensuring a diversified and sustainable funding base that enables the organization to achieve its strategic and programmatic goals.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and lead fundraising strategy to increase and diversify funding sources in support of WaterAid Tanzania's strategic objectives.
• Identify and secure new funding opportunities by building a strong pipeline of institutional, corporate, and philanthropic donors.
• Lead proposal and concept note development, ensuring high-quality bids and successful donor engagement.
• Manage donor relationships and partnerships, maintaining strategic engagement with donors, partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Provide donor intelligence and market insights to support effective funding decisions and improve win rates for funding opportunities.
• Coordinate consortium building and partnership development to strengthen competitive positioning for large funding opportunities.
• Build organizational fundraising capacity by coaching and supporting staff on fundraising processes, donor compliance, and resource mobilization.
• Strengthen knowledge management systems through donor mapping, fundraising reporting, documentation, and database management.
• Contribute to strategic decision-making on resource generation, funding planning, and long-term business development priorities.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health, safety, and security standards across all business development activities and partnerships.

Requirements

To be successful, you will need:

• A strategic fundraising leader with a strong record in resource mobilization, donor relations, partnership building, and business development
• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Significant experience in fundraising, donor engagement, and business development in the development sector.
• Proven track record of securing funding from institutional, government, and corporate donors.
• Strong proposal writing, partnership development, and grant management capabilities.
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Good understanding of donor landscapes, international development, and partnership-based programming.
• Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, gender equality, and organizational values.

Although not essential, we’d prefer you to have:

• Strategic and results driven.
• Strong leadership and teamwork skills.
• Excellent relationship-building, networking, and influencing abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Adaptable, analytical, and solution oriented.
• High integrity and commitment to inclusion, gender

View the full job description here

Closing date: Applications close 05:00 PM East Africa time on 07th August 2026 Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 10th August 2026

How to apply: Click Apply to upload your CV only and Cover Letter.

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in my application?

At WaterAid, we strongly advise against using AI technology at any stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure a fair and transparent process that provides every applicant with an equal opportunity to succeed. We value hearing about your unique experiences and perspectives in your application, and, if shortlisted, during the interview as well.

Pre‑ employment screening:

To apply for this role, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the respective country. All pre-employment checks will be carried out according to local law and WaterAid’s Safer Recruitment policy.

Benefits

As a global organisation, WaterAid is committed to creating an environment where you can thrive and be yourself at your very best. Alongside our inspiring mission and meaningful work, we offer a range of benefits tailored to each country’s context and policies. These will be shared during the process.

Our People Promise

We will work with passion and focus to make sure everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid is a place of purpose – where people have a real commitment and shared responsibility for the impact we have. We are a global community with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, motivated by inspiring, stimulating work. We are determined to be a place where people feel safe and able to contribute their voice and truly live our values.

Equal Opportunities

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions, ways of life and status. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, caste, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, disability status, neurodiversity, age, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation.

Safeguarding

We are committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero- tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and to any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks (which can include counterterrorism, safeguarding and criminal records checks).

Together, we’ll change the world through water.

Join us and be part of the change!