Background of Oxfam:

Oxfam started working in Southern Africa in the 1980s. Since then, we have implemented both development and humanitarian programmes to support practical and innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty.

We work with local stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the root causes which keep people in poverty. Oxfam is currently collaborating with the Government, international and local CSOs, UN Agencies and other stakeholders.

Oxfam envisions Southern African countries to be free of extreme inequality and injustice; a society where citizens and particularly women across all age groups claim and exercise their rights and responsibilities and can influence decisions that affect their lives.

Our regional program aims to promote women’s rights, good governance and accountability, resilient livelihoods, as well as enhance preparedness, reduce vulnerability to disaster and ensure an effective response to humanitarian crises.

Job Summary:

The Business Development Coordinator – Private Sector & Institutional Partnerships provides strategic coordination, pipeline leadership, and partnership development support to strengthen Oxfam’s engagement with private sector actors, institutional donors, and strategic financing opportunities across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster.

The role is responsible for building, managing, and strengthening a diversified regional funding and partnership pipeline that includes private sector, corporate actors, institutional donors, foundations, and innovative financing mechanisms. It ensures that all business development opportunities are strategically aligned, values-driven, safeguarding compliant, and contribute to programme quality, long-term financial resilience, and Oxfam’s broader systems-change ambitions. Operating under the leadership of the Business Development Lead, the role plays a central coordinating function across country teams, thematic programme leads, partnerships structures, and Oxfam affiliates. It ensures early positioning, strengthens competitiveness, reduces fragmentation, and improves the Cluster’s ability to secure and manage high-value strategic partnerships.

In addition, the role leads focal point coordination across the Cluster, strengthens country capacity, and supports the development of sustainable funding architecture that advances Oxfam’s transition toward a more partner-led, regionally integrated, and financially diversified operating model. The role requires a high level of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and analytical capability, with the ability to operate with autonomy in a complex, multi-country, partner-led environment.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

Essential

• Master’s degree in business administration, Economics, Development Studies, International Relations or related field.
• 5 years of relevant experience in business development, partnerships, institutional fundraising and private sector engagement, including at least 2–3 years in a team leadership or coordination role.
• Proven experience in private sector engagement, relationship management, and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
• Strong relationship management, communication, and strategic thinking skills.
• Proven experience working with national or regional partners supporting programme implementation including working across multi-country or multi-stakeholder environment.
• Ability to build strong, credible relationships with internal and external individuals and Organisations.
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with strong influencing and persuasive skills.
• A high level of self-awareness, personal energy, stamina and flexibility.
• Proven experience as a team worker and demonstrably cooperative with members of other teams.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Desirable

Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work.

Ability and willingness to travel regularly, at times at short notice, locally and regionally.

Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English and ideally Portuguese.

• Provides strategic coordination, pipeline leadership, and partnership development support to strengthen Oxfam’s engagement with private sector actors, institutional donors, and strategic financing opportunities across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster.
• Responsible for building, managing, and strengthening a diversified regional funding and partnership pipeline that includes private sector, corporate actors, institutional donors, foundations, and innovative financing mechanisms.
• Ensures that all business development opportunities are strategically aligned, values-driven, safeguarding compliant, and contribute to programme quality, long-term financial resilience, and Oxfam’s broader systems-change ambitions.
• Plays a central coordinating function across country teams, thematic programme leads, partnerships structures, and Oxfam affiliates.
• Ensures early positioning, strengthens competitiveness, reduces fragmentation, and improves the Cluster’s ability to secure and manage high-value strategic partnerships.
• Leads focal point coordination across the Cluster.
• Strengthens country capacity.
• Supports the development of sustainable funding architecture that advances Oxfam’s transition toward a more partner-led, regionally integrated, and financially diversified operating model.

• Strong relationship management skills
• Communication skills
• Strategic thinking skills
• Ability to build strong, credible relationships with internal and external individuals and Organisations
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English
• Strong influencing and persuasive skills
• High level of self-awareness
• Personal energy, stamina and flexibility
• Team worker
• Cooperative with members of other teams
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English and ideally Portuguese (Desirable)

• Master’s degree in business administration, Economics, Development Studies, International Relations or related field.
• 5 years of relevant experience in business development, partnerships, institutional fundraising and private sector engagement.
• At least 2–3 years in a team leadership or coordination role.
• Proven experience in private sector engagement, relationship management, and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
• Proven experience working with national or regional partners supporting programme implementation including working across multi-country or multi-stakeholder environment.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work (Desirable).
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly, at times at short notice, locally and regionally (Desirable).