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.

Job Summary:

The Business Development Coordinator-Trusts, Foundations, Social Enterprises & Innovative Partnerships provides strategic coordination, pipeline management, and partnership development leadership to strengthen Oxfam’s engagement with philanthropic donors, trusts, foundations, social enterprises, and innovative financing actors across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster.

The role is responsible for building and managing a diversified regional funding architecture that expands Oxfam’s access to unrestricted, lightly restricted, co-financing, and innovative partnership opportunities. It ensures that philanthropic and social enterprise partnerships are strategically aligned, values-driven, safeguarding compliant, and contribute to programme innovation, long-term financial sustainability, and transformational impact.

Working under the Business Development Lead, the role serves as a central coordination point across country teams, thematic programme leads, partnerships structures, Oxfam affiliates, and external actors to ensure coherence, competitiveness, and strategic positioning. It plays a critical role in reducing fragmentation, improving donor diversification, and advancing innovative business development models that strengthen Oxfam’s shift toward a more resilient, partner-led, and regionally integrated operating model.

The role also leads a regional network of focal points and supports country teams in strengthening capacity, ensuring that business development systems are robust, innovative, and responsive to evolving donor landscapes.

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, Agricultural Economics, Social Work or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in Philanthropic fundraising, Trust and foundation engagement, social enterprise development, strategic partnerships, and business development.
• At least 2–3 years in a leadership or coordination, and or strategic management roles.
• Proven experience in social enterprise development, 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 management, and partnership development leadership to strengthen Oxfam’s engagement with philanthropic donors, trusts, foundations, social enterprises, and innovative financing actors across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster.
• Builds and manages a diversified regional funding architecture that expands Oxfam’s access to unrestricted, lightly restricted, co-financing, and innovative partnership opportunities.
• Ensures that philanthropic and social enterprise partnerships are strategically aligned, values-driven, safeguarding compliant, and contribute to programme innovation, long-term financial sustainability, and transformational impact.
• Serves as a central coordination point across country teams, thematic programme leads, partnerships structures, Oxfam affiliates, and external actors to ensure coherence, competitiveness, and strategic positioning.
• Plays a critical role in reducing fragmentation, improving donor diversification, and advancing innovative business development models that strengthen Oxfam’s shift toward a more resilient, partner-led, and regionally integrated operating model.
• Leads a regional network of focal points and supports country teams in strengthening capacity, ensuring that business development systems are robust, innovative, and responsive to evolving donor landscapes.

• Strong relationship management skills
• Strong 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
• Proven experience as a team worker and demonstrably cooperative with members of other teams

• Master’s degree in business administration, Economics, Development Studies, International. Relations, Agricultural Economics, Social Work or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in Philanthropic fundraising, Trust and foundation engagement, social enterprise development, strategic partnerships, and business development.
• At least 2–3 years in a leadership or coordination, and or strategic management roles.
• Proven experience in social enterprise development, 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.
• 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.