Business Development Manager

2 year max term contract with potential for permanency

Hours per week: 35 hours

Location: Melbourne

Applications close date: 14 July 2026

Business Development Manager

Reporting to the Head of Quality and Impact, the Business Development Manager is a critical cross agency fundraising and relationship management role. The position is accountable for Oxfam Australia's business development and institutional funding relationships, with a prime focus on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Manager supports the development and coordination of strategic relationships with DFAT and other institutional donors, collaborates with internal stakeholders to maximize and leverage these relationships, and advances Oxfam's strategic priorities and commitments to feminist, locally led, and decolonised approaches.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of a donor and institutional funding strategy and income plan, including the BD action plan for the agency; spearhead and coordinate implementation and report to senior management on progress.
• Identify, develop, grow, and pursue prioritised funding opportunities; manage and monitor the pipeline, and lead income planning and forecasting for defined geographical and sectoral areas.
• Conceptualise, develop, and design (including bid writing) high value, complex multi stakeholder programming in liaison with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment with Oxfam Australia's strengths and priorities and Oxfam's Partnership Approach.
• Coordinate agency wide relationships with DFAT, Australian Government Departments, and other key institutional donors; collaborate with relevant program leads to represent Oxfam's programs effectively.
• Provide strategic advice, analysis, and reporting to senior management on donor relationships, institutional income strategies, opportunities, and risks to optimise Oxfam's donor relationships and secure opportunities.
• Manage BD staff and consultants, define expectations, and provide leadership and technical support.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Track record of leading business development initiatives and leveraging strategic funding relationships with DFAT, other institutional donors, trusts, and foundations. • Understanding of programme planning, design, appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation in long term development, humanitarian, or advocacy work. • Experience in leading institutional and individual capacity development initiatives, and in developing and implementing organisational policies, systems, and processes. • Hands on experience in managing large funding bids for a variety of donors, with particular regard to DFAT, Oxfam affiliates, and bilateral/multilateral donors. • Knowledge of funding strategy development, official development assistance trends, policy and practice, funding mechanisms, design innovation, relationship identification, stewardship, and organisational resourcing required for success.

A Little About You

• Demonstrated experience integrating feminist, locally led, decolonised approaches and GEDSI and safe programme approaches into BD processes and submissions.
• Excellent relationship management and negotiation skills, with proven ability to navigate sensitive and complex cultural and social issues and contexts.

Legal & EEO

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Oxfam Australia will not recruit international candidates who do not hold visas permitting them to work in Australia. Oxfam Australia does not provide visa sponsorship.

For ongoing roles and fixed term roles, candidates will be required to have Australian work rights for the duration of their employment with Oxfam Australia.