Business Development Lead - Abt Australia

The Opportunity

The Business Development Lead-Abt Australia will play a critical role in driving growth for Abt Australia’s international development portfolio. Reporting to the Head of Business Growth, this role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and capturing new business opportunities, strengthening strategic partnerships, and leading high-quality proposal development.

You will contribute to business strategy execution, lead complex pursuits, and influence growth outcomes across technical portfolios while operating with significant independence.

Core Responsibilities

Business Growth & Pipeline Development

• Identify and qualify new business opportunities across priority markets and sectors, including DFAT and other donor-funded programs
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline aligned with Abt Australia growth targets
• Lead capture strategies, including competitor analysis, positioning, partner engagement, and win theme development
• Contribute to market intelligence and strategic planning to expand Abt’s footprint

Proposal Development & Capture Leadership

• Lead end-to-end proposal development, from capture through submission and contract award, leveraging AI tools for support
• Manage bid teams, timelines, and deliverables to ensure high-quality, compliant proposals
• Shape technical, operational, and resourcing approaches to strengthen competitiveness
• Support pricing strategy development and contribute to negotiations with clients

Client & Partnership Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, partners, and key stakeholders
• Represent Abt in external engagements and strategic discussions
• Build and sustain partner networks aligned with growth priorities
• Lead collaboration across Abt technical, operational, and global BD teams

Strategy Execution & Market Positioning

• Contribute to the implementation of business development strategies
• Identify expansion opportunities across existing and new markets
• Provide insights on market trends, risks, and opportunities

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Provide guidance, mentoring, and oversight to junior BD staff and contributors
• Strengthen BD capability across teams through coaching, tools, and process improvements
• Support a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement

BD Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure effective use of BD systems, tools, and processes
• Drive continuous improvement in capture and proposal methodologies
• Monitor and report on pipeline health, performance metrics, and growth outcomes
• Promote efficient and compliant BD practices across the organisation

What We Value

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in business development, capture, or strategic growth roles
• Proven experience developing and winning competitive bids (ideally DFAT or international donor programs)
• Strong pipeline development, capture planning, and proposal leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to build strategic client and partner relationships
• Commercial acumen, including pricing and positioning strategies
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working in international development, particularly within the Indo-Pacific
• Familiarity with Australian government procurement processes

Abt Global-Australia is a mission-driven, global leader with a proven track record in complex program implementation in the international development sector. We offer bold solutions and technical excellence in Health, Economic Growth, Governance, Research & Evaluation, Environment & Energy, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion. Working with our many partners, we have driven measurable social impact for more than 55 years, to achieve our mission of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide. We operate in remote and challenging environments and employ more than 3000 staff in over 50 countries.

Equity

Abt Global values individuality and celebrates difference with a strong commitment to all forms of diversity and equality including racial equity, gender, sexual diversity and disability inclusion. We strongly encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply for this position. We offer flexible work arrangements and a culturally safe environment for staff members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Safeguarding

We are deeply committed to safeguarding, to protect and prevent harm and abuse to individuals we work for and who work for us. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. We will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, child abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation in any form, and expect everyone to be treated with respect and dignity.