Senior Bid and Partnership Manager

Title:Senior Bid and Partnerships manager

Reports to:VP for Global Partnerships

Location: Brussels Belgium

Salary:annum

Travel:10%

About NEF

Since 1915 NEF has supported community-led economic and social development in Middle East Africa and Caucasus. As a non-profit international development organization NEF draws on local teams experience and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to reduce poverty create economic opportunity increase resilience and empower conflict climate- and crisis-affected people to improve their outlook and wellbeing.

A key feature of NEFs work is developing resilient locally led and market-based solutionsacrosstheHumanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexusby leveraging private sector engagement innovative finance and transformative partnerships ensuring a seamless transition from emergency relief to sustainable development and long-term peace self-reliance and partnershipsandoutcome-based programming NEF is redefining how humanitarian and development actors collaborate with and invest in local economies forcost-effective and sustainable mission centers oninclusive economic developmenta transformative approach that empowers marginalized groups and strengthens their resilience both socially and economically. By promoting models that prioritize accessibility sustainability and community ownership we help people not only survive but thrive.

NEF works through a network of country offices and with local partners with current or recent operations in Armenia Jordan Lebanon Iraq Mali Morocco Palestine Sudan South Sudan and Syria. Our global headquarters are based in Syracuse NY London UK and Brussels Belgium.

Summary of Role

The Bid and Partnerships Manager position combines strategic positioning capture and bid coordination responsibilities to strengthen Near East Foundations funding base and proposal success rate. Based in Brussels and serving NEFs three family of entities (Belgium USA & UK) the role requires a bilingual professional (French and English) with proven experience in donor engagement opportunity tracking bid management and multi-stakeholder partnership development. The candidate will coordinate donor intelligence efforts build new funding relationships (including with EU/UK foundations enterprises and technical agencies) and coordinate high-quality proposal submissions. They will also enhance internal systems build staff capacity in grant writing and ensure compliance with donor requirements ultimately driving the organisations positioning and growth across diverse sectors and contexts. The position will report to the VP Global Partnerships. They will work closely with NEFs Global Partnerships team members NEFs Global Program team members including VP Programs and Chief Program Officer as well as NEFs Country Directors.

Responsibilities

Proposal Development

• Provide strategic oversight of proposal development processes ensuring consistency efficiency and high-quality standards; support the initiation structuring and coordination of priority proposals including managing large and strategic bids from capture to submission.
• Take responsibility for the overall quality of submissions including contributing to final narrative sign-off; conduct high-level editorial review to ensure clarity persuasiveness and consistency across narratives logframes budgets and annexes.
• Ensure rigorous quality assurance by supporting compliance with donor requirements strengthening strategic positioning and articulation of impact ensuring coherence across technical results and financial components and aligning submissions with organisational priorities and value-for-money principles.
• Provide guidance and constructive challenge to technical and program teams; coordinate internal review and validation processes to ensure high-quality timely inputs from stakeholders.
• Contribute to the improvement of proposal tools templates and processes embedding lessons learned and best practices while supporting capacity strengthening through coaching mentoring and training.
• Participate in proposal review committees and support go/no-go decision-making; coordinate due diligence processes and provide guidance on donor requirements throughout the proposal lifecycle.

Positioning Capture and Pipeline Leadership

• Support oversight of the business development pipeline contributing to the prioritisation of high-value opportunities aligned with organisational strategy; help maintain and refine pipeline management systems to support decision-making.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of positioning and capture strategies across priority donors sectors and geographies including supporting go/no-go processes based on strategic fit and competitiveness.
• Facilitate cross-functional coordination across partnerships programs operations and country teams to ensure early engagement and strong positioning; contribute to pre-positioning efforts with key donors and partners through engagement concept development and outreach.
• Coordinate the development of high-quality positioning materials (concept notes pitch decks capacity statements) and support program teams in producing technical briefs and thought leadership that highlight comparative advantages and impact.
• Contribute to stakeholder mapping and donor intelligence efforts; stay informed on donor priorities funding trends and policy developments and share insights to inform strategy and program design.
• Support the identification and development of new funding partnerships across institutional philanthropic and non-traditional actors (including EU institutions Member State agencies GCC and East Asian donors) and contribute to engagement with private sector and technical partners for complex bids.
• Contribute to the development of unsolicited and targeted proposals aligned with organisational priorities and emerging donor interests; support improvements and innovation in business development practices to enhance efficiency and organisational learning.

Essential Qualifications

We encourage all individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to succeed within this position and thrive at NEF to apply for this role even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications.

Required qualifications

• A university degree in a relevant subject.
• Demonstrate an outstanding command of written and spoken French and English.
• 8-12 years of experience in the humanitarian/development sector demonstrating a strong track record in positioning capture and bid management.
• A self-starter who demonstrates excellent attention to detail and ability to plan communicate and deliver effectively with diverse teams at pace. Ability to rapidly navigate different thematic and geographic contexts including complex and high-pressure environments.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong working relationships with diverse teams across multiple geographies.
• Demonstrated grasp of effective and values-based partnerships in the Humanitarian/Development sector.

Desirable competencies

• Demonstrated experience in NGO program implementation particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.
• Demonstrated interest and experience in innovative finance.
• Working knowledge of written and/or spoken Arabic.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be legally authorized to work in Belgium without company sponsorship now or in the future.

NEF will accept a rollingapplication until the position is filled. Review of application will begin onApril 28th 2026. Interestedcandidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply:

Please apply by submitting the following documents in the English language to the Near East Foundations careers page at :

1. Cover letter outlining all relevant experience how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Curriculum Vitae.
3. List of three references (including one from current or most recent employer). You will be given further notice prior to us contacting references.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will becontacted. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Near East Foundation by visiting theNEF website at

TheNear East Foundation promotes Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants seekingemployment and NEF employees.

Pre-employment Checks

Any Employment with the Near East Foundation will be subject to the following checks prior to start date:

• A satisfactory Restricted Party Screening.
• Receipt of satisfactory references.
• Workplace Verification Check.

Benefits

NEF in Belgium offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes: 25 Annual Leave Days 11 Holidays; employer paid private medical dental and vision coverage for the employee; private pension with 8% employer contribution and more!

NEFs strength is its people.Our team is our fuel to achieving the innovation quality programming community focus mutual trust sustainability and learning needed to realize our mission. To help our team thrive we support a working structure that prioritizes flexibility personal commitments and staff well-being while promoting a work culture of teamwork collaboration respect integrity and excellence.

As an international organization we value a truly diverse workforce and prioritize a culture of inclusivity and belonging. We strive to create a high-achieving work environment informed by different cultures perspectives and experiences. With a commitment to diversity equality equity and inclusion in all we do our aim is to ensure that people feel heard protected and empowered to contribute to NEFs mission from day one.

Required Experience:

Manager