Acting Business Development Manager (Service Contract- Remote Support) – FCA Syria

Background

Finn Church Aid (FCA) is Finland’s largest development and humanitarian cooperation nongovernmental organization. FCA operates in 12 countries around the world and specializes

in three thematic priority areas: Right to Peace, Right to Livelihood, and Right to Quality

Education.

FCA is working in Syria since 2018. FCA implements multi-sectoral humanitarian and early

recovery programming with a strong focus on Education, Cash and Livelihoods, Food

Security, Risk Education, and Protection mainstreaming, disability inclusion, women and

youth empowerment. FCA targets vulnerable populations affected by the protracted crisis

through partnerships with communities, local institutions, and international stakeholders.

For more information, please visit: https://www.kirkonulkomaanapu.fi/en/

1) Position Purpose

The Business Development Consultant will serve as the Acting Business Development

Manager for a period of Three months, working within FCA's normal working hours and

organizational structures. In close coordination with the Middle East Director, Senior

Management Team (SMT), Programme, MEAL, Finance, and Operations colleagues, the

consultant will identify, prioritize, and pursue realistic and achievable business

development opportunities within the consultancy timeframe.

The consultant is expected to provide hands-on technical leadership and direct

implementation support to strengthen FCA Syria's resource mobilization, grants

management, donor engagement, proposal development, reporting quality, and strategic

positioning efforts. The assignment is intended to generate tangible business development

outcomes during the consultancy period while strengthening systems, processes, and

organizational readiness for future funding opportunities.

The consultancy will mainly contribute to the following responsibilities: a. Resource Mobilization and Fundraising

• Identification and pursuit of strategic funding opportunities aligned with FCA Syria's

priorities.

• Expansion of FCA's funding pipeline with institutional donors, UN agencies, foundations,

private sector actors, and development partners.

b. Proposal Development and Submission

• Leading and coordinating the preparation of high-quality concept notes, expressions of

interest, and full proposals.

• Supporting the successful submission of priority funding applications identified during

the consultancy period.

c. Grants Management Support (in close collaboration and coordination with the Global Grants Advisor)

• Support donors’ grant start-up, amendment, extension, and close-out processes.

• Strengthen grant tracking mechanisms.

• Support preparation for donor audits and reviews.

• Ensure grant documentation is complete and properly archived.

d. Donor Reporting

• Coordinate preparation of interim and final donor reports.

• Review narrative reports for quality, consistency, and compliance.

• Ensure achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and results are clearly presented.

• Support teams in strengthening results-based reporting.

e. Partnership Development

• Identify potential consortium partners and strategic collaborators.

• Support partnership discussions and due diligence processes.

• Engage with relevant stakeholders including UN agencies, INGOs local NGOs,

government entities, academic institutions, and private sector actors.

2) Qualifications and Experience

• The successful candidate should hold a university degree in international development,

humanitarian affairs, social sciences, business administration, public policy, or a related

field. A master’s degree is considered an asset.

• The candidate should possess at least four to five years of progressively responsible

experience in business development management, grants management, donor reporting

Lead, fundraising, programme design, or related functions within international nongovernmental organizations, UN agencies, or development organizations. Demonstrated

experience in developing successful proposals and managing grants funded by institutional

donors such as the European Union, UNICEF, UNDP, GIZ, ECHO, SDC, MFA Finland, UN

Women, and other bilateral or multilateral donors is highly desirable.

• Strong knowledge of the Syrian humanitarian, recovery, and development context is

essential, including familiarity with coordination mechanisms, donor landscapes,

government engagement processes, localization approaches, and current sector priorities.

Experience working with grants and donor management systems such as OCHA’s Grants

Management System (GMS), Quantum, UNGM, UN Partner Portal, and other online funding

platforms is required.

• The candidate should demonstrate excellent proposal writing, donor reporting, analytical,

communication, and coordination skills, with a strong ability to manage multiple priorities

and deadlines in a complex operating environment. Fluency in English, both written and

spoken, is required, while knowledge of Arabic is considered a strong advantage.

3) Timeline & Level of Effort

The consultancy assignment will be for an initial period of three months, with the

possibility of extension and/or conversion to a full-time position, subject to satisfactory

performance, funding availability, and organizational requirements

4) Management & Reporting

The consultant will report directly to FCA’s Middle East Director.

Regular coordination will be maintained with:

• FCA Syria Country Program Manager.

• FCA Syria Operations Manager.

• FCA Global Grants Advisor at Head Office level.

• Relevant sector focal points (Education, Livelihoods and Economic Resilience (LER) and

Protection).

The consultant will maintain proper version control of all submitted documents and

accommodate up to two consolidated rounds of review and feedback per deliverable.

5) Work Modality

• Contract Type: Individual Consultancy Contract.

• Modality: Remote Support (availability of up to 22 working days per month, 8 hours per

working day).

• Travel to Syria – upon demand and request of line supervisor

6) Payment Schedule

The Consultant shall be remunerated through a fixed monthly consultancy fee. Payment

shall be made monthly upon satisfactory performance and approval of the monthly

Progress report by the line manager.

7) Ethical Considerations & Data Protection

The consultant shall comply with FCA’s:

• Code of Conduct

• PSEAH Policy

• Child Safeguarding Policy

• Data Protection and Confidentiality Requirements

• Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policies

• Security and Safety Procedures

How to apply

8) Application Process

Interested candidates are requested to submit the following:

• Updated CV, clearly demonstrating relevant experience in proposal development, grant

acquisition, and donor engagement, including examples of successfully approved proposals.

• Cover letter outlining motivation, methodology, and relevant expertise.

• Proposed monthly consultancy rate in USD, based on the level of effort described above.

• Where applicable, travel costs to Syria, per diem, duty-of-care arrangements, and other approved

travel-related expenses will be covered by FCA in accordance with FCA's global policies and

procedures

• Contact details for at least two professional references, preferably former supervisors, managers,

or directors.

Applications should be submitted to FCASyriatender@kirkonulkomaanapu.fi no later than 30

June 2026.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Submitted applications shall

remain valid for a period of 30 days following the closing date.

9) Legal & Practical Conditions

All outputs, reports, proposals, templates, and materials developed under this consultancy shall

remain the exclusive intellectual property of FCA.

The selected consultant will be required to sign:

• A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

• A Conflict-of-Interest Declaration.

The consultant shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the

application. FCA shall not be liable for any costs incurred by applicants, regardless of the

outcome, cancellation, or modification of the recruitment or procurement process