Business Development & Partnerships Officer

Are you looking for a challenging position as a Business Development & Partnerships Officer, and do you want to contribute to collaboration and engagement between private, public, and academic sectors, as well as between the Global North and the Global South? Then the International Institute of Social Studies is the place for you!

As ISS Business Developer & Partnerships Officer, you initiate collaboration with domestic or international parties who need expert consultants, excellent teachers for non-degree courses or who are looking for a knowledge broker between public, private and academic organisations.

Your goal? Acquiring new contract research assignments, creating teaching programmes for interested parties, and connecting organisations with ongoing research. Another goal is establishing and maintaining new strategic partnerships both in The Hague, the Netherlands and abroad. Thanks to you, future partners understand the importance of our research and expertise and are prepared to invest in it.

We are looking or someone with expertise in the broader development field, who understands and gets along with academics and who enjoys working with an established team, while having distinct individual tasks. The role will be pivotal for the consultancy and contract research desk that ISS is establishing; a unit that can work quickly and efficiently when reacting to calls and opportunities. We expect the Business Development & Partnerships Officer to be able to create new and build on existing networks locally in The Hague (NGOs, government, city) within the Netherlands (public and private organisations) and internationally.

Our Business Development & Partnerships Officer will pro-actively scout funding opportunities for both research and teaching and will initiate, organise and coordinate the application for these opportunities

Job description
You will have a good understanding of the Institute’s areas of expertise and be able to advise external parties about them; you will also be able to work closely with academic staff to understand their skillsets and needs with regard to income-generating activities.

You will pro-actively scout funding opportunities for both research and teaching and will initiate, organise and coordinate the application for these opportunities.

You have will develop and foster relationships with customers, clients, partners, sponsors and donors to generate repeat business as well as finding new opportunities.

You will make time to research and identify new business opportunities - including new markets, growth areas, trends, customers, partnerships, products and services - or new ways of reaching existing markets.

You will work closely together with the ISS Institute Board and Research Teams to provide data and information which will support them to develop their strategies on external income – through your regular interaction with the academics within the ISS and with the Institute Board you will be able to see the bigger picture and thus help setting aims and objectives in order to develop and improve our business and reach new audiences.

You will co-design and advise on ways to improve the organisation of the ISS support structure for income-generating activities, through continuous planning, monitoring and evaluation processes to create an effective and efficient environment.

You will actively research the opportunities in the field and will attend and present at appropriate seminars, conferences and events to build ISS’ network and profile.