Learn more about this exciting opportunity
Central Role
A central mandate of the position is to diversify TFO Canada's funding streams away from a historic reliance on government funding.
Leadership Opportunity
You will also lead TFO Canada's internal Board Business Development Committee, acting as the governance representative for your department.
Key Position
The Director of Business Development and Partnerships is a key leadership position within TFO Canada’s Senior Management Team.
Director, Business Development and Partnerships @ TFO Canada
Company: TFO Canada
Position: Director, Business Development and Partnerships
TFO Canada is an Ottawa-based non-profit organization founded in 1980 with a distinct and vital mission: to confront global poverty by fostering sustainable and inclusive economic development. Unlike traditional agencies focused on expanding domestic exports, TFO Canada drives international growth by acting as a critical bridge that helps small and medium-sized enterprises in developing nations access global marketplaces, particularly Canada. By providing comprehensive trade information, expert advice, and vital commercial contacts, the organization elevates smaller exporters while enabling Canadian consumers to benefit from a more diversified and robust marketplace.
Operating under the guiding principle of creating development impact through mutually beneficial trade, TFO Canada aligns its activities with global priorities, including a rigorous commitment to gender equality, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. The organization has built an exceptional track record of success working across South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
As global markets become increasingly volatile, TFO Canada’s role in promoting trade diversification has never been more relevant. By helping Canadian retail buyers and importers discover alternative supply sources in emerging economies, the organization plays a proactive role in mitigating supply chain risks. This strategic positioning ensures that international aid is delivered not as a short-term remedy, but as a sustainable commercial solution that lifts communities out of poverty while enriching the choice and resilience of the Canadian market.
At its core, TFO Canada’s strength is its international team, which represents at least 15 countries and speaks over eight languages. This diverse workplace brings together new immigrants and seasoned professionals in an open, collaborative environment to deliver high-impact global programming. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, TFO Canada leverages funding from public entities like Global Affairs Canada and is now focused on building new partnerships to diversify into multi-year funding streams.
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Compensation: $105,600 – $132,000 + eligibility for management incentive.
We use AI-powered tools (such as Fathom, Gemini, and Monica) to support certain administrative aspects of our recruitment process, such as interview note-taking, transcription, and summarization. These tools are used to improve efficiency and consistency. All AI-generated outputs are reviewed by a qualified recruiting professional, and all hiring decisions are made by humans. We do not use AI for selection purposes but do utilize AI powered search functions (Microsoft/Google) to help identify candidates on behalf of our clients.
Skills & Experience
Background
To be successful in this position, you are a business development professional with at least 10 years of experience securing multi-year funding agreements from major foundations, corporate partners and diverse donors.
Detail Oriented
This role requires an organized and detail-oriented professional who is comfortable driving pipeline growth with a lean team, managing competing assignments independently and building trust directly with senior leadership and a formal board of directors.
Experience
You bring a structured, data-driven approach to proposal design, with a track record of writing technical submissions and navigating executive-level governance.
Collaborative
Your communication style is collaborative and adaptive, allowing you to establish credibility across internal programming teams, government representatives, and private sector executives alike.
Bilingual / Trilingual
Being bilingual or trilingual in English, French, or Spanish is considered a strong asset for communicating with global partners.
Strategic
Because you will operate as a sole contributor initially, you must balance strategic planning with daily execution.
Summary of the Role
The Director of Business Development and Partnerships is a key leadership position within TFO Canada’s Senior Management Team. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, you will be accountable for planning and driving all business development and funding diversification strategies. This role balances high-level relationship building with hands-on execution, from writing multi-year proposals to managing the business development and partnership pipeline.
A central mandate of the position is to diversify TFO Canada’s funding streams away from a historic reliance on government funding. To do this, you will leverage your existing network and build new relationships to secure commitments from Canadian and global private sector entities and international development (including philanthropic) funding. Working alongside the internal programming and finance teams, you will contribute to the team’s collaborative evaluation process to ensure new opportunities align with the organization’s strategic vision and operational capabilities. You will manage the pipeline with the judgment needed to convert prospective leads into high-value opportunities that advance the mission and achieve organizational sustainability goals.
You will also lead TFO Canada’s internal Board Business Development Committee, acting as the governance representative for your department. In this role, you will collaborate closely with senior leadership and board members to align with the strategic plan, translate pipeline metrics into clear executive updates, and advise on funding sustainability risks.
As the department head, you will build out your team by recruiting, onboarding, and mentoring a dedicated Marketing Manager within your first six months. At the same time, you will optimize the use of the centralized CRM to track donor and partner engagement, championing its adoption across the leadership team. By bringing disciplined, data-backed planning to the pipeline and coordinating with internal stakeholders, you will improve how the organization evaluates and secures internal trade and development project agreements.
Apply for this opportunity
Thank you for your application for this opportunity. Due to the high number of applications we receive, we will only be contacting those that are under consideration for the role.