Business Development Assistant
Chicago, IL
Full Time
Institutional Business Devleopment
Entry Level
The Business Development Assistant is a high‑potential, early‑career role designed for a recent graduate seeking exposure to executive operations and international business development. This role blends Business Development production support with administrative and operations responsibilities, offering hands-on experience across calendar and travel management, proposal development, and sales enablement.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, tech‑savvy, detail‑oriented, and eager to learn transferable systems and processes, including data analysis and research, in a fast‑paced and mission‑driven environment.
Compensation Range: $60,000 - $70,000 Annually
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Business Development & Proposal Production Support
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
EQUAL PAY & BENEFITS COMMITMENT
At Opportunity International, we are dedicated to maintaining transparency and fairness in our hiring process. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and Opportunity International reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For regular roles, Opportunity International offers medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, disability, accident, critical illness, cancer, and pet insurance, identity theft protection, 403(b), and paid time off. For more details on our benefits, please visit our website here.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, tech‑savvy, detail‑oriented, and eager to learn transferable systems and processes, including data analysis and research, in a fast‑paced and mission‑driven environment.
Compensation Range: $60,000 - $70,000 Annually
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Business Development & Proposal Production Support
- Support BD capture and proposal development across institutional and corporate opportunities.
- Track opportunities, deadlines, and deliverables across the BD pipeline.
- Assist with proposal coordination, including formatting, compliance checks, assembling attachments, and version control.
- Produce and update sales pitch decks, concept notes, and briefing materials in Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.
- Support donor research, background briefs, and internal meeting planners for partner meetings.
- Maintain BD trackers and shared systems ensuring information is current and well‑organized.
- Coordinate internal reviews and contribute to post‑submission debriefs and lessons learned.
- Manage complex calendars across multiple time zones; coordinate internal and external meetings using Microsoft Outlook and Teams.
- Coordinate domestic and international travel (including flights, hotels, and visas, as needed) and prepare detailed itineraries.
- Process and reconcile expense reports accurately and on time.
- Draft, proofread, and format emails, meeting agendas, briefing notes, and follow‑up communications.
- Maintain organized digital filing systems and shared workspaces (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive).
- Support preparation for executive meetings, donor calls, and board‑related engagements.
- Serve as a trusted administrative partner, anticipating needs and proactively solving scheduling or logistics issues.
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, business, public policy, economics, finance, or related field required. Master’s level degree preferred.
- Technical understanding and fluency of inclusive finance, access to finance, market-based development models, and/or private sector partnerships.
- Exceptional writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to engage with senior-level internal and external stakeholders and manage high-pressure, time-bound deliverables.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Microsoft Teams.
- Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Comfort learning new tools, systems, and processes quickly.
- Interest in business development, partnerships, or international development is strongly preferred.
- Passionate about Opportunity’s mission. Able to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.
- Internship or academic experience related to consulting, sales, fundraising, or proposal development.
- Exposure to CRM systems, proposal tracking tools, or shared document management platforms.
- International experience, language skills, or interest in global development
- Strong formatting and visual presentation skills.
- Written and verbal fluency in English required, fluency in French or Spanish desirable.
- 10% international and domestic travel
- Direct exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision‑making
- Hands‑on experience with real proposals, donor engagements, and executive operations
- Clear pathway to growth into BD, operations, or program management roles
- Strong skill‑building in transferable systems, production discipline, and professional communication
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
EQUAL PAY & BENEFITS COMMITMENT
At Opportunity International, we are dedicated to maintaining transparency and fairness in our hiring process. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and Opportunity International reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. For regular roles, Opportunity International offers medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, disability, accident, critical illness, cancer, and pet insurance, identity theft protection, 403(b), and paid time off. For more details on our benefits, please visit our website here.
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