Business Development Support

Job Title: Business Development Support (Internship)

You will be reporting directly to the Business Development Manager and work closely alongside the Business Development Team. 

Vision

Drive Forward’s outreach to new partnerships and funding opportunities.

Mission

• supporting and enabling the business development team to develop new partnerships and identify new leads
• reaching out to new potential partners to schedule meetings
• managing the CRM-system of Forward partners

Overview of the Role

You are an entrepreneurial, business-minded and organised MSc student or starting professional. You have the ability to spot opportunities and to turn your ideas into action. In close collaboration with the Forward·Inc business development team you have the responsibility to find new donors and sponsors and support the BD team in writing attractive proposals. You have a keen interest in sales and business development and you are not afraid to get your hands dirty.

Responsibilities of the Role:

• Find new leads that fit the criteria of FI as potential funders/sponsors
• Identify the right entries into these leads: clarifying application processes, and individuals responsible for handling grant requests and collaboration requests
• Managing the entire fundraising pipeline in CRM-system Monday.com
• Come up with new approaches for lead generation & partnership development
• Developing best practices for lead generation and outreach
• Helping prepare BD team members for meetings and supporting with writing proposals
• Support in executing the Mentorship Program of Forward·Inc with various companies such as Coca-Cola, Techstars, BCG and SThree
• Support at least 1 entrepreneur in a Forward Program with setting up a business (this can be discussed)
• To support the team in other tasks where needed

Commitments: 

• You have a strong conviction to empower entrepreneurs to build and grow their businesses;
• You empathise with entrepreneurs who do so without connections and startup capital and who come from a different cultural background;
• You are not afraid to get your hands dirty and work alongside entrepreneurs. You go beyond giving advice and provide practical support;
• You are an all-rounder and able to support Forward·Inc in its vision, mission and objectives.

Must-have requirements

• You are fluent in English. Fluency in Dutch or Arabic is a plus for this role; 
• You have a finished BSc or MSc degree in business or economics, or a demonstrable interest in business development;
• You are a good communicator who gains energy from networking and meeting people;
• You are tech-savvy;
• You have a proactive, entrepreneurial, results-oriented attitude with an ability to work effectively in a fast-paced organisation;
• You are flexible and can deal well with a lot of uncertainty. You have a solution focussed mentality.

Specifications

• Start: from 15th March 2022
• Availability: we are looking for someone who is available at least 2 full days a week. Availability of up to 5 days a week is a plus.
• Duration: March until early July. Starting date should be no later than April 1st
• Remuneration: we provide an internship compensation of 600 EUR for BSc graduates and 1000 EUR for MSc graduates, based on 5 days per week.
• Location: Amsterdam or Rotterdam. We currently work 2 days a week at the office (1 day AMS & 1 day RTM) and 3 days remotely.
• Perks: you join an amazing team with colleagues from the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, India, Mexico, Australia and Luxembourg. We are deeply committed to Forward’s mission and ensure teamwork makes the dream work.

About Forward·Inc

Forward·Inc is an organisation empowering refugees worldwide to launch, fund and grow their own businesses through its entrepreneurship programs. Established in 2017 in the Netherlands, Forward has trained more than 550 entrepreneurs and supported 183 startups in its 4-month intensive Incubator Program. So far 93 newcomers have achieved economic independence after being part of the program. 261 newcomers have been trained or employed by Forward startups, and through this achieved economic independence. In addition, 19 businesses have so far raised their first investment, totalling 1.73 million euros. Examples of alumni businesses include Greenwheel Technology, empowering farmers in Sudan through solar-powered irrigation systems, and Daffee, a sustainable alternative to coffee, based on date seeds. Forward·Inc builds on a strong community approach, engaging more than 80 experienced entrepreneurs as coaches and over 150 university students as volunteers per year.

Forward·Inc is all about allowing people from all backgrounds to live their full potential and about overcoming cultural and national barriers. We consider ourselves bridgebuilders between communities and people of different social classes and support numerous entrepreneurs that establish business connections with their home countries or regions. We believe economic independence is key to empowerment and to be a successful democratic citizen. Forward·Inc currently consists of 6 full-time team members and has offices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Our team is reinforced by great free-lancers, hands-on advisors and 3 amazing interns.

If you have any questions about the position or Forward·Inc in general, please reach out to: [email protected]