Assistant Manager - Business Development

Location: Delhi

Service area: Business Growth

Duration: 12 months, with the possibility of extension based on performance.

Are you a recent graduate or post-graduate passionate about international development? If so, this is a unique opportunity for you to launch your career. By the end of the first year, you will have gained direct, real-world experience of what it takes to design programmes focused on impact areas including climate change, governance and accountability, security and stabilisation, and inclusive economic growth. You will also work on some of our live programmes, shadowing and supporting colleagues from our platforms across the world.

The fast-paced role includes extensive and tailored training and mentoring from experienced development professionals who will give you an insight to how design and deliver impactful work and carve out a career path that aligns with your interests and aspirations. By the end of the scheme, having gained exposure to different parts of the development sector, you will be able to apply to move into one of our specialist teams at ASI and continue your career with us.

About Adam Smith International

Adam Smith International is a global advisory company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable, and governments more effective. Our clients are governments, international organisations, companies, and foundations. They come to us to develop strategies and to design, deliver and evaluate programmes that address the big challenges facing the world.

Our service lines include education, infrastructure, climate change, inclusive markets, governance, justice, security and peacebuilding, and public financial management and revenue reform. ASI is owned and operated by its employees. We are committed to corporate integrity and a triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance.  This commitment was formally recognised when we became a certified B Corp. The certification indicates we balance profit and purpose through the highest standards of transparency and accountability as well as social and environmental performance.  We are also a participant in the UN Global Compact, which certifies our respect for standards of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.

We serve an extensive mix of public and private sector clients across South Asia, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas and are recognised as leading providers of economic growth and government reform programmes. Our clients are supported by our diverse and global team drawn from our central London Headquarters and offices located in over 20 countries.

About the role

This is an entry level role that sits within our central Business Development Team (BDT) based in Delhi, India. The BDT is responsible for driving and coordinating the growth of the company by helping specialist teams prepare for and produce competitive bids. As an Assistant Manager, you will support the development of technical and financial proposals for a wide range of programmes, spanning different thematic areas and parts of the world. This will include the analysis of political contexts, the recruitment of specialist advisors, and the drafting of proposal sections, as well as bid management and compliance. You will also work with the wider BDT team to develop and operationalise our BD systems and processes, including our crucial knowledge management function. While BD is at the centre of the role, there will also be opportunities to work on live programmes during the first year.

After successfully completing 12 months with the company, and depending on your performance, you will have the opportunity to progress into a Manager position and apply for a role on one of our specialist teams. In addition to a competitive compensation package and excellent benefits, we offer you a friendly and supportive team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. As a certified B Corp, we care about the wellbeing and growth of our people and are committed to supporting your personal development and actively facilitating opportunities to build skills and knowledge in your areas of interest.

Key Responsibilities:

(a) Support bids

• Conduct background research for an upcoming bid, including contextual analysis (e.g. political economy) and competitor analysis.

• Draft proposal sections and contribute to technical workshops.

• Draft competitive and viable financial proposals.

• Recruit best-in-sector advisors for a diverse range of needs, following best practice recruitment processes.

• Support and eventually manage bid and compliance, ensuring proposals are submitted on time and in line with client expectations.

(b) Support knowledge management

• Maintain our database which captures our global project experience.

• Commission, create, and/or edit capability statements which articulate ASI’s technical and geographical offer.

• Contribute to business analytics to support detailed business performance reporting.

(c) Contribute to Project Management

• Support the management of the successful delivery of projects to terms of reference, time, quality, cost and donor and Government satisfaction. This will include assistance in the following areas of project management:

  a. Finances

  b. Operations

  c. Team

  d. Quality assurance

  e. Risks & issues

  f. Evaluations

  g. Client relationships

• Maintain awareness of and conversance with political economy and key topics in priority countries.

• Build strong working relationships with the project team.

Requirements

About you

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate the ability to think critically and creatively about complex challenges; build trusted relationships within and outside ASI; write clearly and persuasively; and meet tight deadlines. Bid processes are often unpredictable and complicated, so candidates need to be energetic, pragmatic, and excited about working in a fast-paced environment.

Key Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree (at minimum) in economics, political science, international development, business management, or other relevant field, with excellent academic record.

• Strong writing and editing skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with teams based remotely.

• A demonstrable interest in international development or development economics.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint (at minimum).

• You must be eligible to work in India.

What We Offer You

This role is part of the Professional Development Scheme at ASI, which is a 12-month programme that offers you the opportunity to learn different business development and project management functions across our different service lines and gives you the knowledge and skills to kick-start a career in international development. The scheme is designed to both challenge and support you and give you the knowledge and skills to kick-start your career in international development. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with, support and learn from more experienced Managers across different teams and discover which areas of the business best align with your skillset and interest.

ASI is committed to continually improving the diversity of our workforce through the attraction, retention and development of a diverse range of talented people. We want people to be comfortable bringing their whole self to work and recognise that inclusion brings further opportunities for innovation and creativity.  We keep a sharp focus on diversity and inclusion, including through our Equality Action Plan and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and through leadership from our Executive Team and oversight by our Board.

We recognise the importance of your life outside of work. We are proud to support flexible working arrangements and commit to make a success of flexible working arrangements wherever possible. We’ve built a culture to reflect our values, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do.

Deadline for applications is 22nd February 2026.