Role: Business Consultant
Team: Growth & Innovation
Application Deadline: Monday, 16 November 2026
Position Overview: The Business Consultant will be a core driver of LightCastle’s growth. Working closely with the Team Lead and senior leadership, you will turn market intelligence into a qualified pipeline, convert priority opportunities into winning proposals, and build the partnerships and client relationships that sustain the firm’s long-term growth. You will also help shape innovative services and solution designs, represent the firm externally, and strengthen the systems that connect our knowledge and expertise to business development.
This is a strategy- and research-led business development role. It suits professionals who are comfortable with technical content, such as research design, evaluation methodologies, and programme logic, and who want to shape how a consulting firm grows, rather than manage accounts or sales targets.
This is a unique opportunity to join an organization that operates at the intersection of the private, public, and development sectors. We are looking for a high-performing, self-driven professional who can independently identify business opportunities, lead complex proposals and bids, build strategic partnerships, and help shape how LightCastle grows into new markets and service areas.
About the Growth & Innovation Team
The Growth & Innovation team shapes LightCastle’s business strategy and leads its growth. The team decides where the firm should compete, pursues the right opportunities, and builds the relationships, offerings, and systems needed to win and grow. We engage with:
- Bilateral and multilateral development partners
- Development finance institutions (DFIs) and impact investors
- Foundations, UN agencies, and I/NGOs
- Government agencies and private sector organizations
Our work spans:
- Business strategy: shaping the firm’s growth priorities, positioning, and expansion into new markets
- Market intelligence: tracking donor priorities, funding trends, and procurement pipelines to identify the right opportunities
- Proposals and bids: leading expressions of interest, technical and financial proposals, and tenders
- Partnerships and consortia: building alliances with international firms, research institutions, and local partners to compete for larger engagements
- Innovation: developing new services, business models, and solution designs, and improving how we win and deliver work
- Strategic events and programmes: convening stakeholders to strengthen the firm’s visibility and thought leadership
- Client relationships and networking: deepening relationships with existing clients and opening doors with new ones
- Knowledge management: ensuring the firm’s knowledge, credentials, and expertise actively support business development
Our goal is to build a diversified, high-quality project pipeline, increase the firm’s success rate, and expand LightCastle’s presence across new sectors and geographies.
Qualifications, Skills, and Competencies
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, Economics, Statistics, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field
- Minimum 3 years of full-time experience in business development, proposal development, research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), or fundraising
- Experience in a management, strategy, or development consulting firm, research institution, think tank, UN agency, or development organization is highly desirable
- A track record of contributing to successful proposals or funding applications for institutional clients or donor-funded projects is preferred
Technical Knowledge
- Strong understanding of the procurement and bidding processes of development partners and DFIs, such as the World Bank Group, ADB, UN agencies, the EU, and bilateral donors
- Sound knowledge of research methodologies, M&E frameworks, and theory of change
- Familiarity with concepts such as market systems development, private sector development, enterprise development, blended finance, impact investment, green growth, just transition, and circularity
- Ability to develop proposal budgets in line with donor regulations and client requirements
Skills and Competencies
- Excellent proposal writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, persuasive, and technically sound content
- Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple bids under tight deadlines
- High attention to detail and a consistent commitment to quality
- A self-starter who shows ownership, intellectual curiosity, and leadership potential
- An entrepreneurial, innovative mindset, with the ability to turn new ideas into practical services and solutions
- Thrives in a fast-paced, results-oriented, and collaborative team environment
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and cloud-based collaboration tools, with working knowledge of data analysis, data visualization, and AI tools
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Bangla (mandatory)
2. Key Responsibilities
Business Development and Pipeline Management
- Track donor priorities, funding trends, and procurement portals to identify new opportunities
- Assess opportunities against the firm’s strategy, capabilities, and win potential, and recommend go/no-go decisions
- Build and maintain a qualified business development pipeline
- Conduct market analysis and opportunity mapping for new sectors and geographies
- Support the design and execution of the firm’s growth strategy
Proposal Development and Bid Management
- Lead expressions of interest, proposals, and tenders from opportunity assessment to submission
- Define the win strategy, technical approach, methodology, and workplan
- Develop budgets and level-of-effort estimates
- Ensure full compliance with client and procurement requirements
- Coordinate inputs from technical experts, internal teams, and consortium partners
- Manage workflows, quality review, and on-time submission
Partnerships and Client Relationships
- Identify and build partnerships with international firms, research institutions, and local partners
- Structure consortia and teaming arrangements for priority bids
- Maintain relationships with development partners, clients, and industry stakeholders through consistent, timely communication
- Represent LightCastle at client meetings, networking events, and industry forums
- Develop new partnership and delivery models, including long-term consortia and local partner networks for entering new markets
Strategic Initiatives and Innovation
- Translate market insights and client needs into new service offerings
- Explore new business and revenue models, and bring innovative solution designs into proposals
- Lead concept development and solution design for new initiatives
- Plan and deliver strategic events, roundtables, and programmes
- Develop thought leadership, including case studies, white papers, and technical briefs
Knowledge Management and Leadership
- Maintain capability statements, CVs, credentials, and proposal libraries
- Introduce efficient methods, including AI-assisted workflows, reusable content libraries, and pipeline analytics
- Strengthen business development processes, tools, and knowledge management systems
- Guide cross-functional proposal teams to deliver high-quality outputs on time
- Independently manage assigned internal initiatives and workstreams
3. Experience Required
Minimum 3 years of relevant full-time experience
4. What We Offer
- Direct exposure to firm strategy and close collaboration with senior leadership
- Engagement with leading development partners, DFIs, foundations, government agencies, and private sector clients
- The opportunity to shape innovative solutions and service offerings and help take the firm into new markets
- A fast-paced learning environment where responsibility grows with performance
5. Compensation
Market competitive and negotiable, based on qualifications and experience.
6. About LightCastle Partners
LightCastle Partners, an international management consulting firm, creates systemic and data-driven opportunities for growth and impact in emerging markets. By collaborating with development partners and leveraging the power of the private sector, we strive to boost economies, inspire businesses, and change lives at scale.
Our portfolio includes:
- 150+ development and private sector clients
- 300+ consulting engagements completed
- 1,500+ SMEs and startups supported
- USD 150M+ in investments mobilized
- 50+ accelerator and incubator programs
- The largest market and industry datasets across 30+ sectors in Bangladesh
LightCastle Partners is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in fostering diversity in the workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, color, race, religion, disability, or background.
