Director, Business Development and Network Engagement

Who we are at FCM:

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of local governments, representing their interests with the federal government.

With over 2,000 members, including Canada’s largest cities, small urban areas, rural and remote communities, as well as 20 provincial and territorial municipal associations, FCM represents more than 90% of the country’s population. Through its advocacy, funding offers and diverse programs, FCM’s work has a direct impact on Canadians’ quality of life.

At FCM, we are committed to making the communities Canadians live in more prosperous, sustainable, and equitable. We aspire to be deeply respectful, collaborative, empowering and inclusive. All leaders in the organization embrace these values, the corporate culture and the passion for FCM’s mission.

About This Role:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Programs and Networks, the Director, Business Development provides strategic and operational leadership for FCM's business development function and growth agenda across the Programs and Networks portfolio. The role leads the development of new and emerging areas of domestic programming, oversees the strategic vision and diversification of international programming, and advances FCM's business development approach by identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, partnerships and funding diversification.
The Director leads the development and implementation of business development strategies that support FCM's strategic priorities, strengthen its institutional positioning and contribute to long-term organizational growth and impact. Working closely with the Senior Director, the role identifies emerging opportunities and translates strategic priorities into innovative programming, sustainable business models and funding opportunities.
The Director leads the identification, assessment and development of funding opportunities from Canadian governments, international donors, foundations, private sector organizations and other partners. The role develops and implements partnership strategies that support FCM's programming objectives while expanding and diversifying the organization's funding base.
As a hands-on leader, the Director personally develops strategic concept notes, business cases, funding proposals, particularly in support of emerging domestic programming, innovative delivery models and funding diversification. The Director plays a lead role in shaping new program ideas and translating opportunities into viable and impactful initiatives.
The Director works collaboratively with program teams, corporate services and external stakeholders to identify needs, generate innovative programming concepts and advance strategic partnerships.
The role also provides strategic leadership to FCM's engagement with municipal and related networks, both in Canada and internationally. By leveraging strategic relationships, market intelligence and knowledge exchange opportunities, the Director helps strengthen FCM's positioning, identify emerging opportunities, advance partnerships and inform future programming directions.
The Director supervises the Business Development Advisor and provides leadership for FCM's business development function. Working closely with the Advisor, the Director provides strategic direction, coaching and quality assurance for concept notes, funding proposals, partnership strategies and other business development products. The Director ensures that strategic opportunities are effectively identified, assessed and translated into high-quality programming concepts, sustainable partnerships, diversified revenue streams and successful funding proposals.

What you'll be doing:

Key Responsibilities

Business Development and Growth

• Provide strategic oversight and lead the development and implementation of FCM's business development strategy for the Programs and Networks portfolio, with a focus on emerging domestic programming, international programming diversification and long-term organizational growth.
• Provide the strategic oversight and lead the identification, assessment and prioritization of new funding opportunities aligned with FCM's strategic priorities.
• Develop and maintain a business development pipeline and provide strategic recommendations to the Senior Director on emerging opportunities, investments and growth priorities.
• Identify opportunities to diversify FCM's funding program sources.
• Translate emerging public policy priorities, municipal needs and partner interests into innovative program concepts, business models and funding opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with program teams and corporate services to ensure new initiatives build on FCM's expertise, municipal value proposition and organizational capacity.
• Engage municipalities, municipal associations and strategic partners to identify emerging needs, opportunities and priorities that inform future programming and business development efforts.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships that support partnership development, market intelligence and organizational growth.

Program and Proposal Development

• Personally lead and develop strategic concept notes, business cases, expressions of interest, funding proposals and partnership initiatives for priority opportunities.
• Generate and advance new program ideas that contribute to FCM's strategic objectives and long-term growth.
• Provide strategic oversight and lead multidisciplinary proposal development teams and collaborate with technical specialists, program teams, Finance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Communications and external partners throughout proposal development processes to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality submissions.
• Ensure proposed initiatives are aligned with FCM's strategic priorities, municipal needs, donor requirements and organizational capacity

Strategic Intelligence and Opportunity Development

• Monitor government priorities, funding mechanisms, sector trends and emerging issues affecting municipalities, local development and international cooperation.
• Conduct strategic analysis to identify new programming opportunities, funding prospects and areas for growth.
• Develop briefing notes, business cases and recommendations for senior leadership on strategic opportunities and partnerships.
• Work closely with the Business Development Advisor to ensure research, environmental scanning and stakeholder intelligence inform business development priorities.

International Networks and Strategic Engagement

• Leverage FCM's participation in international municipal and related networks to identify opportunities that advance organizational priorities, partnerships and programming objectives.
• Support the Senior Director's engagement with international municipal organizations and network by leading the relationships when needed and by developing follow-up initiatives, partnership opportunities and program concepts.
• Collaborate with international partners to explore innovative approaches, joint initiatives and knowledge exchange opportunities that support FCM's business development objectives.
• Identify opportunities arising from international municipal cooperation that strengthen FCM's programming, partnerships and institutional positioning.
• With the Senior Director, lead the development of strategies to maximize the value of FCM's participation in municipal, governmental and international networks.
• Facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration opportunities that strengthen FCM's programming, partnerships and institutional positioning.
• Identify opportunities to connect network engagement with business development objectives, partnership opportunities and future programming.

Knowledge & Experience

• University degree in international development, public administration, public policy, political science, economics, business administration or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in business development, partnership development, program design, strategic growth or related leadership functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading, drafting the development and implementation of business development strategies, growth initiatives or funding diversification approaches.
• Strong understanding of Canadian government priorities and funding mechanisms, particularly those relevant to municipalities, international cooperation, climate, economic development and governance.
• Experience building collaborative partnerships with governments, municipalities, municipal associations, international organizations or other institutional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic priorities into practical programming and funding opportunities.
• Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills, including experience preparing high-quality concept notes, proposals, briefing materials and presentations.
• Excellent relationship-building, negotiation and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching and developing professional staff and leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of the Canadian municipal sector and international municipal cooperation is considered a strong asset.
• Experience working in international development and with donor-funded programming is highly desirable.
• Fluency in English and French is strongly preferred

This is a new position

Salary Range:

$127,342.00 - $144,942.00

What we offer:

We offer a flexible work model grounded in accountability, collaboration, and delivering results. It is designed to support both performance and well‑being. While work is primarily virtual, occasional travel to our Head Office in Ottawa is expected. The majority of the team is based in the National Capital Region.

Where applicable, you may also have opportunities to travel across Canada to engage with the communities we support and better understand the impact of our work.

Employee experience and supports:

We are committed to creating an environment where people can do their best work while maintaining a healthy balance including:

• Flexible work arrangements that support productivity and collaboration
• Summer schedule (July 1 to Labour Day):
  • 7-hour workdays
  • Fridays off, aligned with team and operational needs
• Ongoing commitment to employee development
• Comprehensive range of employee benefits and services designed to support employee wellbeing and development. Please note: details and eligibility may vary depending on the role
• Modern office space in Ottawa’s ByWard Market and downtown core

We’re committed to fostering an organizational culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic identities, ages, nationalities, social economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and physical and mental abilities can thrive and be fully engaged at their best level.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

The future of work at FCM includes a hybrid work model; therefore, this role will be a combination of virtual and on-site work. The successful candidate is required live within 80kms of downtown Ottawa, unless otherwise specified, and be authorized to work in Canada.

As part of our recruitment process, we use automated artificial intelligence tools to screen applicants. All AI-generated assessments are reviewed and validated by our People and Culture team.

In closing....

If this role speaks to you and the impact you want to make, we’d love to hear from you!

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process will be contacted by a member of our People and Culture Team.