Director Business Development and Innovation - Invest International

Unique opportunity to shape the international growth and partnership strategy of a high-profile Dutch impact financier at a pivotal moment in its development.

• Invest International is a state-owned impact financier connecting global challenges with Dutch innovation.
• The organisation drives sustainable growth in emerging markets, combining public purpose with private enterprise.
• The new Business Development & Innovation (BD&I) unit acts as Invest International’s incubator for strategic growth, developing new themes, products, and partnerships.
• Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director sets the strategic agenda for innovation and early-stage opportunity creation.
• The role offers the chance to shape a new function, build a team from scratch, and bridge public policy with private enterprise.

Organisation

• Established in 2021 as a state-owned enterprise of the Dutch government
• Headquarters located in The Hague
• Approximately 175 employees representing over 20 nationalities
• Funded by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Portfolio focused on sustainable economic growth, decent work (SDG 8) and climate action (SDG 13)
• International scope, financing projects that connect Dutch knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship with global societal impact

Position

• Establish BD&I as a credible and collaborative driver of innovation that accelerates new ideas, partnerships, and growth initiatives across the organisation.
• Define and execute a clear growth and partnership strategy that translates Dutch and EU priorities into tangible, scalable opportunities.
• Foster collaboration and trust between the BD&I, Public, and Private divisions, ensuring shared ownership and alignment on strategic goals.
• Combine external entrepreneurship with strong internal leadership, balancing innovation with governance and execution discipline.
• Act as a connector and bridge-builder who creates alignment, momentum, and cross-functional cooperation across teams and stakeholders.
• Represent Invest International in key networks and partnerships, strengthening its visibility, credibility, and international position.

Requirements

• At least fifteen years of international experience across public and private domains, with a strong record in business development, partnership creation, and strategic innovation.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, initiating, and structuring new business lines, programmes, or collaborative ventures in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Experience operating at the intersection of public policy, private enterprise, and international finance, translating policy priorities into executable opportunities.
• Solid understanding of government and EU-level programmes, development financing, and international collaboration mechanisms.
• Credible network across ministries, EU institutions, business leaders, and diplomatic circles (NL, EU, and global).
• Proven ability to lead and motivate cross-functional or project-based teams; capable of building new teams and establishing an open, trusted, and performance-driven culture.
• Strategic thinker with strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to influence, align, and inspire stakeholders across functions and cultures.
• Advanced academic degree in Business, Economics, International Relations, or a related field.
• Fluency in Dutch (mandatory) and excellent command of English, the organisation's working language.
• Willingness to travel internationally, particularly to developing and emerging markets.
• Note: Candidates with a purely financial or transactional background, or without demonstrable experience in cross-organisational collaboration and team leadership, will not match the profile.

Benefits

The remuneration for this position aligns with the public mandate of Invest International and follows the WNT-plus framework. The package is competitive within the public sector context and includes a fixed base salary complemented by a solid secondary benefits scheme.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Quaestus and Invest International, we attach great value to diversity and inclusion. We strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, genders, nationalities and age groups to apply. Research shows that female candidates often only apply when they meet 100% of the requirements, while male candidates tend to do so at around 60%. If you recognise yourself in this profile but do not meet every requirement, we warmly encourage you to apply. We value the perspectives and experiences that diversity brings to leadership and organisational success.