Business Development Intern

Employer: Search for Common Ground
Employment type: Internship/Traineeship
Organisation type: NGOs & Nonprofits
Areas: Fundraising & Grant Management
Issue areas: Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution, Development & Humanitarian Aid
Salary: EUR 1,116-1,116 monthly

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Search Belgium leads the business development efforts towards European Member State donors as well as leading on business development efforts with the different European institutions including DG INPTA and FPI. The intern will support all European business development activities, including funding research, fundraising data analysis.

Key responsibilities

Business development (70%)
Conduct research on European (EU, governments, foundations) funding opportunities
Support the writing and reviewing of proposals and related documents
Analysis of fundraising data
Support partner meetings
Other tasks related to business development

Other support (30%)
Provide general administrative support

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Behavioral Competencies
Works cooperatively and effectively with other employees, team members and managers;
Uses logical thinking to structure, interpret and analyse data;
Possesses excellent analytical, writing and editing skills;
Ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines and to prioritise essential tasks;
Listens actively and is open to learning;
Values multicultural teamwork;
Has knowledge of and respect for the values and norms of the organisation;
Is able to identify essential information for a task or project;
A self-starting, detail-oriented and flexible approach to tasks;
Is resourceful and uses Search tools to support efficiency for self and team members.

Minimum required qualifications
Bachelor Degree, preferably in international relations, conflict studies, development studies, political science or similar; Masters in a relevant field is an asset;
Demonstrated research skills with the ability to pay close attention to detail;
Good knowledge of European institutions and understanding of EU decision-making procedures;
Prior (volunteering) experience in business development or a related field is an asset;
Excellent oral and written communication in English;
Good organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously within a demanding environment.
Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft Office applications.

Desired qualifications
Working knowledge of French and German is a very big advantage;
Working knowledge of Dutch would be desirable;
Experience working at a (non-)governmental organisation/non-profit or similar international environment.

Supervision

The intern will be part of the Partnership and Business Development team and will be supervised by the Partnership and Business Development Senior Manager.

Working conditions

Usual office environment in Brussels. Search Belgium currently has a policy requiring at least 2 days per week presence in the office.

Salary and contract

The internship will fall under the Convention d’Immersion Professionnelle (CIP) or Beroepsinlevingsstage, a framework for internships in Belgium for recent graduates. Hence the candidate must have completed their studies and have the legal ability to live and work in Belgium (this includes citizens of the European Economic Area plus Switzerland). The internship will be compensated with 1116.90 EUR/month (full time).

We are expecting this internship to be full-time and for a duration of 6 months, exceptions to this can be discussed during the recruitment process.

Desirable start date: November 2026

Application process

The deadline for applications is 18 September 2026. Please submit your CV and motivation letter through our online application portal. Indicate clearly in your motivation letter if you are available full time for 6 months or would like to suggest an alternative arrangement. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and Search reserves the right to identify a suitable candidate ahead of this deadline.

Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.