Senior Director, Business Development and Investor Relations

Position Title: Senior Director, Business Development and Investor Relations

Position Type: Regular Full-Time

Department: Ground-Up Investing

Location: Washington, DC - Hybrid or Remote (if outside the local area)

Salary Range: $123,000 - $162,500 - $203,000

Corus International provides a competitive, growth-oriented, yet fiscally responsible compensation program. When determining an offer for employment, multiple factors are considered including relevant years of experience, education, skills, internal equity, and budget. Our overall approach is to target the minimum to midpoint for starting salaries, based on these factors.

Additionally, Corus provides a comprehensive and competitive employee benefit package to protect our valued and dedicated staff and their families. Our benefits include three medical plan options with comprehensive prescription drug coverage, low-cost dental coverage with 100% paid vision insurance. Corus also provides a generous retirement plan and PTO to include vacation, sick, holiday, parental, jury, international travel, and bereavement leave; employer-sponsored basic life/AD&D insurance; employee wellness incentives, and employee work/life balance and assistance programs.

Position Summary:

The Senior Director of Business Development and Investor Relations reports directly to the Managing Director of Ground Up Investing and is responsible for leading the organization's capital raising and investor relations strategy.

Ground Up Investing in an impact first investment fund whose majority shareholder is Corus International. Ground Up Investing has invested in companies that have provided over $50 million in incomes for low-income, rural families around the world and helped farmers adapt 50,000 acres to climate changes. In the next decade, Ground Up Investing aims to put $1 billion into the hands of low-income rural families by investing in local, market-changing entrepreneurs who support small-holder farmers to increase their incomes and adapt to climate and weather changes.

The Senior Director is responsible for designing and leading a $20 million capital raise to launch Ground Up Investing's second fund. In parallel, the role will build the strategy, team, growth plan, track record, systems, and investor relationships required to enable the successful launch and management of a third fund of $75 million in subsequent years.

Achieving these milestones will position Ground Up Investing to invest in companies that support over $1 billion in income growth for low-income rural families and enable climate adaptation across 1 million acres of land.

Responsibilities:

Resource Acquisition - High Net Worth Individuals (35%)

• Develop, lead, and execute a comprehensive strategy to secure $5-10 million in philanthropic grants and impact investments from High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs).
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective HNWI donors and investors, guiding relationships through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Partner closely with Corus's Fundraising team to identify, prioritize, and engage individuals, families, congregations, and faith-based networks-particularly within the U.S. Lutheran community-interested in participating in Ground Up Investing (GUI) as donors and investors.
• Position GUI as the most trusted, accessible, and mission aligned impact investment platform for the U.S. Lutheran community by articulating a compelling blended value proposition.
• Lead high touch engagement efforts, including individual meetings, small group briefings, and tailored grant and investment proposals aligned with donor and investor motivations.

Resource Acquisition - Impact Investors, Foundations, and DFIs (25%)

• Design and implement a capital raising strategy to secure $5-10 million in senior debt commitments from corporate foundations, private foundations, fund of fund impact investors, and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).
• Position GUI's senior debt offering as a highly protected investment vehicle with sector leading social return on investment, emphasizing risk mitigation, impact outcomes, and alignment with investor mandates.
• Lead outreach, due diligence coordination, and negotiations with institutional and quasi-institutional investors in collaboration with internal finance and investment teams.
• Cultivate long term relationships with mission aligned investors to support current fundraising goals and future funds.
• Monitor trends in impact investing, blended finance, and development finance to refine strategy and identify new sources of catalytic capital.

Investor Relations (20%)

• Cultivate and sustain trusted, long-term