Manager, Strategic Growth and Partnerships

Manager, Strategic Growth and Partnerships

The Manager will play a key role in advancing Land O’Lakes Venture37’s growth and impact strategy, primarily by cultivating and securing impactful USAID and USDA new business opportunities. The Manager is a business development professional with experience leading/managing competitive USAID/USDA bids, ideally in the agriculture development and/or economic growth space.

Responsibilities will include:

Strategy and Pipeline Development

• Drive business development strategy for countries/opportunities in your portfolio, ensuring early intel capture and targeted pursuit of new business opportunities.

• Identify funding trends and contribute to bid analyses and capture plans to position V37 competitively.

• Manage and update opportunities and contacts in Salesforce.

Capture Management

• Cultivate relationships with key USAID staff (e.g. Economic Growth staff); develop and demonstrate strong understanding of key influencers and donor insights.

• Cultivate relationships with implementation partners including international NGOs, priority local partners, private sector companies and academic institutions.

• Organize and conduct in-country information gathering trips to collect/analyze data informing proposal design and to cultivate/strengthen partnerships.

Proposal Management

• Serve as proposal lead – with responsibilities including development of teaming strategy and scopes of work, sub-partner relationship management, and management of overall proposal development.

• Lead and orchestrate project design sessions incorporating theory of change to create compelling, innovative and customer-responsive approaches and solutions.

• Ensure technical requirements and details are aligned with cost proposal development in close collaboration with finance and costing teams.

• Manage on-time, compliant and cost-effective delivery of proposals.

Thought Leadership and Marketing

• Lead the development of donor/partner-appropriate pitch decks and other marketing collateral that showcase V37’s work and thought leadership.

• Conduct marketing trips to meet with key donors and partners and organize donor to influence program design.

• Position Venture37 for new business opportunities at industry events. 

Required Experience/Knowledge : 

• University degree in International Studies, International Development, Business Administration, Agriculture, Economics or related field.

• Minimum of four years relevant work experience, or combination of additional education and experience to total seven years.

• Demonstrated experience leading USAID bid strategies and proposals.

• Demonstrated ability to work with technical leads to conceptualize and develop competitive, innovative, impactful program designs.

• Ability to work and lead effectively in a team environment and work with people of diverse backgrounds in various cultural settings.

• Proactive, detail-oriented, flexible and able to focus and guide others in accomplishing time-sensitive work.

• Strong relationship-building skills and customer-centered approach to partnership development

• Familiarity with emerging trends in international agriculture/economic development.

• Ability to write and/or review – including proposals sections, concept notes, RFI responses and marketing materials.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

• Ability to travel and work effectively in emerging economies

Preferred Experience/Knowledge:

• Masters Degree in International Development, Agriculture, Business, Economics or related field.

• Proposal writing experience (i.e. technical writing).

• Demonstrated experience and success leading winning USDA bid strategies and proposals.

• Program management experience; experience working on projects with an agriculture focus.

• Experience living and/or working in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.

• French language skills.

Salary Range: $89,000 - $100,000

About Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

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