Sr. Director New Business Development

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

FUNCTION

The Senior Director, New Business Development - Americas is responsible for leading and supporting Heifer’s resource mobilization strategies and partnerships in the Americas while serving as a collaborating partner to the Senior VP of the Americas. This position will be directly responsible for securing significant new funding in support of Heifer’s mission to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. The Senior Director will bring a proven track record and deep expertise with the design and development of high-quality projects, proposals, and other donor-oriented marketing materials. The position will provide a high level of strategy leadership, partnership management, coordination expertise for regional and/or complex bids, and hands on support to proposal teams. Additionally, this position will represent Heifer with donors and key stakeholders based in the US, including in the Washington, D.C. area. The position will be expected to bring specific expertise and relationships with one or more strategic donors for Heifer (such as USAID, USDA, large foundations, corporations, other bilateral and multilateral aid agencies).

ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS:

Impeccable interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and written in English and Spanish. Ability to support, cultivate, and anticipate future business opportunities. Exceptional project management and leadership skills. Proven ability to navigate issues and topics tactfully and diplomatically working at different organizational levels, and with external partners and other stakeholders, to identify, cultivate, and develop relationships that result in new opportunities for the organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES

A. Develop and execute successful resource mobilization strategies that align with the Americas region Signature Programs while bringing significant amounts of new revenue to Heifer (40%)

• Lead the implementation of the Americas regional business development strategy and design processes resulting in high quality, responsive project proposals that meet both Heifer and donor requirements
• Identify new partners and funding opportunities in alignment with Heifer's organizational goals and lead related efforts to position Heifer as a partner of choice (as a prime or sub, depending on the opportunity).
• Meet projected revenue targets to support Americas annual and long-term growth and scale.
• Collaborate with Americas regional and global business units at Heifer HQ to respond to opportunities (local, national, and global) from the private sector, foundations, and institutional donors

B. Provide leadership for the Americas region New Business Development team during the entire business development cycle, including identification, positioning, design, and proposal submissions phases (40%)

• Track trending methodologies, priorities, and approaches for a set of key donors and work to integrate this information to optimize project and program design efforts.
• Lead positioning and capture efforts by working with Americas region teams in identifying, tracking, and regularly updating funding opportunities.
• Utilize the Heifer’s database systems to capture details on funding opportunities.
• Play lead strategic and/or technical roles on proposal design teams including as Proposal Strategy Lead.
• Ensure high quality, compliant and on-time proposals are submitted that align with Americas region Signature Programs.
• Mentor and train Americas region staff on industry best practices for project design.
• Maintain close collaboration and coordination with HQ teams including Institutional Business Development; People Department; Global Finance Operations; Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning; Resource Development Operations; Heifer Impact Capital, among others.

C. Represent Heifer in the DC and regional donor environment while managing relationships with key donors and stakeholders (15%)

• Position Heifer in key Americas regional markets and Washington, D.C. as a key player in sustainable development and the environment.
• Identify emerging trends in the funding environment and proactively adapt strategies for positioning Heifer competitively.
• Build on Heifer’s existing networks and open new large and influential partnerships with high priority bilateral and multilateral donors (e.g., USAID, USDA, EU, governments of Germany, Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, the U.K., IADB, IFAD, FAO, and the World Bank), research, university, and technical partners, and INGOs.
• Collaborate closely with Institutional Business Development who are also managing strategic relationships and partnerships.
• Coordinate development of external materials, resources and messages that are tailored to specific constituencies and target existing and potential donors.

D. May perform other job-related duties as assigned. (5%)

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, international development, agriculture, environment, or a related field, and 15 years of related new business development experience.
• A minimum of 8 years in a supervisory capacity.
• Must have existing strong networks with high priority bilateral and multilateral donors for Heifer, Tier-1 foundations, the private sector, technical and research partners, and other implementing organizations.
• Significant technical experience in design and/or implementation of agricultural value chains, climate change, and projects targeting smallholder farmers.
• Successful experience in bringing together both private and public funding for large scale programs, and a proven track record of leading proposal development processes and successfully securing large scale funding to support impactful growth in programs.
• Proven team leadership, management, and capacity building skills with the ability to train and work cooperatively with a diverse staff, both centralized and decentralized.
• Fluent in English and Spanish (reading, writing, and speaking).

Preferred Requirements

• Master’s degree in international development, agriculture, environment, or a related field.
• Have lived abroad in the Americas region for at least 3 years and managed institutional donor projects in the past.
• Have directly supervised staff while based in an office in the Americas region.

Most Critical Proficiencies

• Ability and strong proven experience in spotting an opportunity and closing deals in business and proposal bids.
• Knowledge and experience in complex partnerships that include multiple partners and donors – with multiple and sometimes competing interests.
• High energy, collaborative, leader with outstanding interpersonal skills, enthusiastic relationship-builder, and strong negotiator.
• Change leader with demonstrated persistence and resilience when things go wrong and the ability to get things back on track.
• Leadership skills, with ability to provide others with a clear direction and motivation.
• Strong analytical skills including ability to synthesize complex or diverse quantitative and qualitative information from a wide range of sources.
• Superlative problem-solving skills: identifying and resolving problems in a timely manner; gathering and analyzing information skillfully; using strong rationale even when dealing with difficult topics.
• Knowledge of global sustainable development; including understanding of components of Heifers’ program model to address hunger and poverty - community-led development, livestock, agriculture value chains, inclusive market systems, environmental conservation, and a commitment to the resource poor.
• Experience in forming new partnerships, alliances and relationships that integrate private sector partnerships, local community funds, innovative financing, and impact investment.
• Passion for justice and change, coupled with strong business acumen and a pragmatic grasp of Heifer’s context – community-led development, livestock, agriculture value chains, inclusive market systems, and conservation of nature.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands

• Willingness to support Heifer’s mission, Cornerstones Model, and values.
• Ability to negotiate effectively by exploring range of possibilities.
• Ability to serve as a thought leader in relevant technical areas for Heifer.
• Ability to prepare and present speeches/presentations, reports, business correspondence, and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format with superior attention to detail.
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to relate to individuals and groups diplomatically and tactfully.
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal business hours, including within business hours that are regular in other time zones worldwide.
• Adequate physical condition necessary to walk to project sites in rural areas if needed.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively, both domestically and abroad.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and to maintain confidentiality.

Salary Information:

The expected base salary range for this position is $130k to $165k USD annually. Placement within the range will be based on the competency level of the candidate:

Minimum: Entry level, meets minimum qualifications. Needs guidance and training to perform key responsibilities of the job

Midpoint: Experienced and fully competent. Can independently perform all responsibilities of the job

Maximum: Highly experienced and can perform at a higher level than expected

**Disclaimer: Salary ranges are based on country location and local country salary scales.

WHAT WE OFFER:

Heifer International offers a variety of benefits for U.S.-based employees working 30 or more hours per week.

• Health and wellness benefits including Flexible Spending Account and/or Health Saving Account
• Employee assistance program
• 403(b) retirement plan (match 1% employee to 2% employer up to a maximum of 4% match + 3% employer discretionary contribution regardless of employee contribution)
• 22 vacation days in addition to 12 statutory and discretionary holidays, and 10 sick days per year
• Employer-paid life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D)
• Professional development and annual merit increase opportunities
• Optional critical illness insurance, legal assistance plan and pet protection
• And more!