The Director is responsible for overseeing the strategic growth, business development pipeline, business intake and sustainability of IFDC’s country offices as well as supporting Country Directors in fulfilling their country representation and administration duties. This role involves leading, mentoring/coaching, and supporting Country Directors to achieve business development targets, ensuring compliance with organizational policies, and maintaining strong partnerships with stakeholders at each stage of the business development cycle.

The key responsibilities are as follows:

Business Development Strategy:

Support Country Directors to develop and implement country and regional business development strategies with existing and new donors through all stages of the business development cycle;

Support IFDC in the development of new countries programs and donors, in pursuit if it’s core mandate.

Proposal Management:

Oversee the planning, development, and submission of high-quality concept notes, proposals and related budgets from country teams.

Internal and External linkages:

Ensure Country Directors are linked with technical (programmatic and R&D) staff for inputand alignment in the development of new business strategies, opportunities and proposals;

Support Country Directors to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government agencies, and partner organizations from public, private and non-profit sectors while enhancing visibility and stakeholder engagement at country, regional and global levels.

Country Operational Oversight:

Ensure financial and operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness in country-level business development activities and in the IFDC Country Strategy implementation;

Undertake goal setting with Country Directors in line with institutional objectives and support the Vice-President Business Development in divisional resource planning and goal setting;

Cultivate work-life balance and well-being among the Country Directors and their teams including supporting the professional development of young professionals in their offices.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Sharing:

Facilitate the sharing of best practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches in business development across country offices;

Promote a culture of learning and evidence-based decision-making among the country teams.

Requirements

• MA, MSc. in a discipline related to sustainable agriculture and international development or equivalent;
• Minimum 10 years of senior-level leadership experience in all stages of the business development cycle and in developing strategic partnerships for international development projects;
• Proven track record in conceptualizing new business opportunities and leading successful market expansions in the field of sustainable agriculture and market systems development;
• Demonstrated experience in managing a large, disparate team of Country Directors with varying levels of experience, managing cross-functional groups, and collaborating with senior leadership internally and externally;
• Demonstrated experience developing pipelines of opportunity, serving as the lead opportunity owner and/or serving as a proposal czar;
• Strong mentorship skills, capable of guiding and developing business development staff at all levels;
• A deep understanding of market research, competitive analysis, and trend analysis to make informed decisions;
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills;
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills;
• High proficiency in English (additional languages relevant to IFDC are a plus prominently French and Portuguese);
• High levels of integrity, accountability, and commitment to organizational values;
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances.