Business Development Manager

Location

Location negotiable within the United States

About Us

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive.

We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. Whether it’s career development, work/life balance, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all of our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued.

Position Summary

The Business Development Manager is a member of the Worldwide Office External Affairs team. They are responsible for managing and leading the day-to-day work of the Business Development team, including managing and leading small to large-scale complex public funding proposal development teams that may span multiple departments or programs. They also provide writing support for cross-cutting, cross-geography public funding proposals.

The Business Development Manager will establish internal proposal development project goals and success factors. They will work in partnership with internal stakeholders, and for each proposal they will lead or support the creation of the proposal development team, development of project plans, budgets and schedules and other proposal development-related deliverables. They will critically assess project scope and objectives, ensuring all risks and dependencies are addressed in the proposal development plan to increase TNC’s likelihood of delivering on-time, successful results. They will define roles and responsibilities, lead the proposal development team to successful completion of the proposal and conduct after-action reviews to continually improve the proposal development process. The Business Development Manager also develops, implements, manages, and disseminates public funding proposal development best practices and processes.

The Business Development Manager supports the development of and manages and maintains a system to identify and prioritize funding proposal support requests. They support technical writing, collect and manage relevant proposal information (including donor requirements and proposal content), work collaboratively with conservation strategy leads in business units (BUs) across TNC and thematic leads (e.g., Global Strategy leads and relationship managers) to identify public funding proposal writing and management needs. They will support the management of TNC’s information database for public funding proposals. They will also support research, circulation and management of public funding request for proposals (RFPs) and maintain a clear understanding of TNC’s organizational outcomes. They will increase both the number and value of proposals in the public funding pipeline that are being submitted and awarded on an annual basis to support TNC’s achievement of our organizational outcomes. They report to the Director, External Affairs Business Advancement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field and a minimum of 8 years related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience in assembling and managing a proposal/business development team.
• Experience in competitive proposal processes and the role of a business development manager in those processes.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience cultivating and managing client relationships.
• Experience supervising staff and teams.
• Experience implementing and managing multiple complex projects.
• Experience with US-based and/or multilateral public funding agencies.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, spoken and written, in English.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience writing successful large-scale (> USD 1mil) public funding proposals, especially proposals to United Stated Agency for international Development (USAID), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Green Climate Fund (GCF), and/or other major public donors.
• Experience and/or understanding of communication and client management best practices at a decentralized organization.
• Experience developing, implementing, and measuring the success of a business development unit and/or proposal development teams.
• Excellent, mediation and negotiation skills.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experiences appreciated.
• Ability to persuasively convey the mission of The Nature Conservancy to diverse groups including donors, board members, public agencies, and the general public.
• Experience working effectively in a matrixed organization.
• Demonstrated ability in managing the fiduciary aspects of planning and delivery of budgets.
• Familiarity with public funding best practices.
• Management experience that includes ability to lead, motivate, set objectives and manage performance and conflict resolution.
• Fosters an environment of creativity and professional growth.
• Expert knowledge of current and evolving trends in public funding. Cross disciplinary knowledge to support program objectives.
  

How to Apply

To view the full position description and apply, please visit https://careers.nature.org. Applications will be reviewed in the order they’re received and the position will remain open until filled. If you experience technical issues, please contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. Please visit our career center for a full list of all our open positions globally – new positions are posted often!