Senior Relationship Manager, Coffee and Cocoa

The Senior Relationship Manager, Coffee and Cocoa works under the direction of the New Business Development unit, and in close coordination with senior International Programs Department staff, to help identify and promote strategic partnerships in support of LWR’s work in the cocoa and coffee value chains. The position is based in Baltimore, MD. Primary duties are to develop LWR’s network of strategic partnerships in the cocoa and coffee sectors to increase the scale and impact of LWR’s work, focusing on corporate, foundation, government, bilateral and multilateral organizations in LWR focus countries, and to contribute to the development of high quality proposals related to these partnership opportunities.

Resource Mobilization:

Lead and support conceptualization and design of programs that leverage unique, high impact contributions of local and multinational companies.

· Work closely with International Program Department to write proposal sections for coffee and/or cocoa proposals to institutional and/or corporate donors (approximately 7-8 per year).

· Obtain letters of intent and support from corporate entities for new coffee/cocoa proposals.

· With a corporate lens, ensure that clear performance, management and monitoring systems for public-private partnerships are incorporated into project designs and budgets.

· Contribute to setting of annual growth targets for the regions, in coordination with RD and NBD

Relationship Development and Management:

· Identify potential companies that have investments and resources aligned with Lutheran World Relief priorities.

· Develop a plan for coordinating relationship management with these different sectors and individual institutions/companies within them, in order to share responsibility for engagement among senior staff, providing clarity on roles and responsibilities of different staff and avoiding duplication of effort

· Build and promote replicable, scalable partnership models in the coffee and cocoa industry, drawing from external and internal praxis and learning.

· Ensure partner vetting through LWR’s due diligence process.

· Collaborate with staff to ensure partnership agreements reflect the priorities of end beneficiaries, Lutheran World Relief and other priority stakeholders.

· Manage relationship and partnership stages across portfolio of cocoa/coffee donors to ensure portfolio is balanced and healthy.

· Guarantee the high quality of technical and financial reports for LWR and the donors. Report language speaks to the donor/corporate partners, and includes contextual elements from the industry.

Representation:

· Support development of a customer relationship management system for Lutheran World Relief contacts in the cocoa and coffee sectors.

· Develop policy briefs and/or other publications that are high-quality and high-impact and relate to the coffee and cocoa value chains.

· Represent LWR portfolio projects in technical meetings providing sound technical expertise and giving presentations on LWR’s work in the cocoa and coffee value chain as required

· Represent Lutheran World Relief to USAID Mission representatives for Global Development Alliances.

· Obtain intelligence regarding priority corporate sector directions and opportunities per the US Government and foundations.

Capacity Strengthening:

· Tap into and attract US based resources and expertise to help field offices meet their private sector partnering goals.

· Track and communicate trends in private sector partnerships.

· Maintain close coordination with project managers in coffee/cocoa projects to ensure comparability of methods and data sets.

· Recruit, organize and supervise interns, consultants, temps or volunteers as needed or required for special projects.

· Proactively share learning with colleagues positioned to extend or continue investments

Professional Development

· Engage in ongoing professional development.

Other

· Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications:

1. Deep commitment to LWR’s core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.
2. A graduate degree in a business related field or a bachelor’s degree with equivalent relevant training
3. A minimum of five years of work experience within the cocoa and/or coffee value chains preferably with proven track record in brokering cross sectoral partnerships between NGOs and the private sector.
4. Exceptional oral and written communication skills; strong relational and communication skills that facilitate interaction with people from other cultures, religions, geographies and organizations; proven ability to respect and adapt to other cultures ; understanding of and respect for different religious traditions.
5. Corporate sector experience in business development, alliance management, CSR or sustainability and/or marketing.
6. Highly organized with a strong attention to detail.
7. Ability to work well independently, with minimal supervision and balance multiple priorities.
8. Proficiency in English (written/spoken).
9. Basic skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
10. Food security and/or livelihood sector knowledge and experience; understanding of current methodologies and standards for program design, monitoring and evaluation; abreast of current trends and resources in coffee and cocoa sector.
11. Experience in agriculture, agro-processing, certification, or micro-finance.
12. Ability to analyze data using a statistical package (e.g., Stata) is desirable
13. Proficiency in Spanish

How to apply:

If interested, apply online at http://lwr.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-610125.html