Business Development Manager-Manager

Key skills

Strategic Planning

Market Analysis

Customer Relationship Management

Project Management

Resource Mobilization

Partnerships

Donor Engagement

Additional/Preferred Skills

Emotional Intelligence

Cross-Cultural Communication

Sustainability Practices

Change Management

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree

Manager – Business Development (Resource Mobilization)

ICRISAT seeks applications from dynamic and professional personnel for the position of ‘Manager – Business Development (Resource Mobilization). The incumbent will be working under the direction and supervision of Director - Business Development and will be responsible for Resource Mobilization, Partnership Development and Management, Donor Intelligence, and Donor Relations. The selected candidate will maintain the Asia institutional pipeline. The position is based in India and will support our Business Development activities across the Asia Region. The incumbent will report directly to the Director – Business Development.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandate crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on the drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit – www.icrisat.org

Responsibilities:

• Coordination of the planning, development, and management of the resource mobilization initiatives and activities, including the development of grants management tools to ensure the effective engagement of stakeholders in raising resources for the institute.

• Advise and assist scientists in the preparation and processing of proposal packaging as per donor requirements; draft and provide letters of support, etc.

• Collate data on donor intelligence and mapping and assist the Business Development Unit in devising effective resource mobilization and fundraising strategies.

• Contribute to and oversee the generation of Management Information Systems (MIS) reports on project pipelines, grants and contracts periodically as required by the management.

• Create and implement timely and effective donor intelligence dissemination to all internal stakeholders.

• Relationship management of donors from philanthropic foundations, international government donors, India government- federal and state, private sector (CSR), multilateral banks.

• Advise research programs and working groups on relevant donor requirements/compliance, potential funding opportunities, changes in donor priorities, and ensuring quality grant management for all related projects.

• Support the other Business Development Unit colleagues in business development activities.

• Any other responsibility as directed by the Director, Business Development.

Competencies:

• Ability to closely liaise with Leaders and staff of different units such as Research Leadership and Scientists, Program/Regional Directors, Financial Services, etc.

• Ability to proactively liaise with the researchers and line staff across different cultures.

• Ability to facilitate multi-locational administrative processes/procedures.

• An effective Project Manager

• Ability to manage tasks independently or with limited supervision to meet agreed timelines

• A broad understanding of intellectual property concerning reviewing and processing contracts and agreements.

• Familiarity with the use of Microsoft Office software, IT tools Like Salesforce.

• Experience with CGIAR Systems will be an added advantage.

Requirements:

• Masters in Business Administration, International Relations, Communications or a relevant field

• At least 8-10 years of experience in business development, resource mobilization, fundraising and/or grant management in an international organization within the international development or Research For Development (R4D) sectors, seeking to maximize impact.

• Demonstrable experience in leading, supporting and monitoring large, multi-country, bilateral, multi-lateral, private sector and philanthropic projects and partnerships.

• Experience with medium- to large-scale programs in agriculture research, nutrition, or agri-business

• Experience working across various teams and functions, and working directly with and supporting research and/or program delivery teams

• Experience developing and leading successful complex proposals and providing impactful reporting for high-value donors, including CSR

• Ability to effectively manage and coordinate with geographically dispersed teams throughout all stages of the donor grant lifecycle

• Experience managing donor compliance, budgeting, negotiating agreement provisions, technical and financial reporting

• Ability to analyze and synthesize information and strong attention to detail

• Willingness and ability to travel within the Asia region

• Outstanding people skills: strong ability to communicate constructively across culturally diverse teams and contribute to a pleasant work environment

• Solid organizational skills: ability to be flexible and to work within a dynamic team environment

• Knowledge of related IT-enabled or CRM (customer relationship management) tools like Salesforce, MS Office products, etc. is necessary

• Hands-on problem-solving with strong analytical abilities.

• Excellent relationship-management skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.

• Existing network of global, national and/or regional donors

General:

This is Contractual position initially for a period of two years (24 months) renewable based on the performance of the incumbent and the institute’s continuing need for the position.

How to apply:

The selection process will commence by 21 April 2025 until a suitable candidate is identified.  Applicants should apply  with their latest Resume, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer