Partnership Development Lead

Land O’Lakes International Development is receiving applications for a Partnership Development Lead in anticipation of new large USAID-funded Agricultural Commercialization & Innovation Activity. Land O’Lakes International Development is a non-profit division of the farmer-owned agricultural cooperative, with more than 80 years of farm-to-market experience. For more information on our organization, please visit our website at www.idd.landolakes.com

Partnership Development Lead

Land O’Lakes International Development is seeking a Partnership Development Manager to lead the public-private partnership component of an anticipated USAID-funded project that will be headquartered in Washington DC.  The program objective is to advance commercialization of promising technologies and to provide funding and technical support to catalyze new public-private partnerships that bring agriculture technologies to smallholder farmers in developing economies.  Activities will include: identifying innovative agriculture and food systems technologies; developing new partnerships; administering grants for technology commercialization or partnership start-up; and designing, analyzing, and promoting investment models.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead outreach to private-sector businesses, research institutions, industry associations, and universities to facilitate thought-leaders on agriculture technology and build and manage relationships in collaboration with the USAID Bureau for Food Security, Office of Markets, Partnerships, and Innovation. Implement a system of relationship management.
• Develop and implement a system for competitive analysis, monitoring of impact, and beneficiary numbers. Emphasize the promotion of significant, material, and beneficial women’s and other non-traditional groups’ participation at all stages of partnership activities.
• Lead marketing of regional and international partnership opportunities to USAID Missions.  Seek and secure Mission funding to complement funding resources and the longer-term sustainability of initiatives.
• Lead modeling and analysis of partnership models.  Support a wide range of partnership models by leading a team of professionals that structure and test investment models and private-public venture opportunities. Build and disseminate a toolkit of adaptable models.
• Oversee the design and implementation of a transparent solicitation for partnerships and innovation that have the potential to lead to increased well-being of smallholder households.
• Manage the technical monitoring and evaluation for beneficiaries of the partnership start-up fund. Determine the need and type of technical assistance for funded partnerships and oversee the delivery of advisory services.
• Collaborate with the program’s Knowledge Management team to communicate with stakeholders and to share and disseminate information and a toolkit of adaptable partnership models.  Follow-up on leads from a private-sector hub on the USAID Feed-the-Future website.
• Collaborate with the program’s   Financial Management team to assure technical, financial, and regulatory compliance for funding agreements.
• Supervise partnership and investment modeling specialist and research and university relationship manager.
• Contribute as determined by management to support the overall goals of the Agriculture Commercialization and Innovation program, encourage development of public-private partnerships, and ensure their purpose and products coincide with the objectives of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future goals.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in relevant field, including finance, business, economics, or international development is required.  A Juris Doctorate, MBA or Masters degree in relevant field is preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in the areas of investment management technology commercialization, product innovation, or venture fund management.  Experience with commercializing agriculture technologies and innovation and market entry preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to establish strong working relationships with businesses and international donors required.  Experience with USAID programs is preferred.
• Preference given to experience in public-private partnership promotion programs or technology commercialization initiatives. 
• Preference given to demonstrated experience in smallholder agriculture programs with a preference for fieldwork experience in the US Government targeted Feed-the-Future countries.

Please note that the above position is dependent on USAID award of the anticipated program to Land O’Lakes.

Interested and qualified applicants are requested to submit a resume as soon as possible, and no later than February 29, 2012.  To apply, please submit your resume to .  You will be contacted if considered for this position or if additional information is needed.