Connexi - Senior Business Development Director

Senior Business Development Director

March 2023

About Connexi

When critical commodities stay in motion, lives do too. Because better access to pharmaceuticals, mosquito nets, schoolbooks, emergency supplies, and other life-changing commodities means better access to opportunity for millions of people around the globe. Opportunity to manage their health and safety, pursue their ambitions, and lead productive, independent lives.

Connexi helps keep life moving forward by connecting people around the globe with the products they need to thrive. Our mission is simple: provide reliable access to critical commodities for everyone, everywhere. So we’re building on Chemonics’ unparalleled experience managing the largest health supply chain in the world, to bring supply chain excellence to all. Connexi adds a state-of-the-art technology platform and innovative private sector approaches to a deep understanding of international development and public sector requirements.

A subsidiary of Chemonics International, Connexi brings together the best in commercial supply chain expertise and Chemonics’ 45-plus years of international development experience.

Connexi serves a broad set of supply chain clients and needs through a cost effective and customizable menu of services because we believe people everywhere deserve reliable and ready access to health, education, and other critical commodities. By working with public and private sector clients, Connexi supports quality supply chains that get commodities to them, when and where they’re needed.

Role: Senior Business Development Director

Location: Washington, DC

Salary: Competitive

The Role Job Summary

The Senior Business Development Director provides seniorlevel management of Connexi business development strategy with the goal of identifying and winning health, humanitarian, emergency response, and development related commodity supply chain market opportunities. The Director leads the Business Development team in building the visibility and reputation of Connexi as a provider of cost-effective, end-toend supply chain services and solutions that can be tailored to serve a broad range of clients and needs.

The Director operates in leadership roles for the most strategic client engagement opportunities and proposal efforts; demonstrates the most advanced level of accountability for achieving results; and leads, supervises, and mentors staff. This position reports to Connexi’s President.

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Responsibilities

Specific duties, which can and will evolve over time, include but are not limited to:

Business Development Strategy & Leadership

• Oversees all business development at Connexi, from building and maintaining client relationships to implementing capture efforts to preparing proposals. Responsible for quality assurance/control of the proposal process and final proposal product.

• Leads market analysis to identify business opportunities within Connexi’s target markets.

• Based on market analysis, leads the development and implementation of Connexi’s business development strategy, including client identification and engagement, and formulates annual business and work plans, including new directions and approaches to grow the company and increase market share.

• In collaboration with Connexi leadership, develops and implements strategies to optimize Connexi profitability and win rates.

• Analyzes win/loss information and proposal debriefs to improve proposal processes and content.

• Participates in problem solving with respect to business development and client engagement and responds immediately to critical situations, developing solutions that meet Connexi needs.

Client Relations

• Identifies, researches, and actively engages with potential clients to develop and secure new business opportunities.

• Develops and maintains client relationships, and oversees, manages, and prioritizes business opportunities; leads initiatives to leverage new revenue streams; and designs and implements

holistic and client specific communication and outreach plans, ensuring that they are informative, effective, and engaging.

• Establishes and nurtures collaborative relationships with partners, subcontractors, technical specialists, and clients.

Proposal & Bid Development

• Undertakes leadership role in proposal development, analyzing and recommending bid decisions, and conceptualizing teaming, technical approaches, and pricing strategies to maximize competitive advantage.

• Structures proposal teams and provides vision and leadership to proposal efforts.

• Plays lead roles in proposals such as technical writer and proposal strategist; conducts proposal reviews.

• Collaborates with Connexi technical team to support the development of technical products, service offerings, and value propositions to maintain full alignment with client requirements and build competitive advantage.

• Supports Connexi’s technical team to assess needs for client presentations and ensure that they have the necessary collateral during pitches. Customizes presentations, case studies, and other key collateral to match client needs and present a value proposition that aligns with different clients’ needs.

Responsibilities

Networking & Communications

• Leverages industry contacts and networks with clients, consultants, and counterparts regarding new business opportunities; cultivates partnerships with international, regional and local supply chain participants and stakeholders and develops strategic partnerships.

• Travels regularly to explore and develop new business opportunities, interact with key client staff to strategically influence new programming decisions, and develops and negotiates strategic partnerships.

• Builds the Connexi brand by ensuring consistent use of messages across the company and developing strategies to ensure Connexi’ brand is easily understood, shared, and relevant.

• Develops communications strategies and implementation plans that increase Connexi visibility among the target markets, including institutional donors, international NGOs, national governments, and the private sector, and help the company reach new audiences and attract clients.

• Oversees development of communications materials including technical and marketing materials and digital content that align with the company’s business goals and needs and demonstrate Connexi’s experience, innovation, and talent.

People Leadership

• Supervises a team of Business Development Managers who plan and coordinate overall new business activities for Connexi, including lining up proposal resources, staffing proposal teams, training and mentoring Connexi staff in proposal roles.

• Supervises, mentors, and evaluates direct reports, communicating clear performance goals and standards, offering regular performance feedback and prompt resolution of problems, and time and opportunity to grow and develop in key competency areas; promotes staff development through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating professional growth.

Other

• Coordinates and collaborates with the health and supply chain practices, business units across the parent company, and corporate and project communications teams on business development and communications, outreach, and thought leadership activities to ensure that Connexi efforts are in concert with our parent company.

• Promotes and exemplifies Connexi’s and Chemonics’ values and ethical standards and manages staff to achieve team and development objectives.

• Demonstrates inclusive behaviors and leadership.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.

• Demonstrated experience conceptualizing, outlining, performing, and directing the research and writing of reports, proposals, success stories, website and social media content, and other business, communications, and marketing documents and collateral.

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business administration, international development, or relevant discipline; advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in business development, marketing, and communications; health and/or humanitarian supply chains sector experience and private sector experience highly desired.

• Excellent writing and communication skills; strong interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with clients.

• Minimum 5 years of staff supervisory experience.

• Proven experience and ability to proactively identify and engage with new clients, to lead solicited and unsolicited business development efforts, and to provide quality assurance and control at all stages of the business development lifecycle.

• Proven ability to design and implement marketing, communications, go-to-market, and/or business development strategies and plans.

• Experience in international development and understanding, knowledge, and experience working with company’s main clients, including international NGOS implementing health and humanitarian assistance programs, governments, private sector, and international donors such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, PAHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, and STOP TB, highly desired.

• Demonstrated experience managing and leading staff assigned to a department or several project teams and new business efforts.

• Proficiency in MS Office; working knowledge of WordPress and/or Adobe Creative Suite preferred.

• Willingness to travel and work abroad a minimum of 4-8 weeks per year.

• Demonstrated integrity, independent thinking, judgment, and respect for others, with strong interpersonal communications skills to establish and maintain strong working relationships with executives, senior technical experts, and a variety of staff around the world.

How to Apply

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV-032023-Connexi or Pat-JonesCoverLetter-032023- Connexi.

Timeline

Closing Date: 14th May 2023

First stage interviews: TBC

Final interviews: TBC

Selection Process

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Equality Statement

Equality and diversity are at the core of Connexi’s values. Staff are expected to work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of others is valued and respected.

Queries

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at connexi-bddirector@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

About Oxford HR

Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.