Director, Growth and Partnerships at ThinkWell

Description
Overview

• The Director, Growth and Partnerships provides leadership and management expertise to drive ThinkWell’s growth by leading and executing business development strategy and supporting external engagements. The Director reports to a Managing Director and leads the Design Lab team, ThinkWell’s hub for program growth.
• The Director is a remote position with the flexibility to be based in any country where ThinkWell has a presence.

What you’ll do...
Strategic Leadership

• Actively facilitate the growth of ThinkWell’s program portfolios, while infusing creativity and innovation at all stages from design to delivery
• Represent and embrace the technical aspects of Thinkwell’s work and serve as a key ideation expert, to design innovations for non-traditional bids and proposals and leverage opportunities within existing traditional projects
• Lead development and execution of external partner engagement strategy
• Participate in and contribute actively as a business development and external engagement at Leadership team, Management team and the Portfolio Managers Group.
• Lead development of portfolio strategy design with program and country teams to expand into new areas for comprehensive and transformational impact, within priority countries with potential to add new countries.
• Design Lab Leadership (Business Development)
• Assess and strengthen ThinkWell’s design lab processes and capabilities, including new business capture, forecasting and market analysis, proposal design discussions, and delivery of high-quality proposals
• Build capacity within Thinkwell and provide knowledge management, training and mentorship for professional growth in creative program design and funding
• Lead ThinkWell’s strategic expansion through leveraging relationships and partnerships with bilateral donors, foundations, philanthropists and private sector entities
• In addition to strengthening ThinkWell’s business processes for traditional donors, also focus on commercial sector engagement, impact investment and blended finance, spinning off innovations from our existing portfolio, and productizing scalable approaches
• Work closely with ThinkWell’s contracts, finance, and administration teams to ensure coherent working arrangements for all procurement and adherence to due diligence requirements for new business submissions
• Partner with the communication team to position ThinkWell both internally and externally as a health system innovator and transformer with excellent implementation capabilities through networking with donors, program partners, and other stakeholders at technical meetings/events
• Participate on ThinkWell’s technical advisory platforms across the firm; this includes active contributions such as learning and development initiatives, strategy clinics, and technical advisory roles on global projects
• Provide mentorship and training to project teams on ideation, capture, business development strategies, and submission of quality proposals
• Lead and manage a remote team of business development professionals

WE ARE:

ThinkWell core values are our fundamental organizational guiding principles. They define our corporate culture, influence our behavior at work and help us achieve our mission. Our values are:

• Think big
• Influence the conversation
• Empower others
• Be exceptional
• Always question
• Relate authentically
• Evolve by learning

Requirements

YOU ARE:

• ThinkWell core competencies are foundational skills and behaviors that align with our values and are expected of all employees.
• An entrepreneurial, results-oriented ‘do-er’ with a willingness to take risk, think big and challenge conventional wisdom.
• A change maker who reaches independent judgement with an open mind, influences the conversation, and seeks innovation.
• Able to help create an empowering environment in which everyone feels free to take initiative, be accountable and fail intelligently (learn from mistakes).
• A collaborative colleague who engages constructively with people from different cultures, orientations, and perspectives and maintains positive relations in a virtual world.
• Principally motivated by a growth mindset, meaning the pursuit of knowledge, experience, and self-improvement. You always question and continuously learn.
• Authentic, honest, direct, self-aware and open to giving and receiving feedback.

Your qualifications

• BA/BS and 12+ years or graduate degree and 10+ years of relevant experience;
• Excellent track record in strengthening and managing business development processes in international development;
• Extensive experience in forming and leading partnerships with donors, private corporations, and peer development organizations;
• Experience in developing and managing an internal process to stimulate, share, and advance innovative solutions
• Demonstrated experience in engaging non-traditional donors (private corporations, high-net worth individuals) to support international development work;
• Successful track record in designing and leading international development project proposals
• Substantive relevant work experience in the development sector including mastery of health sector activities and concepts;
• Extensive experience working with some combination of ministries of health and finance, traditional bi lateral donors, foundations and philanthropy groups;
• Strong network in the health systems and health policy community preferred;
• Demonstrated skills in strategy development and implementation, leadership, capacity building, mentoring, fundraising, impact investing and problem solving;
• Excellent spoken, analytical, and writing skills in English and preferably in another language (eg, French);
• Demonstrated team and people management abilities with a focus on growing staff, mentoring and coaching junior professionals;
• Outstanding cross-cultural communication skills, including the ability to relate respectfully with staff at all levels, ages, genders, nationalities and orientations as well as across work areas;
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 20%.