Product and Business Development Director

SPOON, an innovative global nonprofit, is the only organization dedicated to transforming nutrition and feeding for children who are highly vulnerable to malnutrition because of disability and lack of family care. SPOON empowers and equips families, communities, and institutions to safely feed and adequately nourish children through trainings and implementation of proprietary tools. UNICEF and Ashoka recognize SPOON for our progressive approach and systems-changing work that has catalyzed national policy change and yielded dramatic improvements in children’s health and development.

The SPOON team consists of eleven dedicated, focused, and compassionate individuals. While we are all currently working from home, our office, located in SE Portland’s Produce Row, is bike-, kid-, and dog-friendly. The hard and serious work we do is made easier by an inclusive culture, good conversation, and great coffee.

The Product and Business Development Director, a new role at SPOON, is critical to realizing our five-year strategic plan. The Director will lead the organization in packaging and presenting SPOON’s remote training, monitoring, and evaluation products to a wide audience of potential customers across the globe through a structured and informed business development and marketing strategy. With a great understanding of our products, including distance learning courses, our app Count Me In, as well as a prototype of a feeding chair for children with disabilities, they will become the link between these diversified audiences and our nutrition and feeding products, generating new revenue for the organization.

The Product and Business Development Director reports to the Executive Director and works closely with our Director of Programs & Partnerships and Technology Program Manager. This person contributes to strategic planning and could have supervisory responsibility depending on the candidate’s qualifications. Successful candidates will possess an entrepreneurial drive, exceptional relationship management skills, a track record of meeting ambitious goals, and a desire to help SPOON access a broader network of potential business partnerships.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Business Development

• Generate new revenue for SPOON by developing and implementing overarching business development strategy, sales processes, structure, and best practices across the organization
• Lead the development and ongoing management of relationships with organizations that seek to engage with SPOON’s remote training, monitoring, and evaluation products
• Lead all aspects of the sales cycle including identifying and prioritizing audiences and partners who could benefit from our services, making presentations, and securing the sale
• Identify trends and customer needs through market analysis, building a short/medium/long-term sales pipeline in accordance with targets, and stay up to date on market trends
• Coordinate and implement marketing strategies and activities, including the development of proposals and presentations to create and nurture business opportunities and partnerships
• Maintain and share professional knowledge through education, networking, events, and presentations

Nutrition and Feeding Products

• Based on feedback from partners utilizing the products, input on continual product refinement, as well as development of new products, to ensure that all products are meeting the needs of the end users

• Work with team members on establishing and adapting delivery model and pricing
• Work closely with the Technology Program Manager to oversee quality control of our nutrition and feeding products, ensuring that our tools are of the highest quality, meet the needs of our audiences, and integrate well with one another
• Lead technical team in developing systems and collecting input from customers that allows us to analyze uptake and success of our nutrition and feeding products
• Obtain feedback from existing users through observations of our products in action, in the field and online, as well as surveys and focus groups

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

In addition to the specific job requirements, staff at SPOON embody certain core values to support our mission: a passion for the mission, persistence, and a commitment to learning and evidence.

• 5-7 years of progressively responsible relevant experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, International Development, or other relevant field
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: international development, adult education, curriculum design, mobile/web app product management, public health
• Strong leader, strategic thinker
• Innovative and creative thinker who is not afraid to try something new and inspire others
• Ability to work well with teams and build relationships internally and externally
• A combination of technical and business acumen
• Data Driven – use financial data, usage metrics, ROI, etc. to drive decision-making
• Excellent technical skills in writing, editing, formatting, research, negotiation, and verbal communications; excellent presentation skills
• Creative thinking in the use of digital technologies
• Solution-oriented approach to facing challenges and ability to work well under pressure, manage multiple projects, deadlines, and teams and complex schedules
• Entrepreneurial attitude, results-driven and able to work independently as well as collaboratively

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, International Development, or other relevant field
• Significant knowledge of (or ability to learn quickly about) Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Nutrition, and/or Disability programs

TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: This is a full-time, exempt position with a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include health, vision and dental coverage, 401k plan with employer match, life insurance, long-term disability, generous paid time off, paid parental and family leave, bike/public transportation benefit, and professional development opportunities.

COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: SPOON is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. In line with our commitment to disrupting systemic racism, we acknowledge that research shows that Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and women are significantly less likely to apply for some positions, believing they must meet every qualification as described in the job description. At SPOON, we value representation, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We know that sometimes that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described in the position description above.