Business Development Lead

Description:

Reporting to the Director of Business Development and Sales – Applied Research, the Business Development Lead will be responsible for business development activities supporting the growth of the Agri-Food Applied Research portfolio. They will use their industry expertise and experience to engage with existing and new partners to support the growth of the applied research Centres, Chairs and Teams within the portfolio. While primarily focused on the Agri-Food sector, this the lead will also closely support Centre for Culinary Innovation and work with other Applied Research groups like the Clean Technologies Team and the Centre for Sensors and System Integration. The role also involves the identification and development of new product and service offerings based on input from our industry partners. In addition, the Business Development Lead will develop and implement portfolio-specific strategies and contribute to broader business development and sales operational policies and procedures.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strong customer (internal and external) relationships
• Develop the strategic plan for their portfolio to ensure that new and existing opportunities for revenue growth are maximized
• Identify and develop new products or opportunities that serve the needs of industry
• Lead government liaison activities, industry consultation, deal flow, proposal writing negotiations as well as contract review
• Represent Industry Solutions on various industry-relevant task groups, working groups or associations within their Portfolio

Skills & Abilities:

• Experience in customer and business development activities will be considered an asset
• Demonstrated experience in building financially sustainable enterprises and business lines is critical
• An aptitude for recognizing and responding to opportunities for new value creation
• Experience in navigating the funding environment available to post-secondary institutions
• Proven ability to work in a dynamic environment with a wide range of clients
• Technical sales experience is an asset

Qualifications:

• Business Degree or Diploma, or equivalent business experience and education
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in business development and sales
• Experience in the Agri-Food sector is an asset