Manager, Strategic Growth & New Initiatives

Job Title: Manager, Strategic Growth & New Initiatives

Work Mode: Hybrid (3 days onsite)

Location: Lagos

Reporting To: Managing Partner

Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA) is a technical advisory and management consulting firm that works with food companies, development partners, investors, and governments across Africa to strengthen food systems and agribusiness value chains.

The Manager, Strategic Growth & New Initiatives is a core revenue engine driver responsible for originating and closing high-value deals, building strategic partnerships, and positioning FHSA as a preferred partner for winning proposals and commercial engagements. This role requires a commercially driven individual with a strong appetite for deal closure, capable of securing large-ticket opportunities and scaling partnerships across donors, development partners, technical implementers, and major businesses within the food value chain.

The Manager will lead growth across Tier 2 and Tier 3 clients, including donors, philanthropies, development partners, and strategic corporates, while also supporting go-to-market strategies for FHSA’s digital products. The role demands the ability to originate and close opportunities, develop compelling service proposals, and align partnerships that drive both impact and revenue.

The role focuses on:

• Originating and advancing growth opportunities

• Leading strategic proposal development

• Executing new business initiatives and service lines

• Building partnerships that translate into funded work, pilots, or revenue

This role operates at the front end of FHSA’s growth engine and is accountable for turning strategy, relationships, and ideas into tangible outcomes. It emphasizes high-impact deal closure, strategic proposal development, and cultivating long-term partnerships aligned with FHSA’s mission and priorities. The Manager will also oversee internal teams, including communications, branding, and business development support, ensuring coordinated execution that strengthens client engagement, visibility, and organisational growth.

Growth Origination & Revenue Advancement 

• Identify, initiate, and advance growth opportunities with Tier 2 and Tier 3 clients including donors, philanthropies, development partners, and strategic corporates

• Lead revenue-generating efforts through compelling outreach and engagement strategies

• Drive opportunities from early engagement through proposal, pilot, MoU, or funding decision

• Own and accelerate revenue conversion by working closely with the CEO on high-value deal closure

• Maintain and actively manage a live opportunity pipeline with clear next steps and decision timelines

Proposal Development & Deal Structuring

• Lead end-to-end proposal development for strategic opportunities across Tier 2 and Tier 3 clients including donors, philanthropies, development partners, and strategic corporates

• Originate or develop proposals in collaboration with the CEO, technical teams, and partners

• Translate client needs into strong, competitive proposals that position FHSA as a strategic partner

• Coordinate inputs across technical, finance, delivery, and partner teams

• Support negotiation and structuring of complex agreements, with final sign-off by the CEO

New Business Lines & Strategic Initiatives (Digital & Service Innovation Focus)

• Lead the development and execution of new initiatives and service lines

• Drive adoption of FHSA’s digital products by taking solutions from concept through validation, pilot, and early scale

• Apply structured timelines, milestones, and Go/No-Go decision frameworks to new initiatives

• Translate business development strategy into actionable growth initiatives for internal teams

• Build and manage Tier 3 pipelines to support digital product scale and product-market fit

Partnerships & Relationship Management

• Build and manage strong B2B partnerships across development partners, technical implementation partners, and large food value chain businesses

• Structure partnerships that lead to funded programmes, pilots, or revenue-generating engagements

• Position FHSA as a strategic partner in multi-stakeholder opportunities and consortium bids

• Represent FHSA at high-level meetings, conferences, and industry engagements

• Coordinate and monitor Business Development Associates, strengthening their capacity for deal closure

Internal Coordination & Team Oversight

• Provide management and supervision to business development teams, driving performance and increasing revenue-generating outcomes

• Provide oversight across internal functions supporting growth, including brand, marketing, communications, and business development support

• Ensure consistent messaging, high-quality outputs, and alignment with FHSA’s strategic priorities

• Work closely with technical and programme teams to align client needs with FHSA’s capabilities

• Coordinate BDE tracking and ensure monthly reporting across Tier 2 and Tier 3 pipelines including donors, philanthropies, development partners, and strategic corporates

Market Intelligence & Strategic Input

• Conduct ongoing market scanning to identify funding trends, partnership opportunities, and sector shifts

• Provide strategic input to leadership on positioning, growth priorities, and market entry opportunities

• Report high-level growth performance across all tiers

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, International Development, or a related field, with a Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred

• 7–10 years of experience in business development, consulting, or fundraising, with strong exposure to donor and partner engagement

• Demonstrated track record of closing high-value deals and growing client portfolios

• Strong networks across donors, philanthropies, development partners, and private sector actors

• Experience in proposal development, deal negotiation, and pipeline management

• Experience managing or coordinating cross-functional teams

• Excellent communication, relationship management, and strategic thinking skills

• Ability to operate in a high-performance, target-driven environment

Potential Qualities & Attributes

• Highly revenue-driven, with a strong focus on closing deals and delivering measurable growth

• Commercially minded, with the ability to identify, shape, and convert opportunities

• Proactive and independent, with a strong sense of ownership and urgency

• Strategic and analytical, able to connect market opportunities to business solutions