SENIOR DIRECTOR, COCOA PARTNERSHIPS

Job Summary

CARE is seeking a Senior Director of Cocoa Partnerships to lead our most sophisticated and high-profile corporate relationships in the cocoa sector. This is a senior business development and partnership management role — part diplomat, part strategist, part field translator — for someone who understands how cocoa companies think and can position CARE as the indispensable partner for achieving their sustainability goals.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Account Ownership

• Own a portfolio of several major cocoa sector accounts end-to-end: setting partnership strategy, managing senior relationships, leading annual review and renewal cycles, and driving year-over-year investment growth
• Build and advance relationships at the corporate sustainability, procurement, and executive level — not just program touchpoints — with the credibility to engage on business strategy, supply chain resilience, and ESG commitments
• Lead annual review cycles, stewardship reporting, and impact narrative development; coordinate cross-functionally with CARE country offices to ensure field realities translate accurately into partner-facing materials

• Business Development & New Partnerships

• Develop compelling partnership proposals, pitch decks, and business cases that translate CARE's program impact into language that resonates internally at partner companies
• Identify and pursue new partners in the cocoa ecosystem — brands, traders, certification bodies, industry platforms — with a clear theory of how each relationship fits CARE's portfolio strategy
• Represent CARE at senior levels at industry convenings, including World Cocoa Foundation and bilateral partner engagements
• Engage credibly with partners exploring emerging financing models — blended finance structures, impact-linked vehicles, and collective industry funds — as complements or alternatives to traditional grant-based investment

• Technical & Industry Expertise

• Maintain current knowledge of cocoa industry dynamics: sustainability standards, certification landscape, living income benchmarks, climate risks, child labor protocols, and the evolving regulatory environment (EUDR and equivalents)
• Serve as internal expert on cocoa sector trends and partner company priorities — helping CARE anticipate what partners will need before they ask
• Support CARE's positioning in the cocoa sustainability conversation through conference content, publications, and industry engagement
• Work with the CIP / Impact Intelligence team to develop evidence-based business cases for cocoa partnership investment

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the Executive Director and the broader Agribusiness team to align partnership strategy with program delivery and revenue goals
• Collaborate with CIP on data products, impact measurement, and business intelligence that support cocoa partner relationships
• Coordinate with Thought Leadership & Events on conference strategy, speaking opportunities, and partner-facing conten
• Support New Business by developing sector-specific intelligence and materials for prospecting in the cocoa/agribusiness space

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in international development, business, agriculture, or related field
• Direct experience working in or with cocoa-producing geographies (West Africa particularly)
• Relationships within the cocoa industry ecosystem — brands, traders, certification bodies, WCF, IDH, or equivalent
• Exposure to or experience with sector-wide financing initiatives — collective action models, industry funds, or public-private blended vehicles operating in cocoa or adjacent agricultural supply chains
• Familiarity with EUDR compliance dynamics and how they're affecting corporate sourcing strategies and supplier investment decisions
• Experience with supply chain programming, living income frameworks, or gender-lens investing in agriculture
• 10+ years of experience in corporate partnerships, business development, or account management — with demonstrated progression into senior roles carrying meaningful revenue responsibility
• Proven track record managing a portfolio of high-value strategic accounts: nurturing existing relationships, growing investment over time, and navigating complex multi-stakeholder corporate environments
• Deep fluency in cocoa sector dynamics: key companies, sustainability challenges, industry platforms, certification landscape, and the business interests that drive corporate investment in supply chain programming
• Demonstrated ability to develop and close partnerships — translating program impact and community-level data into language that resonates at the corporate sustainability, procurement, and C-suite level
• Familiarity with emerging financing models in international development — including blended finance structures, impact-linked finance, and private sector co-investment mechanisms — and the ability to engage credibly with partners exploring these approaches as complements to traditional grant funding
• Strong relationship instincts: able to build trust with senior corporate sustainability and procurement professionals and maintain those relationships through leadership transitions and shifting priorities

Preferred Qualifications

• French language skills (relevant for Côte d'Ivoire engagement and Francophone partner relationships)
• Master's degree in relevant field