Senior Growth & Partnerships Consultant

About the role

YLabs is seeking a Senior Growth & Partnerships Consultant to join our strategic business development function. This is an engagement for an experienced business development and partnerships practitioner who will support organizational growth priorities, originate and close high-value partnerships, and build the systems that sustain YLabs’ pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Set and drive organizational growth priorities and Growth & Partnerships OKRs, ensuring alignment between business development efforts and YLabs' strategic objectives.
• Proactively scope and advance strategic funding opportunities and partnerships, and lead the end-to-end development of high-priority proposals and RFPs, including scoping, budgeting, funder engagement, negotiation, and cross-functional coordination.
• Expertly manage a diverse portfolio of high-value stakeholder relationships and represent YLabs in public forums; champion and train others in integrating YLabs’ strategic goals into all partnership work.
• Develop and manage a fundraising pipeline targeting unrestricted funding and project-related grants, including targeted campaigns for high-net-worth individuals and institutional funders.
• Work closely with MarComms to align external messaging and donor engagement strategies, ensuring proposals, pitches, and partnership materials reflect a coherent organizational narrative across the funding pipeline.

Requirements

• An expert connector and dealmaker — you create opportunities rather than wait for them, and build lasting institutional relationships from scratch.
• A high-quality writer who takes personal ownership of proposals, at ease working independently at full speed.
• A systems thinker and generous mentor who builds durable processes and invests in developing others.
• Entrepreneurial, transparent, and collaborative in your decision-making and leadership style.
• Adaptable and optimistic when faced with changing circumstances; willing to work flexible hours across time zones.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience, including a demonstrable track record of leading and closing high-value business development opportunities at the $1M+ level.
• Expert-level experience leading complex, multi-country proposals for institutional funders, foundations, foundation collectives, and government partners with minimal/no supervision required.
• Deep experience across the full business development cycle: opportunity origination, partner cultivation, scope and budget negotiation, proposal development, and post-award partnership management.
• Demonstrated success in developing and leading BD teams, building pipeline management systems, and owning departmental-level playbooks and tools.
• Experience working with funders and institutional partners in global health, adolescent development, economic empowerment, or adjacent funding sectors.
• Expert written and verbal communication skills.
• A strong commitment to equity, power-sharing, and decolonizing international development.

Skills

• Strategic thinking and execution.
• Proposal writing and presentation skills.
• Relationship management and stakeholder engagement.
• Project management and pipeline development.
• Collaboration and teamwork.

Benefits

• Fully remote, contractor position reporting to the CEO.
• Travel for in-person meetings and conferences is fully reimbursed by YLabs.
• Competitive compensation range of $3,000 - $5,000 per month, commensurate with experience and the selected candidate's regional location.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $3,000 - $5,000 per month, commensurate with experience and the selected candidate's regional location. This is an independent contractor position.

Schedule

This is a remote role with some in-person meetings and travel to global conferences expected.

Equal Employment Opportunity

YLabs is committed to building teams and policies that promote equity, justice, and belonging at work. We strongly encourage people from all cultures, races, educational backgrounds, socio-economic classes, sexual orientations, age, gender, and physical abilities to apply. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, familial status, marital status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.