Work Location : US - Atlanta, GAType of Post : Not ApplicableOther Possible Location : Funding : APPROVEDExpected Travel : up to 10%Type of Contract : Language Requirement : EnglishApplication Deadline : Employee Duration : Full-Time

Pay Range Details

$93,760.88 - $130,796.43 Annually
USA Grade E

* Starting salaries are based on various factors, including candidate experience, education, knowledge, skills, and the cost of labor where the job is based. Salaries listed only apply to jobs based in the US.

Job Title:SENIOR DIRECTOR, COCOA PARTNERSHIPS

Job Location(s):US - Atlanta, GA

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.

The SDOD will own the full partnership lifecycle for CARE's cocoa portfolio: deepening relationships with current partners, including Mars, Hershey, Cargill, and others; building new partnerships aligned with CARE's supply chain strategy; and translating CARE's two-decade track record in cocoa-producing communities into business-value narratives that justify and grow investment.

This role reports to the Executive Director of Agribusiness and operates at the intersection of CARE's program delivery, corporate sustainability trends, and the evolving cocoa industry landscape - including WCF, living income frameworks, climate-smart agriculture, and child labor remediation. The ideal candidate brings deep cocoa sector fluency combined with the instincts of a business development professional.

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
• Serve as the senior point of accountability for account health - proactively identifying risks, surfacing growth opportunities, and keeping CARE indispensable to partners across leadership transitions and shifting corporate priorities
• 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
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal writing, executive briefings, and conference presentations
Preferred Qualifications:
- French language skills (relevant for Côte d'Ivoire engagement and Francophone partner relationships)
- Master's degree in relevant field

There are individuals who may use CARE's name and trademark in emails and on websites in an attempt to solicit fees from interested job-seekers. Some examples of these fees are placement fees or immigration processing fees. CARE does not use recruiting or placement agencies that charge candidates an up-front fee of any kind. Occasionally, CARE does employ recruiting or placement agencies to help us identify candidates for specific employment within CARE. If you're contacted by a legitimate recruiting or placement agency, there should be no charge to you. If you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud from someone purporting to be CARE, please contact us at [email protected]. Please do not email [email protected] to apply for this position. Instead, click "apply now" below in order to submit your interest.

Starting salaries are based on internal equity, candidate experience, and the cost of labor where the job is based. Salaries listed only apply to jobs based in the US.