Strategic Partnerships and New Ventures Internship with Land O'Lakes

Land O'Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. Since 1981, it has implemented integrated dairy, livestock and crops development programs in nearly 80 countries — creating lasting impact by linking farmers, businesses, and the public and private sector in local and global contexts. Land O’Lakes Venture37’s long-standing affiliation with Land O’Lakes, Inc. sets it apart. Land O’Lakes, Inc. is one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives. It supports Land O’Lakes Venture37 project implementation with nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights and technologies. This gives Land O’Lakes Venture37 development projects a unique global view of agriculture, food and the power of well-functioning market systems. Land O’Lakes, Inc. supports these efforts as part of its enterprise purpose of Feeding Human Progress at home and around the world.

Job Description Summary:
The Intern, Strategic Partnerships and New Ventures will work with the Land O’Lakes Venture37 Strategic Partnerships and New Ventures (SPNV) team. S/he will work with SPNV to increase the number of relationships Venture37 has with non-US government (USG) customers, including foundations, non-USG bi-laterals and corporations, deepen existing relationships and bring in new business from these customers. The intern will be based in Arden Hills, MN or Washington, DC. Possibility of remote work from alternative location.

Position Summary and Primary Responsibilities:
The intern will support the SPNV team to secure new business through strategy and new business pipeline development, customer and partner relationship building, marketing, proposal development, and the support of SPNV strategic initiatives. Primary responsibilities will include some of the following:

Strategy and Pipeline Development

• Leverage and contribute to V37 Plan for Growth, ensuring early intel capture and targeted pursuit of priority customers and procurements.
• Assist team in tracking funding opportunities across multiple customers, developing bid/opportunity analyses, customer development plans, and capture plans.
• Update opportunities and contacts in Salesforce.
• Support SPNV special initiatives and projects.

Customer and Partner Relationship Development

• Assist SPNV to cultivate and deepen connections with contacts globally for key existing and new customers, including foundations, corporations, and non-USG bilateral agencies; develop strong understanding of key influencers.
• Support the development and execution of customer development strategies; retain working knowledge of strategies to inform capture and institutional knowledge base.
• Support V37 in key customer meetings.
• Assist SPNV to cultivate and expand relationships with implementation partners including international NGOs, businesses, and academic institutions.

Proposal Development

• Support SPNV and V37 to develop proposals for new and existing customers.
• Participate in proposal design and other proposal-related sessions as appropriate.
• Support the procurement and contracting process for proposal consultants.

Marketing

• Work with V37 colleagues and partners to develop customer-appropriate pitch decks, technical papers and other marketing collateral that showcase V37’s work and thought leadership.
• Support marketing trips to meet with key customers and organize customer visits to Land O’Lakes to influence program design.
• Position V37 for new business opportunities at industry events.

Knowledge Management

• Assist with organization and management of SPNV department site on DevLink.
• Liaise with internal departments to facilitate dissemination and use of relevant SPNV information, policies, and processes.
• Effectively implement donor and Land O’Lakes branding, marketing, reporting, and operating procedures.
• Organize, document, and file SPNV communications, reports, and best practices appropriately on SharePoint, Microsoft Teams or Venture2Learn resource website.

Reporting & Supervision:
The Intern will report to a Manager on the SPNV team. 

Qualifications

• A recent graduate or currently in pursuit of a Bachelor’s or graduate-level degree, preferably in International Development, International Affairs, Public Policy, Plant Science, Animal Science, Food Systems, Business Administration, or other relevant field.
• Exceptional primary- and secondary-source research skills.
• Familiarity with international donor-funded projects with an agriculture focus; familiarity with proposal development process is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated interest in international development issues. Developing-country work and volunteer experience desired.
• Demonstrated leadership, ethics, and sound judgment, both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain maturity and patience, interpret and implement company policy, and adjust quickly to change in fast-paced, multicultural team environment.
• Strong skills and experience with MS Office Products with the ability to learn additional software packages.
• Excellent organizational skills with an emphasis on attention to detail and accurate record keeping.
• Strong collaboration and facilitation skills to establish and maintain good working relationships with global colleagues and partners in multi-country and multi-language settings.
• Excellent English language writing skills. Fluency in French, Arabic and/or Portuguese language skills is an added advantage.

Apply on the Land O'Lakes website.