Growth Services Manager

Iowa State University; Iowa (LA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Iowa State University seeks a Growth Services Manager to drive growth opportunities for Iowa businesses, blending marketing strategy, digital marketing, and business development in a hands-on consulting role.

You will lead client engagements from opportunity through implementation, collaborating with CIRAS colleagues and external partners, translating insights into practical strategies to improve revenue and market position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business management, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of progressive experience in marketing, business development, consulting, or related work.
• Strong understanding of marketing strategy, including segmentation and value propositions.
• Experience leading multi-stakeholder initiatives and translating strategy into action.
• Ability to diagnose client needs and guide solution delivery.
• Experience working with small- to mid-sized businesses.

Responsibilities

• Develop client opportunities through professional relationships and networking.
• Apply marketing, sales, and digital marketing knowledge to identify strategies that drive results.
• Engage clients consultatively to clarify needs and propose actionable solutions.
• Translate client needs into clear project scopes, budgets, and timelines.
• Engage specialists as needed and integrate recommendations into client solutions.
• Present recommendations and guide clients toward informed decisions.
• Lead complex client engagements from opportunity through implementation.
• Build relationships with clients and stakeholders to identify new value opportunities.
• Plan workshops, webinars, and training to strengthen client capabilities.
• Manage project scope, budgets, deliverables, communications, and closeout.

Skills

Marketing strategy

Digital marketing

Business development

Consulting

Project leadership

Client relationships

Growth opportunities

Sales process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, business management, or related field

Job description

Position Title: Growth Services Manager

Job Group: Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree and 5 years of related experience

Job Description

The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) is seeking a Growth Services Manager to help companies throughout Iowa identify growth opportunities, solve marketing and sales challenges, and strengthen, expand, and retain revenue. In this role, you will work directly with leaders of small- to mid-sized businesses to understand their markets and business objectives, diagnose root-cause issues, and guide them toward practical strategies and solutions that improve business performance. This position blends marketing and growth expertise with hands-on consulting, business development, project leadership, and relationship building. You will lead client engagements involving marketing strategy, digital marketing, customer discovery, competitive analysis, market research, sales process improvement, positioning and value proposition development, and new product or market opportunities. You will not necessarily be the deepest technical expert in every area. Rather, you must have sufficient marketing and digital marketing knowledge to diagnose client needs, develop sound strategies, ask informed questions, evaluate potential solutions, and determine when specialized expertise is needed. Working with clients, CIRAS colleagues, and third-party specialists, you will integrate that expertise into practical solutions that address the client’s underlying business needs. The ideal candidate brings a passion for helping people and businesses succeed, along with experience applying marketing, sales, and business development practices to achieve measurable results. Success requires a strong foundation in marketing strategy and working knowledge of digital marketing sufficient to diagnose needs, ask informed questions, evaluate recommendations, and work effectively with specialists. Just as important are initiative, sound business judgment, curiosity, organization, follow-through, and the ability to influence others without relying on formal authority. The successful candidate will be comfortable acknowledging the limits of their expertise and actively seeking additional knowledge or specialized resources when client needs require it.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop client opportunities through professional relationships, educational activities, networking, referrals, existing clients, and collaboration with CIRAS colleagues.
• Apply knowledge of marketing, sales, digital marketing, and other growth-related practices to help clients identify appropriate strategies and solutions that achieve business results.
• Engage clients in a consultative manner to clarify root-cause issues, determine what they need rather than simply what they request, propose appropriate solutions, and create alignment and support for action.
• Translate client needs into clear, actionable project scopes, including proposal development, budgeting, expected outcomes, value communication, and alignment on execution expectations.
• Identify when specialized expertise is needed; select and engage appropriate CIRAS or third-party resources; and provide sufficient leadership and subject-matter judgment to evaluate, challenge when appropriate, and integrate specialized recommendations into coherent client solutions.
• Present recommendations and proposals, communicate business value, address concerns and objections, and guide clients toward informed decisions and commitment.
• Lead and manage complex client engagements from opportunity through implementation, often involving clients, third-party resources, CIRAS colleagues, and multiple business disciplines; anticipate and resolve issues, maintain stakeholder accountability, and keep delivery aligned with approved strategy, scope, timeline, budget, and expected outcomes.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, third-party resources, colleagues, and other stakeholders; identify evolving needs and additional opportunities where CIRAS can create value.
• Plan and facilitate workshops, webinars, training sessions, and client discussions that build capability, strengthen relationships, and create business opportunities.
• Manage project scope, timelines, budgets, deliverables, communications, documentation, invoicing, and other administrative requirements; evaluate completed engagements and ensure appropriate project closeout.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business management, or a related field.
• 5-10 years of progressive experience in marketing, business development, consulting, or related work, including demonstrated responsibility for leading initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated understanding of marketing strategy, including segmentation and targeting, positioning and value propositions, customer and market research, marketing planning, lead generation, digital marketing, and the relationship between marketing and sales.
• Experience working directly with business leaders to diagnose needs, distinguish underlying business problems from requested solutions, develop recommendations, and translate strategy into action.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects and initiatives through others, including organizing work, engaging internal or external subject-matter experts, resolving issues, maintaining accountability, and driving work to completion.
• Experience developing business opportunities through relationships, networking, referrals, educational activities, or consultative selling.
• Experience working with small- to mid-sized businesses