Growth Services Manager

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.
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-par