Program Manager Business Development

About the Role

This role advances REI's strategic growth plan by managing the operations, execution and tracking of the Business Development, Partnerships and New Ventures portfolio. The position serves as an operational hub in support of REI's strategic growth plan. It drives enterprise partnerships, new business and venture growth initiatives that deliver measurable business results. It oversees documentation, progress tracking, reporting and risk management across multiple projects. The role requires someone who models and acts according to REI's values and mission.

About the Team

The Business Development team drives member value and enterprise growth through partnerships, new business models, corporate development and venture initiatives. The portfolio includes partner evaluations, pilot launches and systems integrations. The team also manages ongoing relationships with external partners who help deliver on REI's mission to inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure.

What You'll Do

Program & Project Management

• Manage and monitor project plans, schedules, and costs across the Business Development, New Ventures, and Partnerships portfolio. Ensure initiatives, such as evaluations, pilots, integrations and commercial activations are completed effectively.
• Maintain comprehensive program documentation. Take responsibility for developing and managing program and project plans, schedules, resources, deliverables, milestones, and task lists. Include partnership and venture efforts such as opportunity assessments, due diligence checklists, business cases, contracts, onboarding, and go-to-market plans.
• Drive process improvement across the partnership lifecycle - from sourcing and evaluation through contracting, onboarding and performance reviews.

Cross-Functional Communication & Coordination

• Serve as the main contact for team communication about schedules, activity coordination, issue resolution, and process improvement. Manage communication with stakeholders such as Legal, Finance, Product/Technology, Operations, Merchandising, Marketing, and external partners.
• Prepare regular status reports and updates for stakeholders. Consolidate pipeline dashboards, pilot outcomes, and impact metrics. Produce clear readouts for the audience.
• Responsible for maintaining collaboration spaces, such as SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, and necessary documentation for the portfolio. Ensure CRM hygiene and reporting. Organize a knowledge base for partner records, term sheets, and meeting notes.

Process Improvement & Transaction Management

• Partner to drive process improvement for the transaction lifecycle (e.g., sourcing, evaluation, contracting, onboarding, launch, and ongoing performance reviews)
• Coordinate scheduling for internal and external meetings (e.g., partner pitches, demos, site visits, steering committee, quarterly business reviews)
• Critically review updates and insights to alert teams about possible roadblocks and missed deadlines. Anticipate cross-functional dependencies, such as operations, data sharing, systems integration, and brand or legal approvals.

Problem Solving & Risk Management

• Suggest possible solutions. Help develop contingencies. Ensure finalized documents, such as business cases, recommendation memos, NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, and change requests, are updated and communicated appropriately.
• Assist in identifying and mitigating risks; maintain a risk register and drive follow-ups to closure
• Respond to general team questions and requests; triage inbound partnership inquiries and route appropriately

What You'll Bring

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of program management or business operations experience, preferably supporting business development, partnerships, or strategic initiatives
• Proven track record managing multiple complex projects simultaneously across diverse stakeholders with contending priorities and deadlines
• Exceptional organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail in documentation, tracking, and reporting
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to coordinate and influence at all organizational levels and with external partners.
• Exceptional facilitation skills for internal and external meetings. Able to manage partner pitches, demos, site visits, and steering committee meetings.
• Demonstrate advanced skills with collaboration tools like SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. Show proficiency with project management systems. Maintain organized knowledge bases and ensure CRM hygiene.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills; proven capability to identify potential roadblocks, review insights, and proactively alert teams to risks
• Experience with business case development, due diligence processes, and contract/legal document management (NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, change requests)
• Demonstrated ability to suggest solutions, develop contingencies, and ensure accurate documentation of business decisions
• Self-starter who can work autonomously, prioritize effectively, manage ambiguity, and know when to escalate issues
• Demonstrated alignment with REI's values and mission; passion for the outdoors and cooperative business model

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with large cross-divisional organizations; ideally in retail, outdoor or partnership-driven sectors.
• Familiarity with full partnership lifecycle management from sourcing through launch and ongoing performance management
• Background in systems integration processes and technical implementation projects
• Experience with brand and legal approval processes
• Knowledge of pilot program management and impact measurement
• PMP, Agile, Scrum, or similar program management certification
• Experience working with cross-functional teams including Legal, Finance, Product/Technology, Operations, Merchandising, and Marketing
• Proficiency with pipeline dashboards and impact metrics reporting

Key Attributes for Success:

• Thrives at the intersection of structure and flexibility. Brings process discipline to enable innovation. Remains agile to support dynamic business development initiatives.
• Detail-oriented with exceptional follow-through and accountability; never lets things fall through the cracks
• Proactive communicator who keeps stakeholders informed and anticipates needs before they arise
• Collaborative team player who can build exceptional relationships across functions and with external partners
• Comfortable with ambiguity in a fast-paced environment; adapts quickly to changing priorities
• Exceptional problem solver who brings solutions, not just problems, to the table

At REI, we believe the outdoors is for all. We are committed to becoming a fully inclusive, anti-racist, multicultural organization. We know that there's strength in our diversity – that each employee brings unique skills, experiences, and perspectives. Every day you are driving change, fostering a culture of respect, and knowing you're backed by benefits that support your whole life. To work towards this commitment and fulfill our brand promise of inspiring and enabling a life outside for everyone, we seek employees who demonstrate different ways of working, create a sense of belonging, and actively listen and learn.

Pay Transparency

We are committed to practices that promote pay equity and transparency. As required by applicable Pay Transparency laws, REI provides a range of compensation for roles that may be hired in locations under these requirements. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include a wide array of factors, including: your specific skills and experience, geographic location or other relevant factors.

REI offers all regular employees a generous employee discount, access to health benefits, a retirement savings plan and accrued time off. Click here for a detailed overview of benefits plans by employee profile.