First Book has a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy (medical and religious exemptions permitted). Proof of fully vaccinated status is required before an interview.
About the position: (First Book has a hybrid work environment. This is not a 100% remote position)
Candidates for this position should have experience in developing funded relationships to meet revenue goals. Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong interest in fundraising, solid business writing and presentation skills, excellent verbal communication, an understanding of education equity issues, creative and bold thinking, exceptional critical thinking skills, and a passion for driving social change.
The Director, Nonprofit Partnership Development is responsible for identifying, creating, managing and leveraging partnerships with national nonprofit organizations to increase awareness for First Book, drive growth of the First Book Network, generate and manage funded initiatives, and stimulate usage for First Book services via these partnerships. The director will oversee two direct reports and is responsible for supporting their professional growth and development as well as managing the partnership development workflow.
The Director will work closely with the Vice President of Network Engagement Partnerships as a change agent with the ability to identify insights that would be valuable to the organization, educate internal teams on the value and application of these insights, communicate the relevant data cross-functionally, and contribute to the team’s role as a foundation of First Book’s organizational strategy and decision making. The Director will leverage these insights and relationships with external organizations to secure opportunities for First Book to participate in thought leadership convenings and conversations.
Additionally, the director will collaborate with the VP, Network Engagement Partnerships on forecasting, reporting, strategic planning, and new strategy development. The director will also lead and oversee the team’s prospecting email campaigns, partner development onboarding, and various process improvement efforts.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- New Partnership Development – Identify and evaluate new partner opportunities. Establish introductory meetings, identify opportunities for a mutually beneficial partnership, creatively evaluate partnership scope, draft proposal and concept briefs, and develop partnership agreements as necessary
- Relationship Management – Personally manage existing, high-profile national partnerships. Identify opportunities for growth within existing partnerships. Determine how to best leverage existing resources to further these partnerships and get more books into the hands of more children nationwide. Provide partners with exceptional customer service
- Engagement Stimulation – Work with partners to encourage network growth to leverage First Book’s resources and engage with First Book as a valued partner. Drive partner activity and engagement through the First Book Marketplace.
- Business Development – Identify opportunities for new partnership models and new sector outreach to drive business goals of the National Network Engagement Team, to include Research and Insights, and new Accelerator resource development.
- Team Management -Work with Vice President to define annual strategic plan for nonprofit partnership development. Support team members to meet deliverables and execution of that plan. Monitor and measure team results by partner. Recommend and implement resulting actions/develop appropriate resulting strategies. Provide strategic guidance, oversight, goal -setting and performance measurement, as appropriate.
- Project Management – Identify and lead execution of cross-departmental projects related to key partnerships. Lead cross-functional planning meetings, create project plans, execute flawlessly, and measure and report on results. Navigate and coordinate internally among cross-functional teams. Meet deadlines.
- Be a Change Agent -Equip internal stakeholders with the information they need to value, understand and apply Network Insights in work across the organization. Identify strategies the rest of the Engagement team can implement to build more effective partnerships and relationships, including with new partners. Monitor and adopt industry best practices in education, social justice. Demonstrate value so that nonprofit partnership considerations become incorporated into and inform organizational business decisions. Identify additional areas of growth and expansion for nonprofit partnerships and content areas, in collaboration with senior leadership.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required:
- Creative, inquisitive, and entrepreneurial spirit as well as a passion for First Book’s mission that is visible and contagious.
- Demonstrated management experience including ability to motivate, lead, set objectives, manage performance and help with conflict resolution
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to spark, cultivate, and grow relationships.
- Ability to communicate effectively, professionally, and persuasively with internal staff and external partners.
• Executive level business writing and oral presentation skills with a sharp eye for detail. - Solid project management skills
- Adept at working effectively independently and in a collaborative team environment.
- Capacity to work at the strategic level (using data and creativity to come up with innovative ideas for growth) and at the tactical level (executing projects, analyzing impact, solving problems) to recommend strategies/tactics that result in a positive ROI
- Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Exceptional organizational skills and time management required. Must have the ability to meet designated deadlines.
- Fast learner with a strong team-focused, collaborative mentality.
- Takes a solution-oriented approach to opportunities and challenges
- Ability to understand, synthesize and trend data; ability to translate this data into actionable opportunities for growth
- Must have a creative approach to problem solving, a “roll up your sleeves and get it done”/can-do attitude, and ability to multi-task and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Positive outlook and sense of humor – a must have.
- Travel is required as necessary, up to 10% during peak periods, unless precluded by global or regional safety and public health considerations.
Education and/or Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree required; Graduate degree preferred
- Business development and account management experience a must, including a successful track record of meeting and exceeding goals
- Team management experience required
- Experience writing successful proposals required
- Experience working with cross-functional teams preferred
- Experience in the nonprofit sector preferred
- Marketing experience a plus
- Experience with customer relationship management systems such as Salesforce
- Proficiency with MS Office products including Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook
All full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits:
• Hybrid work environment – can work from home and office
• Dental & medical insurance
• Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage
• Vacation leave
• Sick leave
• Twelve Annual Holidays
• 401K and employer matching pension contribution
• Transportation benefits
TO APPLY:
Candidates are invited to submit a resume, and a cover letter that details your interest in the position. If you need assistance applying, please reach out to us at 202-499-5935 / ajones@firstbook.org.
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