Director, Employer Partnerships

Location: Hybrid in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NY). Full-time, exempt position.

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

About The Role

Braven is hiring a Director of Employer Partnerships to build and manage relationships with employers in the government, law, education, nonprofit, health, media, and arts sectors. This role will play a pivotal part in expanding Braven's reach by overseeing partnerships that provide volunteers, revenue, and valuable opportunities for our Fellows, including competitive fellowship opportunities. You will develop and refine the strategy and partnership framework, prospect in high volumes, and leverage a relational approach to foster strong connections.

As a member of Braven's national External Affairs team, you will cultivate new prospective partners and manage a portfolio of 20+ existing partners. This role reports directly to the Head of Employer Partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Partnership Strategy & Cultivation (40%)
  • Develop and implement a robust shared value partnership strategy for the government, law, education, nonprofit, health/pharma, media, fashion, and arts sectors.
  • Proactively research potential partners, develop cultivation plans, and build meaningful connections.
  • Use strong communication skills to cultivate new partnerships, craft compelling pitches, negotiate strategic agreements, and renew existing partnerships.
  • Engage Braven's CEO, Head of Employer Partnerships, and Executive Directors to set vision and provide operational support.
  • Use data and trends to refine the strategy and improve the partnership framework.
• Deepening Existing Relationships (35%)
  • Manage a portfolio of 45 high-stakes, shared-value partnerships, driving meaningful outcomes and growth in Braven's impact, including an annual goal of $1M in revenue.
  • Source opportunities, including selective Fellowships, aligned with the career goals of Braven Fellows, building partnerships with 30 recruiters.
  • Identify and engage volunteers for mentoring programs and events, recruiting 100 mentors and coaches per year and collaborating on 15+ student workshops.
  • Develop and share internal memos communicating the organization's engagement strategy for each partner.
  • Ensure excellent customer service for key stakeholders, from internal executive sponsors to frontline points-of-contact at partner employers.
  • Use data and strategic storytelling to build and deepen relationships.
• Strategy & Operations (25%)
  • Collaborate across internal departments to align on a coordinated approach to shared-value relationships.
  • Manage efficient systems and infrastructure, including tracking the partnership pipeline, creating prospect research, and leading national events.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum Requirements
  • 5-7 years of experience managing partnerships with a track record of achieving ambitious outcomes.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • 2+ years of experience as an account manager or leading corporate partnerships for a nonprofit, with a passion for making a lasting impact.
  • Strong relationship-building skills with a variety of stakeholders and excellent communication abilities.
  • Systems thinker with an understanding of the power of networks and strong intuition about involving key stakeholders.
  • Excited to apply strategic thinking, storytelling, and organizational skills to support underrepresented college students.
  • Proactive planner who sets others up for success, with a love for timelines and meeting agendas.
  • Detail-oriented with processes for checking work, proactive, curious, resourceful, and enjoys solving problems.
  • Appreciates constructive feedback and is eager to identify and discuss areas for growth.
  • Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help develop others.
  • Exemplification of Braven's core values and a belief in Braven's mission.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NY).
• Travel: 6-12 times annually out of state for team retreats, events, and meetings.
• Expected to work approximately 10-15 nights and/or weekends per year, coinciding with Braven events.
• Authorized to work in the U.S.

Benefits

• Competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time.
• Salary ranges:
  • $87,200-$108,900 in Atlanta
  • $92,000-$114,900 in Chicago
  • $101,200-$126,400 in New Jersey/New York City
• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (minimum of 19 days per year).
• $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health.
• 401K match up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month.
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff.

Schedule

Hybrid schedule: in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and remote 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Requires living within commuting distance of Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, or Newark.