Director of Community Partnerships and Talent
About the role
The Director serves as the organization's strategic leader for community partnership growth and talent activation, ensuring Lead For America develops the relationships, systems, and talent pipelines necessary to expand its impact in communities nationwide.
Responsibilities
Lead a mission-aligned approach to identifying, engaging, and securing host site partnerships.
Develop and implement a national partnership strategy aligned with programmatic, geographic, and funding priorities.
Build and manage a robust pipeline of host site partners across nonprofits, government, and local institutions.
Lead a consultative, relationship-centered approach to partnership development (not transactional sales).
Identify priority regions and sectors in collaboration with Programs, Development, and Government Relations teams.
Represent LFA at conferences, convenings, and community events to expand partnerships.
Design and refine outreach strategies (campaigns, webinars, referrals, ecosystem partnerships).
Ensure partnership models support both community impact and financial sustainability.
Ensure host sites are engaged as long-term partners and set up for success.
Build and oversee systems for partner onboarding, engagement, and retention.
Create feedback loops to continuously improve the partner experience.
Develop long-term relationships that extend beyond single program cycles.
Lead and develop a high-performing, mission-driven team.
Manage recruitment, partnerships, and onboarding staff, including two Managers.
Coach team members in: Relationship management, Community-centered engagement, Data-informed decision-making.
Set and track KPIs across both partnership and talent functions.
Collaborate closely with: Programs (host site success & member experience), Finance (partner contributions & contracts), Grants (funding alignment & compliance), Marketing/Communications (outreach and positioning).
Contribute to organizational strategy and senior leadership planning.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
10+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in nonprofit, workforce development, higher education, economic development, public sector, community engagement, business development, talent acquisition, or a related field.
Demonstrated success developing and managing strategic partnerships with nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, employers, philanthropic organizations, or other mission-aligned stakeholders.
Experience designing and implementing outreach, partnership development, or talent acquisition strategies that achieve measurable growth and impact.
Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, including coaching managers and fostering a collaborative, mission-driven culture.
Strong strategic planning and project management skills with the ability to translate organizational priorities into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
Experience using CRM and project management systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Workable, Asana, Airtable, or similar) to manage pipelines, relationships, forecasting, and reporting.
Demonstrated ability to analyze data, identify trends, and use insights to inform strategy, improve performance, and communicate results.
Exceptional relationship-building, facilitation, presentation, and communication skills with the ability to engage audiences ranging from community organizations to executive leadership and funders.
Experience working across multiple departments and balancing competing priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Commitment to Lead For America's mission and a passion for strengthening communities through place-based leadership and locally rooted talent.