Partnership Manager, Southern California

About the Role

The Southern California Partnership Manager supports Study Smart's efforts in growing its services to schools, non-profits, and college access programs. This dual role focuses on generating new business opportunities while managing and nurturing existing partner relationships. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with a passion for sales and client success. This position is based in Southern California and reports directly to the Associate Director of California Partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with current and new clients
• Provide outstanding relationship management to both internal and external stakeholders
• When feasible, travel approximately 30% of the time to facilitate planning meetings, renewal conversations, and support student/staff/family programming
• Attend local and regional trade shows and conferences to meet with partners, present on relevant topics, and engage with potential partners
• Develop additional sales channels
• Assist with the renewal cycle and retain clients across a portfolio of regional clients including libraries, school districts, colleges, and non-profit programs
• Increase footprint and business with existing clients

Business Development (80%)

• Conduct outreach via cold and warm calls, emails, and in-person meetings to present our products/services and make tailored product recommendations
• Outreach to key decision makers to create pathways for new partnerships
• Create a professional and engaging first impression with our prospects and customers
• Accurately enter, update, and maintain lead and partner information in Salesforce
• Proactively seek new business opportunities with leads and outbound sales development activities
• Develop lists of schools, non-profits, and grant-funded programs in target market
• Collaborate with the marketing team to align on campaigns and initiatives that drive lead generation
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, competitor offerings, and market conditions

Account Management (15%)

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned partners during the initial discovery phase, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and retention
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partners to understand their needs and business goals
• Conduct regular check-ins and business reviews with partners to discuss progress, challenges, and opportunities
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure successful delivery of products/services and resolution of any issues
• Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities to enhance partner engagement, additional partner needs, and revenue growth

Other Duties (5%)

• Contribute to overall team effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed

Day-to-Day Tasks

• Pre-call research, discovery, and planning
• Cold and warm calling, emailing, and in-person meetings
• Follow-up with previous partners
• Update CRM (Salesforce) records on a daily basis
• Work closely with sales and marketing team to develop strategies and messaging to drive opportunities for new business

Qualifications

• 2 years in similar sales or development role
• Experience in education programming or sales
• Bachelor's Degree
• Desire to increase access to higher education for underrepresented students
• Ability to quickly develop relationships and establish credibility through consultative needs-based conversations
• Ability to think on your feet to creatively solve our customer business needs
• Exceptional and persuasive communication skills, both verbal and written
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, Google Drive, and Salesforce software
• Ability to visit clients in region on as-needed basis
• Willingness to take direction and execute tasks independently

Pay

• Salary ranging from $70,000 - $78,000 with uncapped commission and a target total compensation of $120,000
• Compensation is based on experience and includes performance-based incentives
• Commission is earned from the start of employment and paid out after a 90-day period

Benefits

• Full-time + benefits
• Flexible to work in hybrid
• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Medical insurance
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• First Stop Health