Sr. Partnerships Manager

About Unify America

We’re on a mission to replace political fighting with collaborative problem-solving. Yeah, we know it sounds audacious. It is. But we’re doing it—by creating civic experiences that reduce polarization, teaching essential civic skills, and inviting Americans to use their differences to better solve common problems together.

Where we work:

• Higher Education (Civic Gym): Over 30,000 college students have engaged in meaningful cross-partisan conversations. Think of it as training for democracy—reps, sweat, and all.

• Cities (Democracy Leagues): We partner with communities to run Civic Assemblies, where residents—across the ideological spectrum—solve shared problems together. Our first pilot is thriving in Akron, OH. We’re consulting with the City of Dayton, and we’ll likely will add another Ohio location by the end of the year.

The Senior Partnerships Manager will own new campus recruitment for the Civic Gym. This means identifying institutions that are a strong fit, building relationships with the faculty and administrators who champion the program, and guiding them through a consultative process, from initial interest to a committed institutional partnership. The decisions institutions make to adopt Civic Gym are meaningful ones, and the person in this role needs to understand and respect that dynamic.

Reporting to the Director of Partnerships, this is an external‑facing role for a motivated closer who is equally comfortable building long‑term relationships and driving near‑term revenue outcomes. You will work closely with the Director to refine our approach to filling the top of the funnel with increasing autonomy as you establish yourself in the role. The expectation is that as Civic Gym grows, you will build and lead your own sales team from the ground up.

The ideal candidate brings a consultative approach, genuine enthusiasm for higher education, and a hunger to build something.

Responsibilities

Institution recruitment

• Prospect, qualify, and cultivate relationships with colleges and universities across the country

• Manage the full sales cycle for new institutional partners, from outreach through signed agreement

• Contribute to and refine outreach sequences, pitch materials, and partnership frameworks in collaboration with the Director of Partnerships

• Meet and exceed quarterly and annual recruitment and revenue targets

Pipeline & revenue management

• Maintain an active, well‑managed pipeline — tracking outreach activity, deal stages, and revenue outcomes

• Maintain pipeline accuracy in Hub Spot, keeping deal stages, outreach activity, and revenue outcomes current and reliable

• Deliver regular revenue forecasts and pipeline reports to the Director of Partnerships

• Analyze win/loss data to identify trends, improve conversion rates, and inform strategy

Events & market presence

• Represent the organization at conferences, convenings, and sector events

• Own lead generation at events — arriving with a plan and leaving with a pipeline

• Deliver presentations and facilitate conversations that open doors with new institutional prospect

Strategy & growth (evolving over time)

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Director on recruitment strategy, market positioning, and process development

• Co‑create KPIs and performance frameworks with the Director, with increasing autonomy as you establish yourself

• As the function grows, lead recruiting efforts and build your own high‑performing sales team from the ground up

What we’re looking for

• 4–6 years of experience in partnerships, business development, or institutional sales — experience selling into higher education is strongly preferred

• A track record of managing a complex sales pipeline independently and meeting or exceeding revenue targets

• Experience working in or alongside mission‑driven organizations with a genuine interest in higher education

• A self‑starter who thrives in a remote environment and manages their time and pipeline without heavy oversight

• Strong relationship builder who can engage senior administrators, faculty champions, and institutional decision‑makers

• Data‑informed approach to pipeline management with proficiency in CRM tools (e.g., Hub Spot)

• Experi…