VP of Partnerships

Austin, TX Preferred | Full-Time | Reports to the President

Our client is a national nonprofit organization working to dramatically expand access to K–12 scholarships for students and families across the country.

The organization is building a national platform designed to mobilize millions of Americans to give and create a significant new source of scholarship funding. Partnerships will be one of the primary ways it reaches donors and families at scale, through relationships with national employers, corporations, school systems and networks, membership associations, financial and benefits platforms, and other trusted institutions.

We’re looking for a VP of Partnerships to lead the partnerships function and win the institutional relationships that will help carry this opportunity to scale. You will set the strategy, lead the team, and personally own the largest and most complex pursuits.

This is an early-stage build. As the organization’s most senior partnerships leader, you will report directly to the President and oversee both partnership development and partner marketing and activation. The Head of Partner Marketing and Activation and Director of Partnerships will report to you.

You will be accountable for the performance of the partnerships function, from a prioritized pipeline and signed commitments to productive partner launches. You will personally lead the highest-value institutional deals, set goals for the team, and ensure recruitment and activation work together to generate donors and scholarship dollars.

You set who the organization pursues and why. You will turn a broad market into a focused, prioritized target list and a clear strategy for each segment.

• Build the target landscape across employers and corporations, membership and professional associations, financial and benefits platforms, education and school networks, affinity groups, and community, civic, and faith-based institutions
• Prioritize the partners with the greatest reach, strongest mission fit, and clearest path to a signed commitment
• Develop the segment-level thesis for why each type of partner should say yes, including the value they gain, the audience they serve, and the role they can play in the mission
• Maintain a living view of the market and identify where the organization should focus first

This is the heart of the role. You open doors, make the pitch, and move partners from a first conversation to a signed commitment.

• Personally lead the largest and most complex institutional pursuits from prospecting through executive engagement, negotiation, and close
• Coach the broader partnerships team on pipeline development and deal strategy
• Tailor the pitch to each partner’s priorities, handle objections, and build the trust that turns interest into commitment
• Lead complex negotiations and structure partnership terms alongside leadership and counsel
• Run the pipeline with discipline, managing opportunities through a clear stage-by-stage process and forecasting honestly
• Partner with marketing leadership on recruitment materials and launch requirements
• Engage the President where executive sponsorship can help close a relationship

A signature is only the beginning. You will be accountable for partner performance and ensuring signed agreements turn into productive relationships.

• Set expectations and ensure each signed partner has a clear launch plan, executive sponsor, responsibilities, and measures of success
• Oversee the handoff from partnership development to partner marketing and activation
• Coordinate closely with product and operations
• Maintain executive ownership of strategic relationships and resolve escalated issues
• Help make early partners…