Director, Partnerships

Position: Director, Partnerships
Location: Flexible
Type: Full-Time
Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay) is an accredited not-for-profit institution of higher education serving thousands of educators from across the country, from pre-service teachers to system-level leaders. Our mission is to ensure that all students are taught by excellent educators, in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.
The Director, Partnerships will maintain and expand a portfolio of partnerships across the country, with a focus on professional education programs for teachers and school leaders at all stages of their careers. In this role, the Director leverages experience cultivating and supporting complex partnerships with schools, districts, networks, state agencies, and other non-profits to meet annual program enrollment and revenue targets, in turn maximizing the institution's reach in scale and impact. The Director will generate new partner leads, realize strong partner retention and growth rates (in close partnership with the professional education team), and help shape Relay's programmatic offerings to best serve its participants and partners.
Reporting to the Managing Director, Partnerships, this candidate is an experienced account leader and skilled communicator, who has a deep understanding of and passion for education. The Director can influence others to take action and can work cross-functionally to problem solve with internal colleagues as needed. With a strong track record of success growing revenue in the PK-12 sector, this individual will represent Relay's programs with inspiration and accuracy, ultimately furthering the institution's brand and reach.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Partner Recruitment & Retention (75%)

• Build and maintain a portfolio of partner relationships, developing a strong understanding of individual partner needs and interests to effectively shepherd them through their Relay experience.
• Meet or exceed revenue targets for the portfolio through a combination of new partner conversion and retention and upgrades from existing partners.
• Cultivate new partners, conducting and assessing different outreach strategies to inform what's working and where to focus cultivation efforts by program and by partner tier.
• Drive all aspects of partner experience, including onboarding, implementation, and ongoing support.
• Learn nuances of program offerings, with a focus on professional education programs but inclusive of teacher certification and degree programs, to effectively represent the programmatic content when speaking with external partners.
• Identify and respond to opportunities to support and expand partnerships through high-impact RFPs and RFQs.
• Influence partners to make adjustments to their implementation of Relay programs to maximize value.
• Seek opportunities to expand partnerships as appropriate for impact, in collaboration with programmatic teams and together with different external stakeholders (i.e. PK-12 schools, institutions of higher education, state agencies, non-profit organizations, local donors, etc.).
• Build and maintain relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders including funders, districts, charter management organizations, other nonprofit organizations, and alumni of professional education programs.

Program Implementation & Continuous Improvement (15%)

• Meet regularly with instructional leaders to review program impact, partner and student satisfaction to inform strategies to support partner retention and satisfaction.
• Seek solutions to issues that arise during or after program implementation - at the participant and partner level - through strong communication, problem solving, and internal collaboration.
• Observe teachers and leaders at Relay programs and in schools to build understanding of partner needs and Relay's impact.
• Employ strong protocols for collecting, managing, and analyzing data to track and measure partner experiences and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure 100% of partner data is captured and accurate in the CRM, with support from coordinators as needed.
• Monitor all administrative aspects of partnerships to ensure that payments are accurate and processed in a timely fashion, together with Finance and coordinators on the partnerships team (i.e. MOUs, payments, participant enrollment, etc.).

Marketing & Outreach (10%)

• Work with the team to plan logistics for larger partner meetings, local gatherings for current and prospective partners, and attend local conferences as needed.
• Support the Managing Director, Partnerships to build systems and resources, together with research and program teams, for transparency for both internal and external teams to show visibility and insights into Relay program outcomes.
• Collaborate with the development and public grants teams to pursue external funding to accelerate impact.
• Cultivate key partner advocates for Relay programs, identifying strong candidates to serve as references, engage in promotional activities (i.e. participate in conferences, white papers, etc.).
• Collaborate with partnerships team colleagues (e.g. teacher prep partnerships and teacher professional education partnerships) to cross-sell and make connections as appropriate.
• Build and maintain high-quality partner-facing resources in partnership with programs teams, research team, and the marketing & communication team.

Perform other related duties as required and assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
First and foremost, the Director, Partnerships must share the Relay community's commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we're looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:

• At least 5 years of work experience, preferably in K12 education, including experience in sales and/or external relationship management
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills
• Strong project management skills paired with the ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources and solve complex problems involving multiple stakeholders
• Acute attention to detail and a focus on efficiency and systems building
• A strong sense of humor coupled with an ability to work efficiently, intensely, and within an entrepreneurial environment
• A demonstrated passion for Relay's mission and vision and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. We know, and the data supports, that diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive and this is critical to achieving our mission of educational excellence and equity.
To fulfill that commitment, Relay encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application!
COMPENSATION
Relay is committed to creating and maintaining a compensation and benefits system that supports our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team. As we make decisions about compensation, we will be guided by the following values: clarity, consistency, and internal equity. The salary range for this role is $96,525 - 135,135. New hires will be offered a salary at the starting point of the range to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee's time at Relay GSE. This specific position also includes a sign - on bonus, which will be 5% of the starting salary and not exceeding $5,000.
To ensure internal pay equity:

• Relay does not currently differentiate starting salary offers based on years of experience,
• All staff salaries will be capped at the salary range maximum, and
• Relay does not negotiate salary offers.

Relay offers a comprehensive total rewards package. For full-time roles, this includes health insurance benefits, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, professional development, gym reimbursement, adoption assistance, paid time off (PTO), parental leave, etc. To learn more about Relay's benefits, please visit here .
WORK LOCATION POLICY
Employees must have a primary work location within the U.S., where they are legally authorized to work. Relay is a registered employer in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Washington DC. Please note that Relay Graduate School of Education's headquarters are in New York City. Employees who choose to perform work from states not listed here will be subject to NYC state withholdings.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY
Relay highly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine. Relay abides by each state's requirements, and acknowledges those may change over time. If moved forward to the phone screen stage, you will have the chance to ask your recruiter more about this policy.
Relay Graduate School of Education provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.