Manager, Strategic Alliances

First Book has a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy (medical and religious exemptions permitted)

About the position:

(This is not a 100% remote position/ MANDATORY IN OFFICE: Tuesday & Wednesday)

First Book is a leading organization in philanthropic and public-private partnerships dedicated to removing barriers to education for children in need. The Manager of Strategic Alliances will design manage and grow philanthropic corporate partnerships across a wide range of industries including Disney KPMG Pizza Hut Netflix Intel and Kendra Scott.

The Manager will play a key role in cultivating stewarding and expanding corporate relationships within a dynamic fast-paced environment. Core responsibilities include partner research strategy development relationship management project management budgeting and partnership marketing. Candidates should bring experience in cause marketing corporate partnership development or private-sector consulting.

Successful candidates will demonstrate strong fundraising interest proven account management experience excellent written and verbal communication skills proficiency in pitch development and delivery creative and strategic thinking and a commitment to corporate social responsibility.

The Manager will collaborate closely with colleagues on the Strategic Alliances Team and work cross-functionally with departments across the organization to ensure corporate partnerships meet organizational needs. This position reports directly to the Vice President of Strategic Alliances.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain partner retention in alignment with organizational benchmarks and identify qualified expansion opportunities each quarter documented in CRM and internal reporting systems.
• Lead assigned partnership campaigns and initiatives ensuring delivery on schedule within approved budgets and in accordance with documented scopes of work and crossfunctional timelines.
• Demonstrate increasing ownership of larger and more complex partnerships over time reflected in expanded portfolio scope and documented leadership development progress.
• Independently manage campaign workstreams ensuring deliverables remain on track while proactively escalating risks blockers and strategic opportunities to senior leadership.
• Maintain accurate and complete Salesforce records by logging into all partner interactions within 48 business hours and submitting weekly pipeline updates in accordance with established reporting cadence.
• Develop and submit datadriven partner impact reports by required deadlines using standardized templates and validated data sources.
• Coordinate crossfunctional deliverables in alignment with agreed timelines and servicelevel agreements (SLAs) ensuring stakeholders receive required materials and updates within established turnaround standards.
• Produce quarterly analyses of philanthropic CSR and causemarketing trends identifying relevant implications and opportunities for the partner portfolio.
• Conduct monthly reviews of partner business developments and document recommendations related to renewals expansions or adjustments to engagement strategies.
• Perform other duties as assigned consistent with business needs and role scope.

Education

• Bachelors degree (BA/BS) in business administration nonprofit management communications marketing public relations social impact or a related field required

Skills & Experience

• Demonstrated professional experience in partnership management account management fundraising business development or a related client-facing role.
• Proven ability to manage external partner relationships including retention and expansion activities.
• Experience leading or supporting cross-functional campaigns or initiatives with accountability for timelines deliverables and coordination.
• Proficiency using Salesforce or a comparable CRM system to track partner activity manage pipelines and maintain accurate records.
• Demonstrated experience developing data-driven reports and executive-level summaries.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently exercise sound judgment and appropriately escalate strategic risks or issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage stakeholders professionally.
• Ability to analyze philanthropic CSR and cause-marketing trends and translate insights into actionable recommendations.
• Experience coordinating with internal stakeholders across departments to meet service-level agreements and project timelines.

All full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits:

• Eligibility for medical and dental insurance coverage in accordance with plan terms.
• Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage subject to plan provisions.
• Paid vacation leave accrued in accordance with organizational policy.
• Paid sick leave provided in compliance with applicable federal state and local laws.
• Up to twelve (12) paid holidays annually subject to organizational schedule and business needs.
• Eligibility to participate in the organizations 401(k) retirement plan including employer matching contributions in accordance with plan documents.
• Eligibility for an employer-provided parking stipend subject to program guidelines and business needs.

TO APPLY:

Application Instructions

• Candidates are invited to submit a resume and a cover letter that details their interest in the position to applications submitted through First Books approved application platforms will be considered.
• Applications submitted through external or unapproved sites including Idealist will not be reviewed.

• First Book does not accept unsolicited recruiter submissions and does not pay fees for resumes submitted outside of a formal written agreement.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

• First Book is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race color religion creed sex gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin age disability marital status personal appearance family responsibilities genetic information matriculation political affiliation veteran status or any other status protected by applicable federal District of Columbia or local law.

ADA / REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT

• First Book is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.
• Applicants requiring accommodations during the application or interview process should contact Tasha McNeill at or .

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

Location and Work Presence Requirement

• This position requires the ability to maintain a regular in-office presence at First Books Washington DC office to support collaboration with internal teams and participation in partnership-related activities.
• The role is structured as a hybrid position with required in-office days. Reasonable accommodation will be considered in accordance with applicable federal state and local laws.

Relocation Assistance

• Relocation assistance is not provided for this position. Candidates must be able to meet the roles in-office presence requirements independently.

Compensation Transparency

• In compliance with the District of Columbia Wage Transparency Act First Book will provide the pay range for this position to applicants upon request or as part of the job posting.

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Experience:

Manager