Director, Employer Partnerships

Director, Employer Partnerships

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director of Employer Partnerships to build and manage relationships with employers in the government, law, education, nonprofit, health, media, and arts sectors. This person will play a pivotal role in expanding Braven's reach by overseeing partnerships that provide volunteers, revenue, and valuable opportunities for our Fellows, including competitive fellowship opportunities. This role requires someone who is highly innovative, entrepreneurial, and resourceful. You will continue to develop and refine the strategy and partnership framework for this set of partners, prospect in high volumes, and leverage a relational approach to foster strong connections.

As a member of Braven's national External Affairs team, you will be responsible for both cultivating new prospective partners in these sectors and managing a portfolio of 20+ existing partners. This role is on the Employer Partnerships team and reports directly to the Head of Employer Partnerships.

What You'll Do

Partnership Strategy & Cultivation (40%)

• Develop and implement a robust shared value partnership strategy for the government, law, education, nonprofit, health/pharma, media, fashion, and arts sectors
• Proactively research a wide array of potential partners, develop cultivation plans, then leverage a relational approach to building and sustaining meaningful connections
• Use your strong communication skills to cultivate new partnerships, craft compelling pitches, negotiate strategic agreements, and renew existing partnerships
• Engage Braven's CEO, Head of Employer Partnerships, and Executive Directors across 8 regions, setting behind-the-scenes vision and direction, then providing operational support to move partnerships forward toward successful outcomes
• Use data and trends to refine the strategy and make improvements to the partnership framework, prospecting strategy, and approach to cultivation

Deepening Existing Relationships (35%)

• Manage a portfolio of 45 high-stakes, shared-value partnerships and prospects, driving meaningful outcomes and growth in Braven's impact, including annual goal of $1M in revenue
• Focus on sourcing opportunities, including selective Fellowships, that align with the career goals of Braven Fellows, building partnerships with 30 recruiters rooted in shared value
• Identify and engage volunteers for mentoring programs and events, recruiting 100 mentors and coaches per year from your portfolio and collaborating on 15+ student workshops
• Develop and share internal memos that communicate the organization's game plan for how we want to engage with each of the partners in your portfolio, then refine and iterate
• Ensure excellent customer service for key stakeholders ranging from internal executive sponsors to frontline points-of-contact at partner employers
• Use data and strategic storytelling to build and deepen relationships

Strategy & Operations (25%)

• Collaborate across internal departments, including with executive directors from Braven's regions and multiple subject-matter experts, to align on a coordinated approach to shared-value relationships with your partners
• Manage efficient and smart systems and infrastructure (tracking our partnership pipeline, creating prospect research, leading national events)
• Other duties as assigned