Partner, External Relations

Partner, External Relations

Washington, DC
Full Time
Executive

Position: Partner, External Relations
Reports to: CEO
Start date: February 2027
Location: Washington, DC
Application Deadline: 11/13/2026

The Challenge & Opportunity

Over the past two decades, the District of Columbia has made real, measurable progress in public education to become the fastest-improving urban school system in the country. A strong system of public school choice, greater accountability, and sustained investments have created real results. However, today, only about a quarter of students from low-income households attend high-performing schools. Achievement gaps persist as federal funding and our local economy remain uncertain. Without continued strategic investment and a trusted partner, gains could stall or worse. DC students' futures are at stake.

Now is the moment to accelerate DC's progress to fulfill the promise of an excellent education for every student. DC already has high-performing schools that are changing outcomes for students who need the most support. Expanding and improving educational experiences to ensure more students are prepared for bright futures requires investment, partnership, and citywide coordination.

The Organization

Education Forward DC (Ed Forward DC) is a nonprofit organization that combines strategic grantmaking and hands-on partnerships to ensure a great public school for every DC student. Working across both traditional public and public charter schools, we invest in school quality, developing outstanding leaders and teachers, and advancing the policy conditions that make progress possible. Education Forward DC aims to ensure that 40% of students designated as economically disadvantaged attend high-performing schools by 2029. DC has proven that citywide improvement is possible. Education Forward DC exists to accelerate it and close the gaps that remain.

Key Responsibilities

Education Forward DC is celebrating our 10-year anniversary in 2026. Since 2016 we have raised over $140M for the DC education ecosystem and our work remains critical. The Partner, External Relations, will be a key leader charting our path forward. You will translate our impact and vision into clear narratives that inspire philanthropic investment.

Partnering closely with the CEO, you will be a key contributor to organization-wide strategy and executive decision-making, with regular engagement with board-level relationships and priorities.

As Partner, you will be Ed Forward DC's senior development executive, leading a team of three: External Relations Principal, External Relations Manager, and Communications Principal.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership

• Design and lead a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy that builds toward Ed Forward DC's long-term revenue goals — with particular focus on the donor relationships and pipeline needed to sustain growth in years 3–5, not just the current year's target, and raise an average of $12M annually
• Build and refine the systems and infrastructure needed to support that strategy over time (donor tracking, reporting, portfolio management), in partnership with the external relations team
• Develop the organizational case for