Senior Manager, Partner Growth - STEM Careers Coalition

Senior Manager, Partner Growth, STEM Careers Coalition

Who We Are: 

What makes Discovery Education a GREAT fit for you? We are the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, and we partner with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to provide teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners.  When you join the Discovery Education team, you become part of a fast-growing global organization that is empowering educators with the digital tools and professional learning they need to connect students to the real-world.  

For candidates interested in taking their next career step in the educational technology space, Discovery Education offers the fast pace and excitement of working for a startup, the support of an established organization, and the opportunity to be on the front lines of innovation in an industry that is always growing and transforming. Team members enjoy a high-energy, purpose-driven work environment — as well as tremendous opportunities to grow, learn and make a difference. We are an organization focused on diversity and inclusivity that provides opportunities to engage with people from variety of backgrounds. If you like working with a curious, collaborative, high-performing team, Discovery Education is the place for you. 

Living Our Values: 

Discovery Education is a company that lives and breathes its Values.  By doing so, we position our organization to continue leading the education technology world. 

Our Values:

INNOVATION: We drive a culture of innovation within our organization and with our partners to prepare leaders of tomorrow.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: We commit to continuous improvement by anticipating and adapting to the changing needs of our partners and the educational landscape.

EMPOWERMENT: We empower all learners by providing highly engaging, relevant experiences our partners trust.

INTEGRITY: We hold ourselves to the highest-standards and conduct ourselves with integrity in all that we do.

COMMUNITY: We connect and support our global community of learners.

INCLUSIVITY: We strive to build a company with people from diverse backgrounds, so we can better enable all learners to reach their highest potential regardless of race, gender, socio-economic standing, sexual orientation, language, ability, location, or technology.

What You’ll Do:

With a diverse portfolio of partners – big brands, social impact organizations, sports leagues, foundations and non-profits, our Corporate Education Partnerships (“CEP”) team is mission-driven and leads the development of public/private partnerships to drive measurable impact at scale. With a focus on equity and access, the Corporate Partnerships team connects the world’s most iconic brands to our global network of schools and influencers, bringing the real world to the classroom and activating communities through dynamic partnerships with organizations that share our mission to positively impact youth achievement.

In this role, you will join a dynamic and high-performing sales organization and will play a key role in the growth of the company’s STEM Careers Coalition (SCC). As a key member of the Corporate Partnerships Team, the Senior Manager is responsible for extending Discovery Education’s impact through the Coalition, driving the development of strategic education solutions with like-minded corporations, non-profits, government agencies, foundations and trade associations.  Initiatives include expanding the STEM Careers Coalition Partner Portfolio to support whole-child education and provide dynamic real-world learning opportunities for students nationwide. 

You will work in lockstep with the Executive Director of the Coalition, owning all aspects of your portfolio, will lead partnership proposals and negotiations, and work in close collaboration with the CEP Development, Ideation, and Partner Impact teams. You will have the opportunity to regularly demonstrate your excellent public speaking skills and ability to passionately and enthusiastically foster partner engagement, reflective of your successful track record in sales and partnership stewardship and development. Most importantly, you exhibit a professional, collaborative, solution-oriented approach to your work, and possess an authentic desire to make a meaningful difference in public education. 

Key responsibilities: 

• Represent Discovery Education at the highest levels within the business community, cultivating, nurturing and developing relationships at the national, regional and local levels to further business objectives. 
• Lead partner/client meetings, working collaboratively with DE internal teams to ensure deep and broad-based understanding of DE’s impact and how the STEM Careers Coalition strategically supports our partners’ business objectives. 
• Manage growth conversations with current Coalition partners, including coordinating strategy and ongoing partnership engagement, supporting all aspects of ongoing cultivation, partnership and program development and negotiation. 
• Build a proactive, high-impact relationship with the Partner Impact and PMO teams, ensuring strategic and effective collaboration in support of long-cycle divisional objectives. 
• Participate in highly conceptual conversations, with ability to listen and strategically innovate in order to build comprehensive education solutions for a prospective partner base. 
• Demonstrate excellent public presentation skills, with ability to convey passion and enthusiasm in all client interactions. 
• Oversee the development and execution of proactive, consistent and strategic merchandising efforts to ensure that all key DE and STEM Careers Coalition stories, press, events and opportunities are optimized, to key critical stakeholders. 
• Ensure prospective partner representation at all appropriate DE and STEM Careers Coalition field events, trainings and community events within territory, directing the invitation process and coordinating between teams to ensure flawless client experiences and post-event merchandising. 
• Foster excellent client relations with exemplary written and verbal communications, attention to detail, and respect for the goals of each partner/program. This will include, but is not be limited to, leading bi-weekly status update meetings, providing detailed recaps of action items and raising up issues in a timely manner and working them to resolution. 
• Collaborate with team members in order to continually expand, enhance and refine service offerings in order to strategically optimize opportunities and assets in challenging environment. 
• Ensure that principles of efficiency, economy and quality are utilized in all work. 
• Be creative, thoughtful and forward thinking looking for breakthrough creative ideas and ways to meet our goals in impactful and effective manner. 

Who You Are:  

• Professional Experience: Minimum 5-8 years of fundraising, partnership development and/or direct sales responsibility with proven ability to meet and exceed business objectives/targets and track record in achieving said business objectives; career background must demonstrate a clear growth trajectory with increasing levels of expertise 
• Knowledge & Skills:
• Senior Manager must be adept at interfacing directly with external partners and serve as a strategic partner to cultivate relationships across corporate and public/private sector organizations, often at the highest levels.
• Education industry and/or education related experience preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency utilizing online information resources and data tools for information retrieval and data entry; experience undertaking internet-based research.
• Direct experience in the nonprofit sector as a staff member, board member, or volunteer, is preferred.
• Education: Bachelors degree or higher required
• Technical Skills:
• Experience with CRM platform management (Salesforce), proficiency in presentation design (Keynote or PowerPoint), Microsoft Excel, social media, etc.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and oral communication as well as strong interpersonal skills
• Self-Motivation and Self-Starter: Driven self-starter with the ability to do what needs to be done without being micromanaged; ability to manage/prioritize multiple tasks, proactively manage numerous projects, and prioritize competing timelines; demonstrate a problem solving/ solution-oriented approach.
• Learning Orientation: Always willing to learn something new, not rigid in beliefs or expectations. 
• Focus on Diversity: Have a demonstrated ability to understand, accept and engage with people of diverse backgrounds.
• Sense of Humor: Because we all need to laugh sometimes.
• Travel: Up to 50% travel.
• Legal right to work in the United States. 

Discovery Education is an equal opportunity employer. Discovery Education is committed to being an employer of choice, not just a good place to work, but a great and inclusive place to work. To that end, we strive to recruit and maintain a workforce that meaningfully represents the diverse and culturally rich communities that we serve. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disabled status or, genetic information.