Director - Partnerships at New Leaders Inc – New York, New York

Our Mission

New Leaders develops transformational school leaders and advances policies and practices that ensure high academic achievement for all children—especially students from under-resourced communities.

Position Details

The Director, Partnerships will be based out of a home office located anywhere within the contiguous United States in commutable distance to New York City Public Schools.

Position Overview

The Director, Partnerships (“Director”) is an externally facing partnerships leader responsible for executing the partnerships component of New Leaders’ student acquisition strategy for an assigned program within assigned territories, contributing to the Student Acquisition team’s shared tuition revenue and participant enrollment goals.

The Director is accountable for securing partnerships that contribute to tuition revenue generation through two defined pathways: (1) closing direct contracts with districts, charter networks, or organizations that purchase tuition on behalf of participants, and (2) developing enrollment-driving partnerships that accelerate individual enrollment through co-marketing, endorsement, and referral activities.

In addition to closing partnerships, the Director leads the strategy for activating each partner by developing a customized activation plan that converts signed agreements and partnership commitments into realized tuition revenue and enrolled participants. While execution is shared across the partnerships, growth marketing and recruitment verticals, the Director remains accountable for activation outcomes across the full partnership lifecycle.

The Director reports directly to the Senior Executive Director, Student Acquisition.

Specific Responsibilities

Business Development, Revenue Contribution, and Account Management

• Combine outbound/inbound sales conversionand marketing tactics to achieve individual and teamtuition revenue and enrollment targets.

• Own the partnerships contribution toward annual tuition revenue and participant enrollment goals for an assigned portfolio of partners, in coordination with Marketing and Recruitment.
• Use a consultative sales approach to build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with key decision-makers and influencers within districts, charter networks, and partner organizations.
• Demonstrate exceptional knowledge of New Leaders’ programs and service offerings, including the ability to clearly articulate how New Leaders’ preparation programs differ from traditional and alternative education preparation program (“EPP”) models, including distinctions in instructional design, residency structure, leader readiness, placement outcomes, and district partnership value.
• Serve as a senior-facing representative to superintendents, principal supervisors, and district leadership teams, engaging in consultative conversations about leadership pipelines and preparation models, including how New Leaders’ approach compares to existing district- and state-approved pathways.
• Prepare and deliver solution-based presentations that advance contract execution and enrollment commitments.
• Produce excellent, compelling written communications (i.e., emails, proposals, pitch decks,contentand bespoke assets, etc.) that clearly articulate New Leaders’ value proposition and explicitly link partnerships to tuition-based participation and enrollment outcomes.
• Maintain, share, and track customer account/opportunity information on an on-going basis through Salesforce and Hubspot, ensuring visibility into contracted tuition revenue, activation status, and enrollment pipeline performance.
• Independently identify and proactively cultivate new prospects for tuition-generating contracts and enrollment-driving partnerships.
• Track weekly, monthly, and quarterly partnerships performance metrics including contract value, enrollment volume, activation progress, conversion rates, and contribution to realized tuition revenue.
• Research and conduct proactive outreach to prospective partners,including developing and deploying targeted communications and preparing briefs and presentations for sales calls and meetings.
• Source, negotiate, and close direct tuition-based contracts (seat-based, cohort-based, or multi-year agreements) with districts, charter networks, and organizational partners.
• Develop and manage enrollment-driving partnerships that generate tuition revenue through co-marketing, endorsement, and referral pathways, where tuition may be paid by participants, districts, or organizational sponsors.
• Provide thought partnership and demonstrate creative thinking on ways to engage new and existing strategic partners, including identifying potential in-roads and connections to access individuals on our prospect and target account list.
• Track, qualify, and respond to regional, state, and federal RFPs and procurement opportunities that directly accelerate tuition-based revenue by securing funded seats, contracted cohorts, or enrollment pathways aligned to New Leaders’ program offerings.
• Identify and prioritize conferences and events with high potential to advance partner acquisition, activation, and renewal, establish success metrics for each engagement, and develop an annual events strategy and calendar aligned to partnership and tuition revenue goals.

Partner Activation & Enrollment Strategy

• Lead the development of a partner-specific activation plan for every closed contractor enrollment-driving partnership, defining enrollment goals, target audiences, activation channels, timelines, and conversion benchmarks.
• Identify specific promotional activities and develop strategic plans alongside partner organizations to drive enrollments through their networks utilizing new and existing communication channels.
• Serve as the strategic owner of partner activation, aligning marketing, admissions, program, and operations teams around a clear execution plan.

• Establish enrollment targets and success metrics for each partner and monitor performance through the full activation lifecycle.
• Identify activation risks (e.g., low partner engagement, delayed promotion, misaligned incentives) and adapt activation strategy to protect tuition and enrollment outcomes.
• Maintain accountability for post-close partner activation quality and conversion readiness that supports revenue realization and enrollment conversion.
• Produces semi-annual partner performance reports that evaluate progress toward revenue and enrollment commitments, highlight impact, and drive renewal and expansion conversations.

Market Analysis and Continuous Improvement

• Assess and analyze higher education markets, customers, and competition to identify trends and opportunities to grow tuition revenue and enrollment share.
• Participate in regular strategic data reviews by analyzing KPIs, financial performance, surveys, customer feedback, and other business metrics to assist tthe business in driving process improvements.
• Forecast tuition revenue and enrollment based on both contract value and activation performance, adjusting portfolio strategy as needed to mitigate risk or capture upside.
• Manage travel, sales, and account-related expenses in alignment with budget expectations.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills, Experiences, and Competencies

• Educational Background:Bachelor’s degree required.
• Professional Experience: Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience required, including:

• 3–5 years of field-based sales, account-based management, field marketing, or business development experience with direct responsibility for revenue outcomes and client portfolios.
• Direct experience leading a school or instructional unit or serving in a district role closely aligned to teacher and/or principal preparation, placement, or evaluation, with the ability to translate that experience into system-level partnership conversations preferred.

• Team-Driven:Proven ability to collaborate effectively with individuals across a variety of backgrounds and experiences; must be results-driven while maintaining a collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
• Mission Alignment: Passionate belief in academic excellence for every student, aligned with New Leaders' mission.
• Demonstrated success managing a portfolio of institutional accounts through the full lifecycle—prospecting, closing, activation, renewal, and expansion—ideally in education, public-sector, or mission-driven environments.
• Experience working within or in close partnership with educator preparation programs (EPPs), including NYS-approved or nationally accredited preparation pathways, withdemonstratedunderstanding of approval, accountability, and placement structures.

• Exceptional relationship builder with a proven ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder decision-making environments (e.g., districts, charter networks, public agencies) and convert trust into executed agreements and sustained partnerships.
• Experience with consultative, solution-based selling in long-cycle or relationship-driven sales environments, including in-person meetings, on-site visits, and executive-level presentations.
• Strong critical-thinking skills with the ability to analyze market context, partner needs, pipeline data, and performance metrics to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated strength in executive-level presentations, proposals, follow-up, and account stewardship.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple active accounts and opportunities simultaneously while maintaining disciplined follow-through and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to influence laterally and manage up and down to execute on tight timelines; able to operate with urgency, accuracy, and adaptability in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated comfort level with ambiguity in an ever-changing context.
• Proficiencywith CRM and pipeline management tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) to track account activity, forecast revenue, and manage performance, in addition to strong skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Must be able to travel up to 50% annually aligned to New Leaders’ Travel and In-Person Activities Policy. 

What We Offer

Note: Salaries vary based on geographical location. After applying, candidates who move forward in the hiring process are provided with a salary for their geographical location.

• Employees may be eligible for merit awards and/or bonuses depending on their role, organizational guidelines, and individual performance.
• Employees regularly scheduled to work 20 or more hours per week may be eligible to participate in New Leaders’ benefits, including:

• New Leaders Wellness Program
• Medical plan options, dental care, and vision
• 401K plan
• Generous paid-time-off (PTO) benefits

New Leaders is an equal opportunity employer. New Leaders evaluates applicants for employment on the basis of qualifications, merit and work-related criteria and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental or physical disability, handicap, pregnancy, childbirth, medical condition, marital or familial status, family responsibilities, veteran status, personal appearance, political affiliation, matriculation, or any other characteristic protected by law in administration and operation of its Programs and activities, including admission or access thereto, or treatment or employment therein. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of such status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such status.