Job Overview
The Director of Partnership Development leads the full partnership lifecycle—from market mapping and prospecting to signed agreements and successful launch—working closely with Advancement, Programs/Resource, and Communications. The role blends relationship building, storytelling, and disciplined pipeline management to drive measurable ministry outcomes and financial sustainability.
Compensation and Working Environment:
Full-Time position – with the potential for Part-Time
Salary: $50,000 Annually for full-time
Remote across U.S. time zones; some evenings/weekends aligned to partner schedules and events.
Regular domestic travel (25%); occasional international travel for strategic launches or storytelling.
Job Description
Responsibilities:
Strategy & planning
- Build a national partnership development plan aligned to organizational goals and regional priorities; define target segments, value propositions, and entry plays.
- Own the partner pipeline (lead → qualified → proposal → signed → activated) with accurate forecasting and stage-based exit criteria.
- Coordinate with Programs and Resource to ensure offerings (workshops, cohorts, online delivery) match partner context and cultural requirements.
Sourcing & qualification
- Prospect and qualify senior leaders at churches, networks, schools, and ministries; run discovery to identify needs, constraints, and success metrics.
- Convene the right decision makers; present the KidZ at Heart story, outcomes, and co-investment models.
Deal design & closing
- Co-create written agreements/MOUs (scope, roles, timeline, outcomes, budget); navigate legal/finance reviews as needed.
- Negotiate for mutual value while safeguarding theological alignment and brand standards.
Activation & handoff
- Drive fast activation (≤ 30–90 days): coordinate launch plans with Programs, Content, and Communications; secure dates, trainers, and marketing assets.
- Ensure data capture in CRM/LMS; hand off cleanly to Program Directors.
Stewardship, growth & retention
- Conduct quarterly partnership reviews on outcomes (reach, completion, pre/post growth), satisfaction, and next steps.
- Expand successful partners into a deeper relationship with KidZ; long-term partnerships; volunteers, facilitators, donors; capture stories and testimonies.
Operations & compliance
- Maintain high-quality CRM data (contacts, activities, stages, forecasts); produce monthly dashboards for leadership.
- Uphold privacy/consent, and brand guidelines; manage risk and escalate issues promptly.
Qualifications
- 7–10+ years in partnership development, advancement, or program growth (nonprofit/education/ministry experience strongly preferred).
- Proven record taking partnerships from lead → signed → launched with measurable impact.
- Excellent relationship management, executive communication, and values-aligned negotiation skills.
- Strong project management; comfort coordinating cross-functional teams on deadlines.
- Proficiency with CRM (Salesforce/HubSpot/RE NXT or similar), pipeline reporting, and basic budgeting.
- Cross-cultural sensitivity; familiarity with church/denominational ecosystems and spiritual formation.
- Alignment with KidZ at Heart's statement of faith and safeguarding standards; background check required.
Core competencies
- Spiritual maturity & integrity
- Strategic prospecting & qualification
- Value-based negotiation
- Relationship building & influence
- Results orientation & stewardship
- Communication & facilitation
- Cultural humility & adaptability
- Data literacy & process excellence
- Collaboration across Advancement/Programs/Comms