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