Associate Director, Higher Education Partnerships

Braven • Chicago, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Braven seeks an Associate Director, Higher Education Partnerships, to serve as a strategic thought partner to Regional Senior Directors and help scale higher education partnerships across a portfolio of 5–7 sites. The role shapes partnership strategy, frameworks, and agreements rather than owning direct site-level relationship management; Regional Senior Directors retain ownership of institutional relationships and site-level results. The Associate Director exercises independent judgment, supports complex partner dynamics, and works with Executive Directors and other senior leaders as needed. The position is part of the Higher Education Partnerships Department’s Partnership Strategy & Success team and reports to the Senior Director, Higher Education Partnerships.

The Associate Director leads one of Braven’s national strategic convening bodies for higher education leaders—the HEP Convening or Faculty Council—and helps shape partnership structures, grant incentives, and MOU renewals in partnership with Legal and other internal teams. The role also develops portfolio-level systems and analysis to identify patterns, risks, opportunities, and recommendations that inform partnership decisions and organizational learning.

The position is based within commuting distance of a Braven hub and follows a hybrid schedule: three days in the office, Tuesday through Thursday, and two remote days, Monday and Friday. The role requires travel roughly 2–3 times per quarter, occasional meetings outside regular working hours, and virtual external meetings about 1–2 times per month. Reliable internet access and authorization to work in the U.S. are required; Braven does not offer employment visa sponsorship.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree or equivalent experience.
• At least 4 years of professional experience in higher education partnerships, program strategy, account/relationship management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated track record of making independent strategic decisions and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Ability to work in person in Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, or New York City; the location section specifies living within commuting distance of a hub and describes Newark as the hub.
• Ability to travel approximately 2–3 times per quarter.
• Ability to attend occasional meetings outside regular working hours for the employee’s time zone and virtual external meetings about 1–2 times per month.
• Access to reliable internet.
• Authorization to work in the U.S.; employment visa sponsorship is not offered.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to act as a skilled strategic thought partner who advances thinking, asks sharp questions, and helps senior leaders make decisions.
• Systems thinking and ability to develop frameworks that make strategy consistent and executable at scale.
• Comfort navigating high-stakes, senior-level relationships and influencing across lines of authority, including negotiating or coordinating complex partnership agreements.
• Ability to gather, interpret, and synthesize quantitative and qualitative data to identify patterns and inform strategy.
• Ability to build relationships with senior regional leaders, legal counsel, and higher education partners.
• Sound judgment and independent decision-making with directional guidance.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and competing priorities, determine when to act independently or escalate, and stay focused on outcomes.
• Solutions-oriented approach when challenges arise.
• Alignment with Braven’s core values.
• Experiences that inform belief in Braven’s mission and prepare the candidate to work with or for Braven’s student Fellow population.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to Regional Senior Directors across a portfolio of 5–7 higher education partner sites, shaping strategy and supporting high-stakes partner decisions without owning direct site-level relationship management.
• Develop and steward frameworks and decision rules for partnership structures, grant incentives, and related funding mechanisms with the Senior Director and Finance/Development teams.
• Represent Higher Education Partnerships strategy in cross-functional and cross-regional planning conversations.
• Identify portfolio patterns, risks, and promising practices and translate them into recommendations, tools, and frameworks.
• Lead time-bound strategic projects involving cross-site coordination, portfolio analysis, or shared approaches.
• Translate portfolio priorities and challenges into strategic recommendations, action plans, and measures of success.
• Lead one national strategic body for higher education leaders—the HEP Convening or Faculty Council—including setting its agenda, strategic content, and partner relationships.
• Develop the convening body’s annual strategy, engagement arc, and measures of success, informed by partner feedback and organizational priorities.
• Coordinate year-round planning and execution of the convening body, including milestones, contributors, communications, and cross-functional partners.
• Develop and refine engagement strategies, resources, and playbooks to strengthen participation and relationships with higher education leaders.
• Translate convening insights and themes into broader HEP strategy, organizational learning, and partner engagement.
• Lead internal strategy, planning, and coordination of MOU renewals across the portfolio, partnering with Regional Senior Directors and Legal/OGC.
• Directly lead portions of agreement negotiations when appropriate and within limits established by the regional team and Legal.
• Maintain continuity on agreement terms, precedent, and risk; promote consistency across sites and escalate high-stakes or non-standard terms.
• Identify patterns across agreements and renewals and recommend standards, decision rules, or improvements to Braven’s partnership agreements approach.
• Define and improve strategic frameworks and decision-making infrastructure, including Salesforce, Asana, and related systems, acting as an architect rather than an administrator.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative partnership data to identify patterns, risks, opportunities, and portfolio-level recommendations.
• Establish consistent approaches to partnership health, stakeholder engagement, and portfolio reporting.
• Contribute to department-wide priorities, planning, team development, and time-bound initiatives; perform other duties as assigned.
• Travel approximately 2–3 times per quarter for team meetings, external convenings, and partner site visits; attend occasional meetings outside regular working hours and virtual external meetings approximately 1–2 times per month.

Benefits

• Unlimited vacation time, in addition to organization-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and at the end of the calendar year; the posting describes this as a minimum of 20 days per year.
• $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health.
• 401(k) match of employee contributions up to 5% of base annual salary, starting the first full month.
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premiums for the employee and dependents.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• One-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff.
• Competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level