Director of Partnerships

The Dream Program•Winooski, VT

1d•$50,000 - $70,000

About The Position

DREAM seeks a relationship-driven, strategic, and collaborative Director of Partnerships to lead the development and stewardship of partnerships that support DREAM’s growth, programming, and long-term sustainability. DREAM relies on partnerships with affordable housing communities, housing authorities, schools, and other community-based organizations to enter new communities and sustain our work over time. As DREAM continues to grow, partnerships beyond our core program sites are also becoming increasingly important to our operations, including relationships with summer meal providers, pools and parks, literacy organizations, camps, enrichment providers, and other community resources. The Director of Partnerships will develop and implement a comprehensive partnership strategy across DREAM’s regions and programs. This position will cultivate relationships with affordable housing networks and management organizations, identify prospective program sites, steward existing partners, oversee partnership agreements, and help regional teams build strong and sustainable community connections. The role will support partnership development for both DREAM’s Village Mentoring and Guided Mentoring programs while also building broader partnerships that expand opportunities and resources for young people. The ideal candidate has experience in affordable housing, community development, partnership management, or a related field and understands how to translate relationships into measurable organizational growth and impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Two or more years of relevant experience in partnerships, affordable housing, community development, external relations, business development, or nonprofit leadership.
Demonstrated success developing and sustaining external partnerships.
Experience developing partnership, outreach, or organizational growth strategies.
Experience managing contracts, memoranda of understanding, or partnership agreements.
Strong relationship-building, communication, presentation, project-management, and organizational skills.
Ability to balance strategic planning with consistent follow-through, documentation, and day-to-day relationship management.
Ability to travel periodically to DREAM regions and partner communities.

Nice To Haves

Experience in affordable housing, including work with housing authorities, property management organizations, developers, resident services, or housing networks, strongly preferred.
Experience working across multiple regions or with youth-serving and community-based programs preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement an organization-wide partnership strategy aligned with DREAM’s mission, programs, and growth goals.
Create regional growth maps and conduct outreach to prospective partners in current and emerging regions.
Establish annual partnership goals and track progress toward growth, stewardship, and renewal targets.
Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities that inform DREAM’s regional and organizational growth strategy.
Build and steward relationships with housing authorities, affordable housing organizations, property managers, schools, and community-based organizations.
Cultivate new partners that can support the expansion of DREAM’s Village Mentoring and Guided Mentoring programs.
Represent DREAM within housing, education, community development, and nonprofit networks.
Work with regional and program staff to assess prospective partners and determine readiness for new programming.
Maintain strong relationships with existing partners through regular communication, recognition, reporting, and opportunities for feedback.
Coordinate partner check-ins, renewals, and follow-up while supporting regional teams in navigating relationship challenges.
Oversee the creation, execution, organization, and renewal of contracts, memoranda of understanding, and site agreements.
Maintain centralized systems for tracking partnership contacts, commitments, agreements, deadlines, and next steps.
Develop partnerships that expand resources and opportunities for DREAM programs and youth, including summer meals, literacy programs, pools, parks, camps, transportation, and enrichment providers.
Identify donated, discounted, or shared resources that strengthen programming and reduce costs.
Help regional teams identify and cultivate local resource partners.
Serve as an organizational resource and provide tools, guidance, and training related to partnership development and stewardship.
Collaborate with program, development, finance, communications, and regional teams to align partnership activities with organizational priorities.
Maintain partnership records, prepare regular updates, and evaluate the effectiveness of DREAM’s partnership strategy.