DIRECTOR, PARTNERSHIPS

CARE USA•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Director of Partnerships serves as the hub of CARE USA’s global partnership function — holding cross-sectoral visibility across all of CARE’s strategic partner relationships and providing the operational and coordination muscle that enables technical teams and signature programs to reach impact at scale. This role is primarily internal-facing. The Director works in close collaboration with PSI Technical Leads, AVPs, and Resource Development — who hold primary responsibility for thought leadership, technical substance, and many of the external relationships — to shape partnership structures, manage negotiations, align incentives, and ensure deals close. The Director provides the single view across partners who touch multiple teams, so that shared partners are coordinated as one relationship rather than several disconnected ones, and so that opportunities visible across sectors but not within them are surfaced and connected. Unlike country-level partnership roles, this position focuses on global and regional partnerships. Pipeline development remains the shared responsibility of PSI technical leads; this role supports, coordinates, and drives those opportunities to conclusion. Decisions about which teams engage and at what depth are made by the AVP in consultation with technical leads — this role surfaces when those decisions are needed and supports the process, but does not determine outcomes.

Requirements

Cross-sectoral visibility across all of CARE’s strategic partner relationships
Operational and coordination muscle to enable technical teams and signature programs to reach impact at scale
Ability to shape partnership structures, manage negotiations, align incentives, and ensure deals close
Ability to provide a single view across partners who touch multiple teams
Ability to coordinate shared partners as one relationship rather than several disconnected ones
Ability to surface and connect opportunities visible across sectors but not within them
Focus on global and regional partnerships
Support, coordinate, and drive partnership opportunities to conclusion
Surface when decisions about team engagement and depth are needed and support the process
Ability to scope, structure, and advance strategic partnership opportunities from initial concept through to signed agreement and implementation
Ability to design partnership frameworks including roles, responsibilities, risk allocation, cost structures, and incentive mechanisms
Ability to manage complex, multi-party negotiations
Ability to coordinate positions across technical, legal, finance, and operations teams
Ability to coordinate with CARE’s Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Procurement teams
Ability to maintain a clear view of the active partnership portfolio, tracking progress, flagging blockers, and escalating to the AVP
Ability to maintain the single, consolidated view of partners who touch multiple teams or sectors
Ability to spot and connect opportunities that individual technical leads cannot see
Ability to map and align partnership conversations across CARE Country Offices and regions
Ability to act as the coordination point between PSI Technical Leads, Resource Development, Legal, Finance, and external partners
Ability to ensure partnership development and fundraising efforts are complementary and well-coordinated
Ability to prepare briefings, partnership proposals, term sheets, and structured summaries
Ability to manage the Program Coordinator, Partnerships
Ability to support PSI Technical and Signature Program Teams in strengthening their approach to partnership development
Ability to establish and oversee a Partnership Learning Hub
Ability to contribute to CARE’s external positioning in partnership forums and convenings
Ability to represent the partnership function in PSI governance including the Senior Leadership Team
Direct management experience
Experience ensuring effective collaboration, performance management, and professional growth
Experience promoting a culture of partnership excellence, accountability, and adaptive learning

Responsibilities

Work with PSI Technical Leads and AVPs to scope, structure, and advance strategic partnership opportunities from initial concept through to signed agreement and implementation.
Design partnership frameworks including roles, responsibilities, risk allocation, cost structures, and incentive mechanisms that are workable for all parties.
Manage complex, multi-party negotiations — coordinating positions across technical, legal, finance, and operations teams — to bring engagements to conclusion efficiently.
Coordinate with CARE’s Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Procurement teams to ensure due diligence, contracting, and risk assessment processes move on schedule.
Maintain a clear view of the active partnership portfolio, tracking progress, flagging blockers, and escalating to the AVP as needed.
Serve as the hub in CARE’s hub-and-spoke partnership model — maintaining the single, consolidated view of partners who touch multiple teams or sectors, so that shared partners are managed as one coordinated relationship rather than several disconnected ones.
Spot and connect opportunities that individual technical leads cannot see from within their own sector — identifying where a partner in one area (e.g. climate, agriculture, digital, health, finance) can unlock value or collaboration in another, and brokering those connections internally.
Map and align partnership conversations across CARE Country Offices and regions — identifying where existing partnerships can be strengthened, elevated, or amplified, and where cross-sectoral partnership strategy can be better coordinated.
Act as the coordination point between PSI Technical Leads, Resource Development, Legal, Finance, and external partners — ensuring all parties are aligned and moving in the same direction. Maintain a clear distinction between this role’s coordination of the shared-partner portfolio and Resource Development’s fundraising function, avoiding duplication.
Work closely with Resource Development to ensure partnership development and fundraising efforts are complementary and well-coordinated.
Identify when decisions about team engagement, scope, and depth of involvement are needed as partnerships develop — and escalate those decisions promptly to the AVP, who convenes technical leads to agree on approach. This role surfaces and supports that process; it does not determine outcomes.
Prepare briefings, partnership proposals, term sheets, and structured summaries that enable senior leaders and technical teams to engage effectively with external partners.
Manage the Program Coordinator, Partnerships, providing direction on pipeline tracking, agreement coordination, and partner communications.
Support PSI Technical and Signature Program Teams in strengthening their approach to partnership development — providing tools, frameworks, and direct support as needed.
Establish and oversee a Partnership Learning Hub to document best practices, lessons learned, and reusable frameworks across PSI and with Resource Development and Advocacy.
Contribute to CARE’s external positioning in partnership forums and convenings as directed by the AVP, representing the partnerships function credibly.
Represent the partnership function in PSI governance including the Senior Leadership Team.
Directly manage the Program Coordinator, Partnerships.
Ensure effective collaboration, performance management, and professional growth.
Promote a culture of partnership excellence, accountability, and adaptive learning within PSI.