Partner, Partnerships Development

Transcend•New York City, NY

3d•Remote

About The Position

The Partner, Partnerships Development, is a natural connector, who loves spotting opportunities for collaboration, and has the project management skills to translate meaningful conversations into high-impact partnerships. This is an individual contributor role that is highly collaborative and closely connected to both external partners and internal teams. The role sits on Transcend’s SPOT Team (Strategic Partnerships, and Opportunities Team) and reports to Lucerito Ortiz. The Partner, Partnerships Development, will advance Transcend’s mission in a pivotal way by seeking out, cultivating, and managing revenue-bearing relationships with schools, systems, and nonprofit partners across several of Transcend’s portfolio teams. Working closely with leaders across the organization, this role will serve as the primary relationship manager for a subset of Transcend teams that fulfill our partnerships with schools and school systems (we call these portfolio teams). The Partner, Partnerships Development, will lead scoping, contracting, and stewardship, while also helping codify the systems, routines, and stories that strengthen our partnerships function. This role is equal parts steward, connector, project manager, and executor—supporting existing partners, surfacing aligned opportunities, and expanding Transcend’s network of organizations committed to transforming learning. If you thrive on connecting people, spotting possible partnerships everywhere, have strong project management chops, and love turning meaningful conversations into partnerships that can create real impact for students and communities, we'd love to get to know you!

Requirements

You share a deep commitment to Transcend’s mission of transforming education and a passion for designing learning experiences where all students thrive.
You show up with curiosity, care, and a drive to make meaningful change —living into Transcend’s values through how you work, connect, and lead.
You’re a strategic relationship-builder who thrives in dynamic, people-centered spaces. Whether coaching others, facilitating high-stakes meetings, or navigating complex dynamics, you bring warmth, clarity, and confidence.
Your project management skills keep work streams moving smoothly—you juggle details, logistics, and deadlines with precision, ownership, and follow-through.
You approach your portfolio like your own practice, taking full responsibility for quality and outcomes.
Your communication skills—written and verbal—are exceptional . You can “hold the room,” lead conversations, and craft compelling proposals or scopes of work that move ideas into action.
You balance velocity with care, moving with purpose and urgency while maintaining accuracy, integrity, and empathy.
You combine sharp critical thinking with a “roll-up-your-sleeves” mindset . You ask the right questions, identify root causes, and drive toward creative, practical solutions.
You make sound judgments in ambiguity, knowing when to push, pause, or pivot, and bring structure to uncertainty.
You have experience working in or alongside districts, CMOs, or education nonprofits , with a strong understanding of K–12 ecosystems and the ability to navigate diverse stakeholder landscapes.
You’re familiar with the full partnership cycle —from discovery and scoping to contracting and sustained relationship management.
Your background may include experiences in functions or roles like consultative sales, client services, strategy roles, chief of staff roles, or partnership development with complex stakeholder landscapes.
You’re coachable and growth-oriented , seeking feedback, learning quickly, and sharing insights to support collective efforts.
You’re comfortable in fast-evolving contexts, balancing strategy and execution, and leading through influence rather than authority.
Above all, you value relationships as the foundation of meaningful, lasting change.

Responsibilities

Identify, manage, and grow external relationships with current and prospective partners
Lead cultivation and coordination for an assigned set of Transcend teams whose job is to execute on client projects (we call these portfolio teams). This includes owning partnership cultivation, scope-writing and coordination, contracting, and ongoing stewardship in line with each portfolio’s strategy and needs.
Expand Transcend’s partner pipeline by building and nurturing relationships across the K-12 education landscape, generating warm introductions, identifying new opportunities, and activating networks through others.
Lead external cultivation calls for potential partners and active partner meeting check-ins that advance opportunities toward commitments, and prepare/coordinate escalations to Lucerito for complex, high-stakes, or cross-portfolio partnerships.
Represent Transcend as an ambassador in the field by attending relevant convenings, conferences, and partner meetings—listening, connecting, and translating new relationships into actionable next steps.
Draft scopes of work and pricing for assigned portfolios, translating discovery into clear and feasible agreements.
Plan for Lucerito’s review and approval of scopes, as needed, and partner with Finance on contracting workflows.
Track and report on pipeline and capacity progress, maintaining rigorous accuracy and hygiene in CRM systems.
Manage the end-to-end contracting cycle—from initial draft through signature and handoff to project delivery teams.
Collaborate with assigned portfolio team leads within Transcend and org leadership to ensure relationship plans for current/prospective partners align with Transcend’s partnership development goals.
Drive internal alignment through the cultivation-to-contracting cycle by proactively sharing field insights, gathering input, and facilitating clear actions and decision-making with Transcend portfolio leads and key stakeholders.
Surface insights and trends from assigned portfolios to inform cultivation strategy and portfolio learning.
Work with MarComms to identify and capture stories, case studies, and collateral that highlight the impact of Transcend’s partnerships.
Collaborate with appropriate teammates on meeting prep, documentation, and knowledge management to ensure smooth cross-functional operations.
Contribute to the ongoing codification and improvement of systems, routines, and templates that power the partnerships function.
Participate in weekly Projects Meetings, Partnership Kickbacks, SPOT meetings, and other cross-functional cadences.
Represent your portfolios and ensure effective communication across Transcend teams.
Contribute to quarterly strategy and reflection cycles, surfacing lessons learned and emerging opportunities.