Senior Director of Partnerships and Growth

Leading Educators Careers

11h • Remote

About The Position

Leading Educators' impact depends on strong, sustained partnerships with school districts and state education agencies across the nation. As the Senior Director of Partnerships and Growth, you'll drive renewal, expansion, and select new business development across LE's national portfolio—playing a critical role in ensuring that more than 70% of our work renews year over year and that new opportunities are cultivated and closed with excellence.
This is a senior, externally facing leadership role that sits at the intersection of strategic partnership development and hands-on business execution. You'll serve as both a strategic thought partner to the Senior Vice President of Partnerships and a frontline seller, leading renewal pitches, developing compelling proposals, and building trusted relationships with district superintendents and state education agency leaders. You'll own a portfolio of business development opportunities while maintaining deep visibility into the full partnership lifecycle—from prospecting through renewal strategy, proposal development, pricing, and pipeline management.
Your success will depend on your ability to operate across multiple worlds: cultivating executive relationships with senior district and state leaders, translating LE's offerings into compelling value propositions, leveraging market intelligence to shape growth strategy, and serving as an internal bridge between frontline business development and partnership operations. You'll be visible in the field—at conferences, on LinkedIn, and in partner sites—representing Leading Educators as a trusted, credible partner in systems improvement. And you'll bring strong judgment in applying AI tools to enhance proposal quality, renewal strategy, stakeholder research, and market analysis.

Requirements

• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, or related roles, ideally within K–12 education, nonprofits, or professional services
• Demonstrated success owning a pipeline and securing new partnership work, with clear evidence of revenue ownership and deal closure
• Experience working with or selling to school districts, state education agencies, or comparable public-sector systems (strongly preferred)
• Exceptional writing and presentation skills, with proven ability to develop pitches, decks, and proposals that win work and set partnerships up for success
• Demonstrated professional visibility and external presence, including active engagement on platforms such as LinkedIn and participation in relevant conferences or networks
• Proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and sales forecasting practices
• Strong relationship-building capabilities, with demonstrated ability to build trust with senior district and state leaders and maintain visibility through site visits, conferences, and convenings
• Ability to engage in frequent national travel (1–5 trips per month, depending on the time of year) (REQUIRED)
• AI Fluency at the Practitioner level—actively using AI tools to improve work quality, identifying appropriate use cases, and exercising sound judgment about responsible AI application
• Must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of curriculum, instruction, or professional learning in K–12 education (preferred)

Benefits

• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.
• First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year.
• Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
• Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed