Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances - Corporate Partnerships

First Book•Washington, DC

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

First Book is a leading nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to removing barriers to quality education for children in need. Through innovative public–private partnerships and a national network of more than 600,000 educators, program leaders, and community organizations, First Book has distributed over 250 million books and educational resources to under-resourced communities. Our work spans e-commerce (First Book Marketplace), research and insights (First Book R&I), and tailored program development (First Book Accelerator), all designed to elevate the voices and needs of educators serving children in low-income communities. The Senior Manager manages an assigned portfolio of corporate partners and helps strengthen and grow those relationships. The role combines partner stewardship with planning, coordination, budget tracking, program delivery, and reporting. It is an individual contributor position with no direct reports or people management responsibilities. The Senior Manager serves as a primary contact for assigned partners and works with colleagues across First Book to plan and deliver agreed partnership activities. The position contributes to partner strategy, identifies opportunities for growth, anticipates delivery risks, and communicates progress and results. Cross-functional colleagues retain responsibility for their respective functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, nonprofit management, or related field required.
Five to seven years of experience in corporate partnerships, fundraising, account or client management, or partner-funded program management.
Experience managing an ongoing portfolio of partner or client accounts with responsibility for renewal or retention, including accounts with an annual value greater than $500,000.
Experience managing concurrent projects with assigned timelines and budgets.
Experience preparing partner- or client-facing proposals, reports, and presentations.
Experience coordinating projects across multiple departments without direct supervisory authority.
Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Compliance with First Book's confidentiality and data-handling policies is a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

A writing sample is required during the interview process.
Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM and project planning tools is preferred.
Experience in corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, nonprofit, or education-sector partnerships preferred.
Experience in handling confidential donor, partner, or financial information.

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned portfolio of corporate partnerships, maintain regular partner communication, and support satisfaction, retention, and growth.
Research partner priorities and philanthropic trends; identify opportunities that align partner goals with First Book’s mission and capabilities.
Contribute to renewal plans, proposals, presentations, and partnership marketing materials in collaboration with the Senior Director and relevant teams.
Develop plans for assigned partnership activities, including scopes of work, timelines, budgets, roles, deliverables, and reporting milestones.
Coordinate with Marketing & Communications, Network Engagement, E-Commerce, Operations, IT, Finance, and other colleagues to deliver agreed activities within approved scope, schedule, and budget.
Monitor progress, dependencies, and risks; raise bottlenecks and proposed solutions promptly to the Senior Director and relevant colleagues.
Track program spending and communicate proposed changes to scope, budget, or partner commitments for review and approval under First Book’s established processes.
Prepare accurate partner deliverables, including annual and impact reports, presentations, and updates that communicate activities and results.
Maintain complete and current partner, opportunity, and program records in Salesforce and appropriate planning tools.
Track progress against assigned portfolio goals and approved role-specific OKRs and KPIs; share insights and recommended adjustments with Strategic Alliances leadership.
Perform additional duties as assigned, consistent with the scope of the role.