Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances - Corporate Partnerships

First Books•Washington, DC

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that works to remove barriers to quality education for children in need through public–private partnerships and a national network of educators, program leaders, and community organizations. Its work includes the First Book Marketplace, First Book R&I, and First Book Accelerator. The Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances – Corporate Partnerships reports to the Senior Director, Strategic Alliances – Corporate Partnerships. This individual-contributor role manages an assigned portfolio of corporate partners and helps strengthen and grow those relationships through partner stewardship, planning, coordination, budget tracking, program delivery, and reporting. The Senior Manager serves as a primary contact for assigned partners and collaborates with colleagues across First Book to deliver agreed partnership activities. The role contributes to partner strategy, identifies growth opportunities, anticipates delivery risks, and communicates progress and results. It has no direct reports or people-management responsibilities; cross-functional colleagues retain responsibility for their respective functions. The position is hybrid, with regular in-office presence at First Book’s Washington, DC office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Travel may be required up to 40% during peak periods. Relocation assistance is not provided. The stated annual salary is $90,000 and is non-negotiable. Applicants must submit a completed application through First Book’s official careers website; external or third-party submissions will not be considered.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, nonprofit management, or a related field.
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.
Experience handling confidential donor, partner, or financial information.
Compliance with First Book’s confidentiality and data-handling policies is a condition of employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM and project planning tools.
Experience in corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, nonprofit, or education-sector partnerships.

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned portfolio of corporate partnerships and maintain regular communication to support partner satisfaction, retention, and growth.
Research partner priorities and philanthropic trends, identifying opportunities that align partner goals with First Book’s mission and capabilities.
Collaborate with the Senior Director and relevant teams on renewal plans, proposals, presentations, and partnership marketing materials.
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, and promptly raise bottlenecks and proposed solutions with 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 communicating 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, and share insights and recommended adjustments with Strategic Alliances leadership.
Perform additional duties as assigned, consistent with the scope of the role.
Travel up to 40% during peak periods for partner and organizational needs.