Manager, Strategic Partnerships
$70,000–$95,000 year
On-siteChicago, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Identify, execute, and cultivate new and expanded opportunities for partnerships and financial support for Polsky Center programming. Drive development of grant proposals, sponsorships, and partnerships agreements by drafting materials and coordinating internal approvals. Manage relationships with corporate, venture capital, and ecosystem partners while preparing briefing materials for meetings with prospective stakeholders. Ensure smooth onboarding, communications, and benefit fulfillment for sponsors to facilitate renewal. Partner with technology ventures and operations teams to plan and execute major partner events, coordinating activations before, during, and after. Maintain CRM records, revenue tracking, and pipeline management while collaborating on budget maintenance and partnership reporting. Develop best practices and templates to enhance consistency across partnership activities. Set program priorities, conduct quality assurance reviews, and analyze budgets to recommend changes. Work a minimum three days per week in the office with flexible hours for evening or weekend events as needed.
Required Qualifications
- college or university degree in related field
- 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline
- Resume/CV
Desired Qualifications
- Advanced degree in relevant field
- 2-5 years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, corporate relationships, fundraising, sponsorships, operations, external affairs, or a related job discipline
- Familiar with program design and successful execution
- Understanding of proposal or grant-writing
- Background in higher education, entrepreneurship, venture capital, innovation, or technology ecosystems
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills, including developing and delivering executive-level proposals and presentations
- Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, with experience in managing datasets and strategic analysis
- Strong project management and organizational skills to manage multiple competing priorities simultaneously
- Creative problem-solving, with a strategic mindset and ability to approach challenges in a new way
- Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative approach
- Work both independently and as a member of a team, and collaborate across complex organizations with multiple stakeholders
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