National Partnership Manager

THE ROLE

TRAILS is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and engaging National Partnerships Manager to support national expansion efforts by leading pipeline development from initial lead generation to verbal confirmation with new school partners. The National Partnerships Manager will also recruit new school and education partners, attend conferences to engage with potential partners and initiate new leads, facilitate the transition of leads to the TRAILS implementation team, and support data collection. Collectively, these efforts will advance the national expansion of TRAILS’ mission.  

THE RESPONSIBILITIES

New School Partner Recruitment (35%)

• In collaboration with the Vice President of National Strategy and the Vice President of National Partnerships, initiate and develop school district-level relationships and partnerships in states across the US 
• Establish strong rapport through effective initial communications and interactions with school district representatives
• Conduct initial pitches and leverage partnership development and relationship-building best practices  to identify and assess potential roadblocks to implementation of TRAILS’ programming in individual school districts
• Provide timely outreach and follow-up materials and other resources as needed to prospective school partners
• Facilitate tracking and managing partnership pipeline and leads, including updating CRM tools and data trackers, maintaining district-level records, and delivering weekly and ad-hoc reports to VP of National Strategy and VP of National Partnerships 

Education and Association Partnership Cultivation (20%)

• Build and maintain strong relationships through proactive communication with education partner organizations 
• Present on TRAILS offerings and impact to education-related organizations to facilitate building partnerships 
• Attend and actively participate in convenings, calls, and other collaborative meetings with education groups
• Provide timely outreach, follow-up materials, and resources as needed to strengthen partnerships 
• Facilitate tracking and management of partnership leads using CRM tools and data trackers to ensure efficient follow-up and organization

Conference Attendance and Support (20%)

• Represent TRAILS at conferences to support organizational initiatives and cultivate relationships with potential school, education, and association partners 
• Assist in conference preparation by developing and coordinating materials 
• Proactively follow up on leads generated from conferences and website inquiries for interested school districts

Support Transition to Implementation Stage (15%)

• Work collaboratively with the TRAILS Implementation Team to pass along partner school leads with pertinent information for effective implementation, including partner goals, implementation readiness, any identified roadblocks, or other special considerations 
• Maintain ongoing communication with the Implementation Team to address any follow-up questions or concerns related to transitioned partner opportunities 

Team Responsibilities (10%):

• Actively participate in all-staff meetings and retreats, workgroups, and other relevant TRAILS events 
• Support the TRAILS team with all-hands-on-deck events and other team initiatives as needed 

THE PERSON 

Our experience suggests that the following types of professional experiences lend themselves to this work:

• 4+ years of demonstrated experience initiating and establishing partnerships with new schools or similar organizations 
• 4+ years of demonstrated experience successfully onboarding and orienting new school partners 
• Demonstrated experience recruiting, maintaining and supporting school partners 
• Demonstrated experience with data collection and pipeline tracking, especially within a CRM
• Demonstrated experience attending public events to promote organizational mission and expansion efforts 
• Demonstrated experience with planning and preparing for partnership meetings
• Strong knowledge of partnership building and stewardship best practices 

Our experience suggests that the following types of skills lend themselves well to this work: 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially in outreach and follow-up with school partners
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities 
• Ability to be self-directed and independent, as well as collaborative. 
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and belonging, particularly within outreach and expansion efforts
• Proficiency with software tools including Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Slack, Zoom, and Salesforce
• Ability to travel throughout Michigan and to other partner states 10-12 times per year for multi-day conferences 
• Applicants based in Michigan highly preferred

EDUCATION

Our experience suggests the following certifications and degree(s) lend themselves well to this work:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field 
• Applicable experience/competencies may be considered in lieu of formal education

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this role is $107,593 to $113,570. 

TRAILS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision as well as a 403B with a safe harbor match and short and long term disability. We offer a generous holiday and paid time off package. 

APPLICATION NOTES

• Our application window for this role is open for two full weeks and will close at 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
• Our job descriptions reflect TRAILS’ assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time. 
• We are only considering applicants who are legally authorized to work in the United States.