Senior Manager, Strategic Alliances - Corporate Partnerships

About the job

SENIOR MANAGER, STRATEGIC ALLIANCES – CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

First Book | Washington, DC (Hybrid: Tuesdays & Wednesdays Onsite)

ABOUT FIRST BOOK

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.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategic Alliances – Corporate Partnerships, 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.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

Corporate Partner Relationships

• 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.

Partnership Planning and Delivery

• 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.

Reporting and Portfolio Results

• 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.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, nonprofit management, or related field required.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 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 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. Compliance with First Book's confidentiality and data-handling policies is a condition of employment.

• Travel up to 40% during peak periods for partner and organizational needs.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Salary Range: $ 90,000 annually (non-negotiable).

All full-time employees are eligible for the following:

• Medical and dental insurance coverage

• Life insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage

• Paid vacation and sick leave

• 12 paid holidays annually

• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions

• Employer-provided parking stipend (Washington, DC)

TO APPLY

• Submit a resume and a cover letter detailing your interest in this position.

• Only applications submitted through First Book's approved platform will be considered.

• Applications submitted through external or unapproved sites will not be reviewed.

• First Book does not accept unsolicited recruiter submissions and does not pay fees for resumes submitted outside of a formal written agreement.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

First Book is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation, political affiliation, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, District of Columbia, or local law.

WORK PRESENCE & EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

• This position is structured as a hybrid role and requires regular in-office presence at First Book's Washington, DC office on designated days to support collaboration and partnership activities.

• Reasonable accommodation will be considered in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

• Relocation assistance is not provided.