Manager of Partnerships (DEI Services Recruitment and Sales)

Mission Statement

YW Boston works to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. YW Boston is at the vanguard of thought leadership on issues at the intersection of race and gender, helping organizations create more inclusive environments where women, people of color, and in particular, women of color can succeed.

YW Boston invests in our internal culture, including our own racial equity practices. We seek candidates that thrive in adaptive organizations, are comfortable working amidst organizational change, actively seek continuous learning and improvement, and are excited about helping YW Boston deepen its impact in the Greater Boston region.

Organizational Values

People, Collaboration, Liberation, Courage, Shared Leadership

Gender Inclusion Statement

At YW Boston, we are committed to executing our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women through uplifting the experience of all women and girls regardless of their assigned sex at birth. We promote gender equity by amplifying the voices of cisgender women and girls, transgender women and girls, and gender non-conforming individuals who experience oppression and discrimination based on their gender, gender identity, and gender expression.

General Statement of Duties

The Manager of Partnerships generates program revenue by cultivating new participants and partners for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Services, and supporting the stewardship and growth of existing partners. This person will focus primarily on LeadBoston, with increasing responsibility for contributing to other areas of our DEI services sales. This person must develop persuasive approaches and presentations that will attract and motivate organizations to partner with YW Boston. The Manager of Partnerships reports to the Associate Director of Partnerships and does not supervise staff.

Massachusetts residency is required within six months of hire, and YW Boston does not cover relocation expenses. This position is hybrid with a weekly requirement of at least two days at the YW Boston office or on-site for programming, and a maximum of three days remote, starting from date of hire. Occasional evening and weekend commitments are required to fulfill the needs of YW Boston and our partner organizations.

YW Boston follows the latest COVID-19 guidance from the CDC and MA Department of Public Health and strongly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated and boosted.

Position Outcomes

A successful Manager will deliver the following:

• Recruit influential, diverse 45-person LeadBoston cohort and two-to-three 15-member Community of Practice cohorts annually according to the schedule set by Director of Leadership Services and Vice President of Engagement
• Meet or exceed DEI Services annual revenue targets and related quarterly milestones as set by the YW Boston Leadership Team
• Improve recruitment and sales processes, resulting in more efficient and robust LeadBoston recruitment and business development efforts

Key Responsibilities 

• Develop a thorough understanding of YW Boston’s services, the markets that we serve, and the value proposition to partners and program participants
• Project manage LeadBoston and Community of Practice recruitment and conduct major tasks within each project
• Expand YW Boston network and generate new leads. For example, by:
• Researching potential clients/participants
• Conducting (cold) outreach
• Attending conferences and other events
• Leveraging existing network
• Managing and/or implementing key business development partnerships
• Partnering with marketing on thought leadership and lead generation projects
• Collaborate with colleagues to deepen engagement of existing partners and alumni. For example, by:
• Identifying current and past partners that could benefit from additional services
• Delegating and personally conducting client and alumni outreach
• Contributing ideas to further support and engage existing and past clients
• Cultivate leads and convert prospects into clients. For example, by:
• Identifying YW Boston services that meet prospect needs and interests
• Working with prospective clients to address questions and remove barriers
• Organizing LeadBoston information sessions
• Producing clear proposals
• Delivering compelling pitches
• Use data to track and communicate progress and to surface process improvement recommendations. For example, by:
• Ensuring information is entered accurately and timely into Salesforce
• Completing data clean-up assignments
• Tracking pipeline and monitor progress to targets
• Managing regular reporting and communication of key metrics
• Conducting analysis and surfacing learnings
• Monitor markets and propose tuition changes, as relevant
• Coach and actively guide other staff on business development practices
• Attend occasional program and service-related events

Additional Organization Responsibilities

• Adhere to organization policies and procedures for maintaining organizational culture and transparency, including use of regularly scheduled progress meetings with supervisor, team meetings, scheduling, e-mail and other communications platforms
• Serve as a steward and role model of YW Boston’s shared values in all interactions with colleagues
• Positively represent YW Boston and serve as an ambassador for our mission in all interactions with the public
• Support YW Boston advancement and business development through participation in education, outreach, cultivation, and stewardship efforts as directed by the Vice President of Advancement and/or the Vice President of Engagement
• Participate in organization events and perform additional tasks assigned by the Director of DEI Consulting and Training and/or the President & CEO of YW Boston

Experience/Qualifications

Successful candidates for the Manager of Partnerships position will have a passion for achieving racial and gender equity within organizations and for creating inclusive organizations. They will be great at building relationships, actively listening, and developing proposals that address potential clients’ needs, with a data driven approach to achieve an inclusive workplace with YW Boston’s Program portfolio.

Additional qualifications include:

• 5+ years of relevant experience years in direct sales, recruitment, and/or marketing experience
• Proven record setting and meeting sales goals
• Some knowledge of organizational change and development
• Superior interpersonal and organization skills, including the ability to manage by influence and build relationships at all levels internally and externally
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative, non-profit environment
• Style that is organized, entrepreneurial, and innovative
• Demonstrated commitment to YW Boston’s mission and a strong record of outcomes related to advancing racial, gender, and social equity
• Demonstrated ability to explain the aspects of each program effectively to people with a wide range of fluency with equity issues
• Openness to learning, and willingness to give and receive feedback
• Local travel required
• Familiarity with Asana or similar project management tool a plus
• Familiarity with Salesforce or similar customer relationship management (CRM) platform a plus