Role Overview

Serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for each lighthouse institution throughout their multi-year engagement with DataKind.
Build and maintain strong relationships with institutional leadership — including IR Directors, Chief Data Officers, Provosts, and Presidents — grounded in trust, responsiveness, and deep understanding of each partner's context and goals.
Conduct regular check-ins and relationship health reviews to stay ahead of any concerns before they become problems.
Own the renewal process for each partnership, tracking engagement signals and proactively addressing retention risks.
Develop a clear understanding of each institution's evolving needs and ensure DataKind's offerings continue to deliver meaningful value.
Partner with internal stakeholders to make the case for renewal and document partnership outcomes that support it.
Coordinate with DataKind's implementation and product teams to ensure smooth onboarding for new partners, acting as the institutional advocate throughout.
Translate partner needs and feedback into clear briefs for internal teams.
Help institutions understand what's available to them, connect them to resources, and remove barriers to adoption — without necessarily being the one solving technical problems directly.
Facilitate Learning Circles and cohort activities among lighthouse institutions, creating opportunities for peer connection and shared problem-solving.
Coordinate cross-institutional knowledge sharing and help surface best practices that can inform broader sector adoption.
Serve as the voice of your partners internally. Synthesize themes across accounts and bring structured feedback to Product and Engineering on institutional needs, usability issues, and opportunities for improvement.
Contribute to the development of scalable account management processes and playbooks as DataKind grows.

Requirements

Deep alignment with DataKind's mission and commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact
4+ years of experience in account management, partnership management, customer success, or higher education administration
Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder relationships in higher education or a similarly mission-driven environment
Strong understanding of how higher education institutions operate — including key decision-makers, institutional priorities, and common challenges around student success and data use
Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to build trust at all levels of an organization
Comfortable working cross-functionally, translating between institutional partners and internal technical teams without needing to own the technical work
Strong organizational skills with experience managing multiple concurrent partnerships or accounts
Willingness and ability to travel regularly to institutional partners (up to 25–40% during peak periods)

Benefits

Flexibility and time off. Enjoy genuine flexibility that goes beyond adjustable hours. We build in shared time off, organization-wide recharge days, bi-weekly meeting-free days, and flexible PTO (with a minimum of 20 vacation days encouraged annually).
Comprehensive Wellness Support. We care for your total wellbeing with 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees (72% for dependents), a wellness reimbursement program for the activities and purchases that matter to you, and 12 weeks paid parental leave when you need it most.
A Culture of Growth. Every team member receives professional development funding each year, alongside mentorship and advancement opportunities. We invest in your future with a 401(k) plan with 5% employer matching.
Meaningful Connection. Despite being distributed across time zones, we value being able to come together in person for conferences, strategic planning, and at our annual staff retreat.
Living our Values. DataKind is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment in our day-to-day work and via special initiatives driven by our DEI Steering Committee.

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