Director of Partnerships and Growth

Role Overview

• Every partnership Leading Educators builds starts with a conversation—one where you listen carefully to understand the real instructional or systems challenge a district or state is trying to solve.
• As the Director of Partnerships and Growth, you'll lead the full cycle of consultative business development, identifying new opportunities, engaging senior educational leaders in strategic dialogue, and crafting tailored partnership solutions that drive both organizational growth and educational impact.
• This is a frontline business development role where you own a personal portfolio of district and state prospects and carry clear revenue accountability.
• You'll work through ambiguity to identify the most impactful ways to partner, translating partner needs into customized engagements that align their impact goals with LE's organizational capacity.
• You'll manage the entire partnership development lifecycle—from lead generation and cultivation through proposal development, RFP response, negotiation, and signed agreements—using disciplined pipeline management practices and CRM systems to track progress and forecast revenue.
• Your success depends on your credibility as an educational leader. Whether you spent time in the classroom, school leadership, district leadership, or state education roles, you'll leverage that experience to engage superintendents, state agency leaders, and instructional directors as a thought partner who genuinely understands their world—the realities of instructional improvement, system-level decision-making, funding constraints, and competing priorities.
• You'll represent Leading Educators at conferences and in the field, building sustained relationships and maintaining an active external presence that positions you as a trusted advisor in K–12 education.

Requirements

• Minimum of 8+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, or related roles, ideally within K–12 education, nonprofits, or professional services
• Demonstrated success owning a pipeline and securing new partnership work, with clear evidence of revenue ownership and deal closure
• 5+ years of experience working with or selling to school districts, state education agencies, or comparable public-sector systems (REQUIRED)
• Deep knowledge of curriculum, instruction, or professional learning in K–12 education (REQUIRED)
• Exceptional writing and presentation skills, with proven ability to develop pitches, decks, and proposals that win work and set partnerships up for success (REQUIRED)
• Demonstrated professional visibility and external presence, including active engagement on platforms such as LinkedIn and participation in relevant conferences or networks (REQUIRED)
• Ability to engage in frequent national travel (1–5 trips per month, depending on the time of year) (REQUIRED)
• Proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and sales forecasting practices
• Strong consultative relationship-building capabilities, with demonstrated ability to ask incisive questions, listen for underlying needs, and structure discovery conversations that surface root causes
• AI Fluency at the Practitioner level—actively using AI tools to improve work quality, identifying appropriate use cases, and exercising sound judgment about responsible AI application
• Must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States.

Benefits

• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for individual employees. Additional premium costs are covered 60% by Leading Educators for partners and dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans.
• 4% matching 401k plan, Flexible Spending Accounts for medical, childcare and commuter expenses, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Benefits are valued at or above $9,000 for employees.
• First three years of employment, full time staff accrue 22 days a year.
• Five additional days are accrued after the third and sixth year of employment.
• Leading Educators also offer 16 additional paid days off for various holidays, including three floating holidays staff may use at their discretion.