The Director of Strategic Partnerships serves as a member of the organization’s core leadership team and is responsible for developing and strengthening mission-aligned relationships across Middle and West Tennessee. This role focuses on building collaborative partnerships with K–12 school districts, post-secondary institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, workforce entities, and community stakeholders to strengthen community impact for Goodwill.
These partnerships are essential to ensuring individuals served by Goodwill are connected to complementary resources and supports offered by other organizations, while also creating strong referral pathways for individuals served by those partners into Goodwill’s programs and services. The Director ensures partnership strategies are aligned with organizational strategic priorities that will drive measurable outcomes, while maintaining a strong external presence throughout the communities served.
The Director of Strategic Partnerships will promote a positive work environment that celebrates our vision, mission and core values in every action and interaction with team members, donors, customers, management and persons served.
Job Description
Essential Functions
- Develop and implement a strategic partnership plan aligned with organizational mission and strategic priorities.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with K-12 school districts, including superintendents, Career and Technical Education (CTE) leaders, and district administrators.
- Build and strengthen partnerships with post-secondary institutions including community colleges, universities, and credentialing providers.
- Cultivate collaborative relationships with nonprofit organizations to coordinate services, strengthen referral networks, and ensure individuals have access to comprehensive community supports.
- Develop and maintain partnerships with government agencies, workforce development boards, human services entities, and economic development organizations.
- Identify opportunities for formalized partner agreements and execute Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to define shared goals and responsibilities.
- Convene and participate in cross-sector meetings, advisory councils, and community coalitions to ensure alignment of services and collaborative impact.
- Collaborate with internal program and outreach teams to ensure coordinated referral strategies and consistent external engagement.
- Provide leadership and supervision to direct reports, ensuring clear accountability, strong communication, and effective partnership development practices.
- Represent Goodwill at community events, public forums, and stakeholder meetings across Middle and West Tennessee.
- Monitor partnership engagement and activity using databases and tracking systems to inform strategy and organizational awareness.
- Travel throughout Middle and West Tennessee as required.