Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships

Position: Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt

Compensation Range: $90,000/year – $105,000/year DOE

Level: Manager II

Reports To: Chief Development Officer

Manages: None

Supported By: Development team, Communications team, Operations team, Program team

Education/Experience Preferences: Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred

Start Date: ASAP

We Are DigDeep

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) organization committed to closing the water access gap for the 2 million + people in the U.S. who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home.

DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. We run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. We won the 2018 US Water Prize for our Navajo Water Project, which has brought clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water Project in 2020, in McDowell County, WV. It has since brought clean, sustainable running water to hundreds of families in Southern West Virginia through public - private partnerships with the McDowell County PSD and East Logan PSD in Wyoming County. In addition to clean running water, the project is installing septic systems and connecting households to centralized sewer. The AWP is now expanding into neighboring states of Kentucky and Virginia to continue its quest of clean water for every Appalachian family. Our water projects expanded in 2022 when we launched our Colonias Water Project. This project works to bring clean, running water to the residents living in communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas colonias are largely unincorporated, low-income communities that fall just outside city limits and often lack basic infrastructure. Our work began in Cochran colonia near El Paso. DigDeep partnered with residents, housing nonprofits, and county officials to innovate a new model for public-private-partnership that brings these basic services to families for the first time. Now we're getting the water flowing in 5 more communities.

The Opportunity

DigDeep is looking for a collaborative, organized, and detail-oriented person to join our Development team as the Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships will be responsible for taking the lead on DigDeep’s relationship management, engagement, and communication strategies with our corporate funding partners. Collaborating closely with other Development team members, communications staff, contractors, and program team members, the Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships will create short- and long-term plans for partner retention, diversification of revenue streams, and identification of new partnership opportunities. The ideal candidate will be an active listener, engaging storyteller, a quick learner and problem solver, and will demonstrate extreme attention to details, ability to manage multiple tasks, and a deep commitment to water as a human right.

Key Responsibilities

This is what you’ll do once you join the team:

• Design and implement high-impact programs to bolster corporate partnerships and engagement strategy.
• Serve as a thought partner and contributor on transformational corporate partnership proposals, report submissions, and solicitations, in order to position the organization for on-going and new support from corporations
• Identify funding opportunities, as well as write and submit compelling proposals, in alignment with DigDeep’s focus areas and funding priorities
• Work collaboratively with other staff on proposals, reports, and communication for corporate funding partners
• Initiate meetings with corporations for the purpose of pitching proposals, cultivating relationships, and stewarding long-term partnerships
• Conduct virtual introductions with prospective partners to determine strategic alignment and giving capacity.
• In coordination with the CDO, arrange and actively participate in meetings with corporate funders to deliver presentations, cultivate relationships, and steward long-term relationships.
• Promote high levels of engagement for corporate funding partners by working with DigDeep’s event staff and supporting the planning and curation of strategic partners site visits to DigDeep’s project sites across the United States.
• Build first-hand knowledge of the DigDeep model and impact by working collaboratively with other departments, participating in relevant programmatic discussions and activities, and traveling to visit project sites.
• Contribute to successful development operations, which includes but is not limited to: providing timely information; responding to requests from team members regarding processes and administration; reviewing reports, as needed.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. As the organization continues to evolve, duties or tasks may change without impacting the overall job description.

Competencies

• Change Management: Task/Strategy orientation. Seeks out opportunities for task /team/ functional area growth and innovation, may collaborate with cross-functional teams to better inform decisions. Anticipates obstacles from both team members and active projects, forecast and prepare contingencies. Establishes new structures and policies within functional area to plan and manage the orderly implementation of change. Effectively navigates uncertainties and incomplete information with a problem-solving mindset to identify appropriate strategies, creatively apply solutions, and uses a community-driven, sustainable approach. Champions new policies/ procedures/ strategies. Are a focal point for driving adoption both within functional area and across company.
• Professional Communication: Professional presence, strong written and verbal communications skills, typically represents both oneself and the company well in external facing situations, able to adapt and react appropriately to novel circumstances. Tailors communications and presentations to effectively reach the desired audience and with maximum impact, both internal and external to the organization. Converses with, writes reports for, and creates/delivers presentations to all levels of colleagues and peer groups in ways that support understanding, problem solving, and planning. Brings apparent conflict, and possible resolutions, into the open empathetically. Demonstrates more than effective interpersonal skills. Checks for understanding of the communication by asking open-ended questions that draw out the listener’s understanding. Debates opinions, tests understanding, and effectively clarifies ambiguities and judgments. Explains the context of multiple interrelated challenges within functional area.
• Influence: Oversees relationships and alliances within and outside functional area with minimal support from supervisor (internal and external). Leads by example, seen as a model employee that other's desire to work with. Able to synthesize and triage various project needs in order to best achieve goals within functional area, with consideration to company-wide goals and needs. Challenge directives when appropriate and, with evidence, propose alternative solutions.
• Judgement & Decision-Making: Able to identify the information needed to clarify situations, when necessary, seeks information from appropriate resources, and uses skilled reasoning and questioning to draw out information in order to make sound decisions. Considers risk when proposing/ implementing solutions. Effectively navigates uncertainties and incomplete information with a problem-solving mindset to identify and propose appropriate strategies and creatively apply solutions using a community-driven, equitable approach. Can make systematic comparisons between two or more options, considering the short and long-term impacts of each and using forecast to inform decisions.
• Ownership: Direct ownership of major project(s) with decreasing guidance. Demonstrates commitment to delivering on all promises as a credible, trusted organizational representative. Establishes agreements with others as to how success will be measured. Accepts the consequences of own performance. Able to work independently with limited guidance and exercise independent judgment, knowing when to elevate concerns or issues.
• Personal Development: Become a better leader through feedback, consistent collaboration, and coaching. Developing for team and functional area. Creates clear plans for development, uses available resources and executes learning plans to the extent that they are able. Keeps up-to-date on current research and technology in one’s work focus and identifies areas for development and training that will enhance job performance. With guidance, reviews, selects, and disseminates information regarding key technologies, best practices, and tools to team. Maintains fluency in appropriate work applications, software, or tools. Continual development of self.
• Technical Expertise: Has demonstrated ability and depth of knowledge with the technology in the desired technical area. Effectively uses and applies technical knowledge, and uses knowledge to identify solutions to existing problems. Basic understanding of data security best practices.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred
• At least 5 years of applicable professional experience required; experience in the field of development/fundraising required; experience in corporate partnerships preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite, Google Workspace required
• Able to focus in the face of pressure, deliver against timelines and not be intimidated by tasks/time limitations
• Experience with Slack, Asana, Zoom preferred
• High computer literacy, and tech savviness required
• Experience/Willingness to work across various cultural contexts and communicating across cultural differences
• Willingness to travel, including but not limited to: Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas, Los Angeles, and additional locations, as needed