Manager, Education Partnerships

Position Summary

NFTE is seeking a relationship-driven, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented professional to serve as Manager, Education Partnerships. Reporting to the Director, Revenue & Strategic Partnerships, this role is responsible for identifying, developing, and growing partnerships with educational institutions and systems that expand access to NFTE's programs while generating sustainable earned revenue.

The Manager, Education Partnerships owns the full partnership lifecycle—from prospecting and relationship development through proposal creation, negotiation, contracting, implementation handoff, renewal, and expansion. This individual works with K–12 school districts, charter management organizations, higher education institutions, ministries of education, government agencies, and education networks to develop long-term partnerships that advance entrepreneurship education and career readiness.

The ideal candidate is an experienced business development professional who thrives on building relationships, navigating complex sales cycles, and creating solutions that deliver value for both partners and students.

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Development & Revenue Growth (35%)

• Build and manage a qualified pipeline of prospective education partners across assigned domestic and international markets.
• Identify, cultivate, and secure partnerships with school districts, charter management organizations, higher education institutions, ministries of education, government agencies, and education networks.
• Conduct outreach, discovery meetings, presentations, and consultative sales conversations.
• Develop partnership strategies, pricing, and customized proposals aligned to partner priorities and organizational goals.
• Lead negotiations through signed agreements while coordinating internal approvals.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue, partnership, and pipeline goals.

Relationship Management & Account Growth (25%)

• Develop trusted relationships with district leaders, school administrators, educators, policymakers, and implementation partners.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager throughout the partnership lifecycle.
• Conduct regular partner check-ins and business reviews to ensure successful implementation and long-term engagement.
• Identify opportunities for renewals, multi-year agreements, expanded implementations, and additional program adoption.
• Proactively identify risks and develop retention strategies to support long-term partner success.

Market Development (15%)

• Monitor trends in education, workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, AI literacy, and career-connected learning.
• Identify emerging opportunities within assigned markets and territories.
• Share market intelligence and customer feedback to inform product development and organizational strategy.
• Represent NFTE at conferences, convenings, and industry events.
• Leverage existing partner relationships to identify opportunities for expansion into additional districts, schools, regions, or states.

Cross Functional Collaboration (15%)

• Partner with Program Growth & Delivery to ensure successful partner onboarding and implementation.
• Collaborate with Product and Curriculum teams to align solutions with market needs.
• Coordinate with Marketing on lead generation, case studies, customer stories, and partner communications.
• Work closely with the Lead Revenue Operations Specialist to maintain accurate CRM data, forecasting, proposal development, and pipeline reporting.
• Partner with Finance on pricing, contracting, and revenue tracking as needed.

Partnership Operations (10%)

• Maintain accurate Salesforce records, opportunity management, and activity tracking.
• Provide regular pipeline updates, revenue forecasts, and account status reports.
• Monitor key performance indicators related to partnership development, retention, and expansion.
• Participate in pipeline review meetings and quarterly business planning.
• Ensure smooth transition of new partnerships to implementation teams.