Chief Partnerships Officer (Or Director of Partnerships)

Oakland, CA, United States

Chief Partnerships Officer (Or Director of Partnerships) Chief Partnerships Officer (Or Director of Partnerships)

Reports to: CEO

About Oakland Promise :

The mission of Oakland Promise is to engage the Oakland community to advance equity and economic mobility through cradle-to-college and career educational opportunities. Founded in 2016, Oakland Promise is a citywide movement with over 50 implementation partners working towards our common vision. Oakland Promise supports children and families from birth through college and career to ensure that postsecondary success is a reality for all Oaklanders. Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), College Access, and College Completion, that provide a cradle-to-care continuum of college and career-focused support for students. Our goal is to dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland and ensure that all students hold a college-bound identity. We seek a hard-working, highly detail-oriented individual to join our community in undertaking this important work.

Job Purpose :

The Chief Partnerships Officer is a new position at Oakland Promise, reports to the CEO, and serves on the Executive Team of the organization. (However, we recognize that exceptional talent comes in many forms. If a candidate demonstrates strong potential but may not meet all the criteria for the Chief Partnerships Officer role, we are open to considering them for a Director of Partnerships position.) As the Chief Partnerships Officer, you will play a pivotal role in driving our organization vision for partnerships and collective impact at Oakland Promise (OP). In this role, you will re-imagine how we work with all of our partners to reach our collective outcomes. Specifically, you will lead the management of key partnerships, oversee the administration of funds to grantee partners, ensure accountability and compliance towards public grant outcomes, and integrate various partnership initiatives into OP’s programming and overall organizational strategy. This role requires strong collaboration with internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders to advance OP’s mission. This role is currently an in-person/hybrid, and we require you to reside in Oakland/ Bay Area.

Who Will Succeed in This Role? The ideal candidate for this role will be visionary and strategic, with the ability to take our partnerships work to the next level. This role requires a proactive individual who champions collective impact and excels in navigating ambiguity. Mastery in change management and the flexibility to adjust long-term plans to evolving circumstances are essential.

The candidate must be skilled in community building, uniting diverse groups to achieve common goals, and transforming challenges into opportunities. They should be a natural collaborator and team player, dedicated to reinforcing the organization’s culture through effective partnerships. Exceptional attention to detail and follow-through in managing multiple priorities are crucial.

Furthermore, the ideal candidate should be innovative, with a talent for developing creative solutions and strategies. Effective communication and the ability to inspire others are vital, ensuring alignment and a shared vision across all teams. Their commitment to collective impact will drive the organization toward its goals through strong, collaborative efforts.

Responsibilities:

Partnerships Management:

Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with Oakland schools (district and charter), organizations, coalitions, government entities, and other stakeholders to enhance OP’s impact and reach.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and pursue partnership opportunities aligned with OP’s strategic objectives.

Define and lead strategy for maintaining engagement with community partners and increasing our engagement with small and local businesses.

Work closely with the Director of Communications to foster and grow our community relationships to broaden OP’s reach and build community trust.

Act as a key point person for Oakland Promise in our work with the City of Oakland Children’s Initiative (OCI), including engagement with the Accountability Officer and the Oakland Children’s Initiative Oversight Commission.

Oversee the RFP process to administer City of Oakland Children’s Initiative funds to community partners. Last year, Oakland Promise administered almost $4M to about 30 community partners.

Provide strategic oversight of the Hellman Grant, ensuring alignment with OP’s mission and goals for postsecondary access and completion.

Lead grant implementation and compliance for certain broad community-embedded public partnerships such as the U.S. Department of Education Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant; this includes monitoring and supporting the East Oakland Promise Neighborhood (EOPN) pilot, an initiative that is creating deeper investment in Oakland.

Ensure effective stewardship of grant funds and adherence to grant requirements.

Cross Departmental Integration and Evaluation:

Work closely with the Director of Impact & Evaluation to develop and execute a strategy to integrate micro-level direct service work with macro-level systems change work into our organizational strategy.

Collaborate with the Director of Impact & Evaluation to develop outcomes related to our systems change work and partnership coordination, including training subcontractors to report data to contribute to our outcomes.

Integrate program evaluation findings into OP’s programming with community partners to drive continuous improvement and effectiveness.

Collaborate with the Chief Program Officer (CPO) to integrate broad systems level initiatives such as OCI, EOPN Pilot, CalKIDS, StriveTogether, and the CA Cradle to Career Coalition with OP’s direct service programming.

Ensure alignment of initiatives with OP’s strategic priorities and goals.

Collective Impact Coordination:

In collaboration with the Chief Development Officer and CEO, provide leadership in securing funding for collective impact through public grant competitions (including convening partners and leading in implementation strategies as needed).

Engage Oakland Promise in Coalition work Oversight and integration of C2C Coalition, Northern California College Promise Coalition and Oakland Undivided into OP’s organizational strategy and direct service programming.

Represent Oakland Promise at coalition meetings and conferences/

Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to leverage resources and support college access and success initiatives.

Drive the implementation and oversight of the Oakland Undivided initiative, aimed at providing technology access to all residents.

Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to ensure the success and sustainability of the initiative.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree is preferred.

Passion for the mission and vision of Oakland Promise

15+ years of experience in partnership management, grant oversight, and program integration.

Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and initiatives, including the strategic integration of direct service and systems change work towards larger organizational goals.

Strong understanding of grant management principles and best practices.

Mission-driven to improve the education system in Oakland and beyond using place-based strategies, and a dedication and familiarity with the Oakland education and non-profit landscape.

Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, with the unique ability to bring together and inspire diverse education, nonprofit, and governmental stakeholders

Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders and navigate complex organizational environments.

Compensation and Benefits:

Full time exempt position

Hiring range for this role is $145,000 to $200,000 based on skill sets and experience.

Oakland Promise offers a competitive benefits package, which includes dental / health/ vision, paid vacations and sick days and a 401k match up to 3%.

Oakland Promise currently has a hybrid work policy, with the expectation that staff are in the office 3x a week

The ability to learn and grow within a supportive team environment.

An opportunity to network and interact with leaders in the community.

Some evening and weekend hours may be required

Application Process:

We are looking for candidates with availability to start immediately, and encourage you to apply if you are interested in and qualified for the position.

To apply:

Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter to [email protected] with “Chief Partnerships Officer – [Your Name]” in the subject line. Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. Currently, Oakland Promise staff are working in a hybrid model, with some work being done remotely and some work being done in the office or at specific locations in or around Oakland. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 484 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement.

Oakland Promise is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.

Application Process: Make a huge difference in the Oakland community!Join our team! Send applications to [email protected].

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