Strategic Partnerships Coordinator

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute is a place where rising entrepreneurs and leaders can find their community, discover their calling, and accelerate their careers.

Watson Institute powers Fellowships for partners including Ford Philanthropy, Western Union Foundation, Truist Foundation, BMO, Walmart.org for Racial Equity, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and several private foundations. Since our inception in 2013, Watson Institute’s programs have positively impacted 6,000 rising leaders and entrepreneurs.

Alumni of Watson Institute’s Fellowships have raised over $185 million, created over 1,900 paid jobs, and impacted 10 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. 90% of Watson Institute alums are employed, continuing their education, or building a venture. This is on par with leading business schools, yet all of the Fellowships Watson Institute powers are free. 99% of Watson Institute Alumni use a skill they learned while in a Watson Institute powered program up to 10 years later. Watson Institute’s Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship and seven have been named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists. Alums continue their education at Harvard University, New York University, and Princeton University, among others. 

Strategic Partnerships Coordinator - Mission Statement:

The primary mission of the Strategic Partnerships Coordinator is to nurture, strengthen, and grow Watson Institute’s current partnerships with corporate, private foundation, and individual partners.

Strategic Partnerships Coordinator – Role:

Growing Corporate & Foundation Partnerships - 55%  

Serve in a support capacity for creating excellent experiences for Watson Institute’s most important partners. Responsibilities include:

Partner Engagements:

• Engagement Planning: Work closely with the Strategic Partnerships Manager to develop detailed agendas for both external and internal activities for each partner engagement experience (including Braintrusts, Meet the Fellows Sessions, Fireside Chats, 1-1 Partner Meetings, among others on an ad hoc basis).
• Fellow Preparation: Help to prepare Fellows - the rising entrepreneurs and leaders we serve - in advance of each engagement opportunity, equipping them to show-up as effective ambassadors for Watson Institute, our partners, and to make the most of the interaction with partners.
• Post-Engagement Follow-Up: Collaborate with the Strategic Partnerships Manager to craft and send meaningful, compelling, and well-formatted thank you notes and gifts, accompanied by high-quality photos, to each partner after their engagement.

Partner Communication & Impact Updates:

• Write and develop compelling, persuasive, and well-designed/visual impact updates for current Level 3 partners. Level 3 partners are individuals who give between the range of $2,500 - $10,000 and/or who have volunteered a significant amount of their time as a Volunteer. These impact updates may include decks, emails, Alumni highlights, blog posts, Fellowship immersive reports, mid-Fellowship reports, and more.
• Support with the development of Fellow profiles for each Fellow in each stand-alone Fellowship Watson Institute powers (approximately 10 Fellowships/year which reach approximately 250 Fellows per year and growing).
• Corporate Advisory Board support:
• Meeting Coordination: Collaborate with the Associate VP of Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Partnerships Manager to develop agendas for quarterly meetings, ensuring each session is productive and focused on key priorities as it relates to our corporate partner strategy.
• Operations and Logistics: Manage operational and logistical aspects for the Corporate Advisory Board meetings, including scheduling and preparation of materials to ensure a seamless experience for all participants.

Current Partner Grant Applications & Final Reports:

• Project Manage and ‘Manage Up’ for current partner grant applications and lead the development of mid-program and final reports for Watson Institute’s current partners. Responsibilities include:
• Serve as the Project Manager for Current Grant Applications: Coordinate the preparation and submission of grant applications across the entire Strategic Partnerships Team, ensuring all required documents and information are accurately compiled and submitted on time.
• Report Preparation: Lead the development of comprehensive and detailed mid-program and final reports for partners, highlighting the impact and outcomes of funded projects.

Operations & Systems Coordination - 25%

Support the efficient operation and management of processes and systems for fundraising and partner engagement efforts through responsibilities that include:

Record Stewardship Plans for Watson Institute’s Partners:

• Add quarterly stewardship plans to the Fundraising Calendar.
• Ensure any ad-hoc items get added to the Fundraising Calendar in a timely manner.

Partner Acknowledgement:

• Develop well formatted, designed, and customized thank you emails and tax receipts and ensure the appropriate Strategic Partnerships team member sends these thank you emails and tax receipts out in a timely manner.
• Update recorded revenue to ‘acknowledged’ in Salesforce.

Salesforce Management:

• Add new partner contacts and partners into the Salesforce database.
• Ensure accurate and comprehensive tracking of emails sent to partners in SalesforceMaintain up-to-date records of partner interactions and communications within the Salesforce system.
• Record partner calls and visit notes in Salesforce, following appropriate procedures and standards.

Google Drive Management:

• Ensure Watson Institute’s Development folders in the Google Drive are well-organized and maintained.  

Prospect Research - 20%

Collaborate closely with Watson Institute’s CEO, Associate VP of Strategic Partnerships, and External Relations Coordinator to grow Watson Institute’s Fellowship model and impact through research and outreach to new prospective partnerships.

Prospect & Conference Research:

• Participate in weekly prospecting meetings with the CEO and External Relations Coordinator.
• Conduct research into aligned corporate and private foundation partners who may be interested in sponsoring a stand-alone Fellowship.
• Draft speaking and engagement applications for conferences that are aligned with Watson Institute’s strategy.

*New responsibilities may develop as the Strategic Partnerships Coordinator position evolves.

Culture Add

In order to thrive as the Strategic Partnerships Coordinator at Watson Institute, a candidate must:

• Eager to join a team with extremely high standards for quality and excellence, recognizing that demonstrating excellence in partnership growth is a direct path to scaling impact.
• An exceptional eye for detail. You enjoy spending time with words, style, and formatting in order to make the most compelling product possible. 
• Detail Oriented: You are meticulous and have excellent organizational skills. You are especially attuned to spotting mistakes or inconsistencies in writing and external communications. You take pride in completing your work accurately and on schedule. You have a knack for project management and a love for work plans and checklists. You cringe at missed steps and you are the first to identify a typo or formatting error.
• Intentional: Your working style is about creating order and planning ahead. You think systematically and excel at establishing elegant processes.
• Results-Driven: You bring an eagerness to grow and to roll up your sleeves and contribute. You have a go-getter attitude and a drive to solve all sorts of problems, no matter the size or shape. When something is your responsibility, you find a way to see it through to the end.
• High Integrity: You will be asked to make sensitive and critical judgment calls, and as such, you are known for your integrity and you take that reputation seriously. You always choose to make the right decision versus the easy decision. You know what information is sensitive, and you will protect it accordingly. You are comfortable escalating issues and holding your ground when you think it’s the right thing to do for the organization and mission.
• Systems-minded: Demonstrated experience in building and implementing systems. You are comfortable designing, testing, improving, and smoothly running systems and processes. This could be any system that involves inputs from or serves multiple people and requires consistent and accurate functioning.
• Communication Style: Based on a story from Watson Institute’s early days, ‘Come to the Window’ represents the principles of our communication including:

• Obligation to Dissent: If you disagree with a decision or direction as an organization, you are expected to bring attention to this challenge because true leaders believe dissent is an obligation.
• Disagree and Commit: To complement Obligation to Dissent, there are times when we need to Disagree and Commit.  Once all concerns and criticisms are shared, the course of action must be committed to by all involved.
• No Drama: We prioritize purpose and don’t involve ourselves in the drama created by backroom chatter, hearsay, and unnecessary focus on issues that do not place impact first.
• Go to the Source: Our culture is defined by direct, honest, and frequent communication. We expect team members to ‘go to the source’ of concerns by speaking up, communicating frequently, and taking issues directly to the individuals involved.

Candidate Profile

Top candidates should demonstrate:

• 2+ years of fundraising, partnership building, sales, or business development experience. 
• A deep-seated passion for Watson Institute’s mission to develop innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs to solve the toughest challenges facing the world. 
• A natural inclination to nurture and strengthen relationships and partnerships to grow Watson Institute’s impact. 
• A love and talent for persuasive writing, sales, and communication designed to build and grow impactful partnerships.
• A systems-oriented and highly organized approach to their work.
• Experience with Salesforce (or other CRM platforms) and Canva (or other graphic design platforms) are a plus.
• Mandatory skills: Excel mastery, email wizardry, rapid follow-up, and data analysis.

• Competitive base salary according to experience: $60,000.00-$65,000.00.
• Annual Happiness Fund that increases with time and seniority.
• Unlimited vacations (3 weeks required vacation time per year).
• Healthcare benefit via Thatch (ICHRA provider) where employees have the option to apply this amount towards their choice of medical plans, with the option to add vision and dental plans.
• Automatic 3% contribution to your retirement account.

The Vitals

• The Strategic Partnerships Coordinator is a full-time commitment and reports to the Strategic Partnerships Manager.
• The Strategic Partnerships Coordinator position can work remotely, but should be based in CO, PA, GA, FL, ME, AZ, DC, OK, SC, or MD.
• The start date for this position is May 1, 2025. 
• We use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.