Corporate Partnerships Director

Job Purpose

The Corporate Partnerships Director leads the organization’s strategy to engage, cultivate, and steward corporate partners—particularly within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and life sciences sectors—to advance the mission of CARRA. This role develops and manages high-value partnerships that generate financial support, collaborations beyond research, and visibility opportunities. The Director will design and execute a comprehensive corporate engagement plan, build long-term relationships with industry leaders, and serve as the primary liaison between corporate partners and the organization’s communications, philanthropy, and scientific teams.

The Corporate Partnerships Director will also be responsible for building and managing the CARRA Corporate Advisory Council and securing sponsors for our Annual Scientific Meeting.

Duties and Responsibilities

Corporate Relations

• Identify corporate prospects and conduct research to determine interest and giving potential.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with pharmaceutical, biotech, and related industry partners.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for corporate engagement, ensuring alignment of partner interests with the organization’s research and mission priorities.
• Develop, manage and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies for corporate sponsorships for the Corporate Advisory Council, focus groups and other new initiatives, including proposals and negotiation of sponsorship agreements.
• Work with Vice President of Development and Communications to review and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Develop new and manage the enhancement of existing corporate relationships and programs.

Strategic Partnership Development

• Lead the development of partnership proposals, concept papers, and funding requests in collaboration with scientific, communications, and exectuive teams.
• Participate in negotiation of partnership terms and agreements in coordination with executive leadership and legal counsel.
• Manage a comprehensive pipeline of prospects and active relationships and document all engagement in the Salesforce CRM system.
• Maintain accuracy of donor tracking systems and database for corporate sponsors with confidentiality of donor information.
• Monitor trends and opportunities in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries to inform strategy and identify potential new partners.

Program and Event Integration

• Collaborate with communications and philanthropy teams to develop recognition opportunities and showcase corporate partners’ contributions at events.
• Design partner engagement opportunities at Annual Scientific Meetings, advisory forums, and other CARRA events.
• Manage acquisition, renewal, stewardship, recognition and updates for the Corporate Advisory Council, Annual Scientific Meeting sponsors, and other corporate sponsors.
• Oversee the fulfillment of corporate sponsorship benefits and ensure partner expectations are met or exceeded.

Planning and Reporting

• Develop and manage annual corporate development goals and revenue targets.
• Prepare regular progress reports and corporate fundraising and partnership updates for leadership, the board, and key stakeholders.
• Track and evaluate the impact of corporate partnerships on the specialty of pediatric rheumatology, research initiatives, and organizational growth.

Grant Writing/Grant Management

• Develop streamlined process for grant identification, acquisition and follow up pertaining to all private grant activities with the goal to increase number of grant submissions through enhanced research and identification and by re-packaging language. Draft proposals, concept papers and reports to solicit and steward new and current corporate and foundation donors.
• Manages the preparation and submission of proposals and reports in a timely fashion, ensuring enough lead time is given to other staff contributing to the proposal including work with the program teams, Finance and senior staff.
• Responsible for all administrative duties related to grants, including securing all necessary approvals, signatures, attachments, and documentation.
• Maintain accurate records in database, including grant/prospect tracking and follow-up actions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher required
• 7–10 years of experience in corporate development, fundraising, business development, or strategic partnerships, preferably in a nonprofit, healthcare, or research environment.
• Proven track record of engaging and motivating donors
• Outstanding writing, analytical, creative and strategic thinking skills
• Fundraising skills – developing cultivation strategies to reach corporate donors and prospects to increase sponsorships and grant funding
• Communication skills, written and oral – writing proposals, letters, newsletters, emails and other as appropriate; making presentations as needed
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work as part of a team on a multitude of projects
• Database skills – be able to access, update, enter data, run reports, thank you letters and emails in Salesforce
• Health care, pharmaceutical, or other corporate foundation experience strongly preferred

Compensation

Salary for this position is competitive and depends on experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.

How to Apply

Please email your curriculum vitae and cover letter to [email protected]. Applicant review will continue until the position is filled.

Amount of Travel Required

Out-of-town travel will be required for this position.