Director, Strategic Partnerships

About Lever for Change

Lever for Change (LFC) connects donors with bold solutions to the world's biggest problems—including racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and rigorous due diligence processes, Lever for Change creates customized philanthropic challenges and tailored funding opportunities for donors. Top-ranked challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global community that helps secure additional funding for impactful projects. Founded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2019, Lever for Change has influenced nearly $2.5 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 500 organizations worldwide.

About the Role

As Director, Strategic Partnerships at Lever for Change, you will be a senior revenue and relationship leader responsible for building and converting a high-quality pipeline of donor partners. This position expands LFC's reach and deepens its network of committed philanthropic investors. Reporting to the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, you will serve as a close thought partner in shaping rigorous, scalable business development processes and executing strategies that advance LFC's core initiatives—with a primary focus on the Bold Solutions Network and its connected open calls and add-on funding opportunities.

This role is a key contributor to LFC's organizational goal of unlocking $10 billion in catalytic capital to the field by 2030. Success will be measured not just by relationship quality but by capital converted. You will be the primary executor of the Vice President's strategic vision for the partnerships function, translating priorities into pipeline, process, and measurable results. This is a builder's role—one that requires equal parts entrepreneurial instinct and systems thinking, thriving at the intersection of relationship-driven work and results-oriented execution.

Key Responsibilities

You will manage and coach a team of Associates, providing strategic direction, mentorship, and clear accountability to ensure operational excellence across all donor partner engagement, pipeline management, and organizational processes. Your three major areas of responsibility include:

• Client Management: Build and maintain high-quality relationships with philanthropic donors and strategic partners, ensuring consistent engagement and satisfaction.
• Project Management: Oversee pipeline development, process implementation, and project execution with accountability for timelines and deliverables.
• Business Development: Lead proactive development of team goals and initiatives that align with organizational strategic plans, identifying new partnership opportunities and revenue streams.

Core Competencies & Success Dimensions

Excellence in this role requires demonstrated strength across several key dimensions:

• Proactivity: Lead the development and implementation of team goals and initiatives aligned with organizational strategic plans.
• Adaptability: Distinguish between tasks delegated to direct reports and where your expertise should be applied to ensure timelines are met and quality standards upheld.
• Growth Mindset: Amplify ways of working that maximize operational efficiency and suggest improvements to drive both team performance and organizational impact.
• Strategic Thinking: Balance relationship-driven work with data-driven decision-making to convert prospects into committed investors.
• Team Leadership: Coach, develop, and hold a team accountable for growing and engaging the donor partner database.
• Outcome Orientation: Strengthen LFC's position as the partner of choice for philanthropists seeking to deploy capital where it matters most.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means leading a high-performing team that measurably grows and engages the donor partner database, converts prospects into committed investors, and strengthens LFC's position as a trusted partner for philanthropic capital deployment. You will contribute directly to the organization's mission of channeling billions in funding to bold solutions addressing global inequity and climate challenges.

About Our Hiring Process

All job applications are reviewed by a member of our hiring team. We do not use AI for this process. Submission Deadline: June 30th at 12pm CT.

💰 Compensation not publicly listed. Market estimate for similar roles: from $200K, varying by experience and location.