Strategic Partnerships Specialist - Alumni Ventures : Job Details

The Strategic Partnerships Specialist is responsible for building and systematizing AV's Partnerships Program and supporting our agency of record in daily PR tasks. On the partnership side, you will identify, pitch, and launch co-marketing partnerships with alumni associations, professional societies, and complementary platforms; stand up an operating playbook and repeatable processes; and maintain a clean database and reporting cadence. On the PR side, you will coordinate internally, pitch niche/regional outlets and customer-acquisition podcasts, and manage award and speaking submissionswhile the agency focuses on Tier-1 awareness.

This full-time, in-office role is based in our Manchester, NH headquarters and reports to the VP of Earned and Organic Marketing.

Responsibilities

Partnership Development (Primary)

• Build and manage a pipeline of associations, professional groups, complementary brands, and platforms aligned with AV business focus.
• Develop and negotiate give-to-get co-marketing packages (e.g., content swaps)with approved CTAs and compliance
• Prioritize partners providing access to accredited audiences; optimize for lead quality vs. volume and cost
• Create a Partnerships Playbook with criteria, outreach templates, enablement assets, partner onboarding, and measurements
• Coordinate plans with partners, Marketing, and Investment teams; scope content/event/promotion lift; set expectations & timelines
• Maintain a centralized database of contacts; update status & notes in HubSpot/communications CRM
• Propose guardrails for paid opportunities, and run small, ROI-positive experiments when justified

Podcast & Platform Outreach for Acquisition (Primary/Partner-adjacent)

• Pitch podcasts and platforms that (a) offer promotional opportunities or (b) tie directly to target partners
• Craft talking points that weave a subtle CTA into thought-leadership topics

PR Coordination (Secondary)

• Act as internal liaison to the PR agency: supply data, secure and coordinate with spokesperson, and track pitch progress
• Own outreach to regional/niche media and acquisition-oriented podcasts
• Manage award and speaking submissions; keep a rolling six-month calendar of opportunities and deadlines
• Use Muck Rack to pull coverage reports and monitor baseline metrics

Operating Cadence, Process & Reporting

• Lead a regular cross-functional sync with stakeholders to review pipeline, decisions, and resourcing
• Document SOPs that reduce cycle time from first contact to outcomes
• Produce concise monthly summaries for leadership: pipeline status, signed partners, Syndicate sign-ups/investors, podcast results, notable media wins, and learnings

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Qualifications

• 24 years in partnership development or PR/communications
• Demonstrated success sourcing and closing marketing partnerships that drive measurable customer acquisition
• Excellent written, verbal, and negotiation skills; comfort presenting to external partners and internal executives
• Organized, data-driven operator with strong follow-through across multiple timelines
• Experience in measuring and reporting on data, with detailed numbers and high-level assessments and recommendations
• Familiarity with Muck Rack (or similar), CRMS, marketing analytics platforms (HubSpot, Google Analytics)
• Hands-on familiarity with AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude) and ability to integrate them into team workflows
• This role may require light travel for event support.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services or venture capital, experience in an entrepreneurial environment
• Working knowledge of WordPress and Canva for quick content edits
• Comfort running A/B tests on messaging, subject lines, or landing pages