Position: Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships
Location: Chicago, IL
Employment Type: Full-time, salaried
Reports to: Director of Business Development
Mission
Genesys Works is a nonprofit organization that trains and employs high school seniors to perform professional services for major corporations. Our mission is to provide pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships.
Position Description
The Senior Manager of Corporate Partnerships is responsible for engaging and renewing high school and working alumni internship positions with corporate partners annually, as well as driving growth within existing and new partnerships. This role requires high initiative, an ability to manage multiple relationships and contracts simultaneously, and the ability to plan, communicate, and implement strategies for organic growth. Accurate reporting is essential for tracking commitments and opportunities for internal and external stakeholders and providing reports to the Director of Business Development.
In partnership with the Director of Business Development and Associate Director of Internship Services, this position focuses on maintaining and expanding internships while strengthening relationships with current and new corporate partners.
Key Areas of Focus
- Meet established KPIs including annual goals.
- Maintain a 90% annual renewal rate of internships with corporate partners, with a minimum threshold of 85%, while aiming to expand the number of internships within each partner organization.
- Achieve 10% year-over-year growth in internships with existing corporate partnerships.
- Secure commitments from corporate partners within the necessary timeline for summer training execution, ensuring neither over-enrollment nor under-enrollment (target calculation: end of May + 10%).
- Cultivate strong relationships with corporate partners that produce successful internship experiences and ongoing engagement with key stakeholders.
- Manage relationships to a minimum of 3 interns per corporate partner, with a goal of achieving a 5% annual increase in partners with 3 or more interns.
- Ensure 95% of young professionals (YPs) have internship placements by tracking renewal timelines and organic growth commitments.
- Monitor customer health, manage risks, and adapt to changing dynamics throughout the business development cycle.
- Track interactions with companies using Salesforce or other management tools.
- Collaborate with External Affairs to identify marketing and celebration opportunities for stewardship and relationship-building efforts.
Specific Responsibilities
- Manage corporate partners to ensure successful internship renewals and acquisitions.
- Collaborate with the Program Director and External Affairs to develop strategies for corporate partner engagement and internship acquisition.
- Work with the Program Director to implement strategies for increasing the number of internships within each partner, shortening the sales cycle, and increasing closure rates.
- Ensure key corporate relationships are developed and maintained in partnership with the Program Director, Director of Business Development, and Executive Director.
- Formulate team activities into reportable KPIs, including corporate partner analytics and prospect management records, and report updates regularly.
- Acquire necessary internship details (e.g., position descriptions, engagement details, billing information) and work closely with the Internship Operations team to ensure contractual requirements are met.
- Partner with the Program Manager of Alumni Services to maintain and acquire college internships and alumni placements.
- Collaborate with the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communication to prepare and execute presentation and marketing materials for corporate partnerships, driving renewals and acquisitions.
- Personally visit our Corporate Partners as well as correspond professionally during appropriate engagement occasions, year–in reviews, mid-year reviews, professional conferences and internal networking opportunities.
- Participation in all management, staff, national and board meetings as appropriate
- Support the Internship Operations and Program teams in managing workplace issues and ensuring payments to Genesys Works are made in a timely manner.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in sales, business development, or a related field.
- 2+ years of experience in partnership renewal and growth.
- Bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) required; advanced degree preferred.
- Proven experience tracking relevant KPIs (e.g., customer satisfaction) and a track record of setting and achieving stretch goals and performance metrics.
- Strong project management skills with attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, with prior experience delivering presentations to executive audiences a plus.
- Proficiency with computers, databases, and Microsoft Office applications; Salesforce experience preferred.
- Ability to work independently while being an effective team player who engages well at varying levels of seniority internally and externally.
- Strong sense of accountability, attention to detail, and ability to work under pressure.
- Transferable job experience and client development skill sets are preferred.
Commitment to Diversity
Genesys Works is an equal-opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all employees. Genesys Works will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion among our staff and corporate partners are essential to successfully executing our organizational mission. As such, we seek to recruit, support, develop, and retain high-caliber talent from a diverse candidate pool that both complements and reflects the students we proudly serve.
Commitment to Inclusivity
Genesys Works remains committed to fostering a more equitable, inclusive, and united society. We stand in solidarity with members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities and seek partnerships that help dismantle the systems that lead to inequity in pursuit of a more just community.
