Director of Strategic Partnerships, Business Development (San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; or New York, NY)

A seasoned professional who will represent Arabella nationally to develop and pursue strategic partnerships in new and existing markets

The Director of Strategic Partnerships will focus on engaging the philanthropic community by leading revenue-generating channel partner relationships (people or organizations who refer clients to us for our strategic philanthropic services), representing the firm with various member organizations and affinity groups, and will meaningfully contribute to our thought leadership. This person will be a key leader working alongside managing directors to advance the development of new business development opportunities, driving impact on key issues in the philanthropic community, and will work collaboratively across teams to advance the firm’s strategic priorities.

Essential Responsibilities

Channel partner engagement (60%)

• Continue to develop and implement a firmwide channel partner strategy, engaging the growing network of wealth advisors and related experts who serve as critical partners to Arabella’s business development efforts
• Educate and activate channel partners and other networks on behalf of clients and critical projects
• Lead proposal development and presentations for channel partner organizations to secure new business and expand existing relationships
• Coordinate Arabella’s efforts with national partners and collaborate with regional teams to advance mutually beneficial pursuits
• Serve as relationship manager and trusted advisor for channels with national presence, including contract negotiation, identifying expansion opportunities, and troubleshooting engagements as necessary
• Work alongside managing directors in all regions to map, track engagements, and deliver strategies focused on wealth advisors, tax advisors, trust and estate and nonprofit attorneys, and single- and multi-family offices
• Track and manage data to evaluate ROI on relationships and leverage resources accordingly
• Collaborate with Arabella’s Marketing and the Strategic Communications team and Arabella’s client service teams on collateral development and regular communication outreach to educate and engage channels
• Work with Sales Strategy and Operations team on events, convenings, and other engagement activities

Network engagement (40%)

• Develop and model Arabella’s voice, leading and partnering on content to share with broader philanthropic sector
• Encourage and leverage referrals from current clients, hosted fiscally sponsored projects, and others in the Arabella ecosystem
• In collaboration with the client service team focused on fiscal sponsorship services – the Managed Organizations team – map issues and donors across projects to identify opportunities to deepen impact (i.e., pooled funds, donor collaboratives), and implement referrals from project directors
• Create strategies to maximize sponsorships, memberships, and Arabella’s presence with various affinity groups to generate goodwill in our brand, in addition to net new revenue
• Work alongside managing directors in all regions to map and deliver strategies focused on wealth advisors, tax advisors, estate and non-profit attorneys, and single- and multi-family offices
• Represent Arabella in a variety of public settings

To be successful in this role, you’ll need:

While it is understood that no candidate will offer every desired skill and characteristic, the following offers a detailed, aspirational view of the ideal candidate profile.

• 8-10 years of relevant professional experience
• Demonstrated experience representing an organization externally and developing partnerships across like-minded groups
• Experience leading negotiations and proposal processes
• High acumen for “getting to yes” across internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to quickly articulate and pitch Arabella’s variety of service offerings to external parties
• Demonstrated experience leading events or engagement activities (i.e. round table events, convenings of many types and sizes) from start to finish, thinking about strategy, objectives, and logistics to ensure high-quality experiences for all involved
• The ability to provide excellent service, including being able to effectively manage resources, create and implement enhancements across the firm to efficiently achieve service standards, and to coach junior teammates on how to address complex service challenges.
• The ability to oversee and advise on multiple complex projects, including encouraging workflow and work plan innovations, and ensuring deliverables are high-quality and meet clients’ needs.
• The ability to coach colleagues in how to understand stakeholders’ perspectives and to handle high-level stakeholder challenges.
• The ability to effectively communicate difficult messages, to represent the firm to external audiences, and to mentor colleagues in how to adapt style, tone, and content to various audiences.
• The ability to help teams overcome collaboration challenges and promote compromise, inclusion, and openness; promote and lead activities that support an open, safe, and inclusive organization; understand the context in which we work and build critical cross-team connections; and share useful knowledge firm wide.                                                       

About Arabella Advisors

Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Advancing DEI within our firm and in our work with partners is critical to our mission. To be effective partners to philanthropists, nonprofits, and communities impacted by philanthropic dollars, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging, and a nuanced understanding of the racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other disparities that undergird the issues we engage in and the interactions we have with one another. For us, equity means that our staff members, our clients, and the people they serve can experience the same level of success, no matter their starting place. We expect all our employees to share this commitment, and always seek ways to improve how well we live these values. Click here to learn more about DEI at Arabella and read our official DEI statement.

Total Rewards (compensation and benefits)

This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary, bonus, and benefits. Our base salaries are based on a blend of similar sized organizations from different sectors, including nonprofits, foundations, and professional service firms. They are also based on local market rates and differentiated by geography. 

All full-time staff are eligible for our generous benefits package on their first day of employment:

• Health insurance- On average Arabella pays 86% of the medical premium, 80% of the dental premium, and 100% of the vision premium
• Paid time off- 16 days’ vacation, 10 personal days, 11 company holidays (7 federal and 4 more from a list of inclusive cultural and religious holidays and your birthday), 20 hours’ volunteer leave, 8 weeks’ parental leave
• 401(k) retirement plan- Arabella will match up to 4% of your contributions. There is no waiting or vesting period; all funds are yours to keep on day 1
• Reimbursements for your personal cell phone plan and fitness
• Pre-tax withholding for transportation and parking
• Bonus incentive opportunities
• Access to professional development opportunities

Working with Us

While this position must be based in one of Arabella's offices in San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; or New York, NY, please note that due to COVID-19, all of Arabella Advisors' offices are closed, and we continue to temporarily work in a remote environment. We have a strong firm culture rooted in collaboration and in-person interactions between colleagues. Once our offices reopen it is our expectation that all staff will generally work from the office according to a schedule agreed upon with their supervisor. We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers page to learn more.