Senior Manager of Partnerships & Programs

Position Summary

University City District (UCD) is seeking a Senior Manager of Partnerships & Programs to strengthen UCD's relationships with businesses, property owners, institutions, and other stakeholders; create meaningful opportunities for the University City business community to connect and engage; and grow private-sector support for UCD programs and initiatives.

The Senior Manager of Partnerships and Programs will serve as a key connection between UCD and the University City business community, developing strong relationships with employers, retailers, property owners, developers, and other private-sector partners. The position will work to understand stakeholder needs, connect businesses with UCD resources and initiatives, identify opportunities for collaboration, and ensure UCD remains responsive to the economic and operating environment of the district.

A central responsibility of the position will be to develop and execute events and convenings that strengthen connections among University City businesses, institutions, and stakeholders. The Senior Manager of Partnerships & Programs will lead planning and execution of UCD's annual signature State of University City event and develop other networking, informational, and engagement opportunities throughout the year. These events should provide tangible value to the University City business community while strengthening relationships with UCD and one another.

The Senior Manager of Partnerships & Programs will also lead UCD's sponsorship strategy, developing partnerships that generate financial and in-kind support for UCD events, programs, public spaces, commercial corridor initiatives, and other activities. The position will identify opportunities to connect UCD's relationships, events, and organizational assets with the interests of prospective corporate and institutional partners.

The ideal candidate is an energetic and highly relational professional who is equally comfortable cultivating a CEO, convening a group of small business owners, developing a sponsorship proposal, and managing the many details required to execute a high-quality event. This person should enjoy connecting people and organizations and translating those relationships into tangible value for UCD and the University City community.

Key Responsibilities

Business Engagement & Relationship Management

• Serve as a key relationship manager for businesses, employers, property owners, developers, retailers, and other private-sector stakeholders throughout University City.

• Develop and maintain a systematic approach to business outreach and relationship management, ensuring UCD regularly engages with key district stakeholders.

• Conduct regular outreach and visits with University City businesses to understand their needs, challenges, priorities, and opportunities for growth.

• Connect businesses with relevant UCD programs, services, data, events, workforce resources, public space initiatives, and other opportunities.

• Work across UCD to respond to business needs and identify opportunities where the organization can provide value or facilitate connections.

• Strengthen UCD's engagement with commercial corridors, small businesses, and business associations throughout the district.

• Identify emerging issues affecting University City businesses and communicate those trends internally to help inform UCD strategies and priorities.

• Maintain accurate information about stakeholder relationships, interactions, needs, and opportunities using UCD's relationship-management systems.

Events, Convenings & Business Community Engagement

• Lead the planning and execution of UCD's stakeholder events, including the annual State of University City event, working across the organization to develop events that showcase University City's accomplishments, UCD's impact, and the people and organizations shaping the district.

• Manage all aspects of stakeholder event planning, including venue selection, event logistics, program development, speakers, invitations, registration, vendors, sponsorship activation, and day-of execution. Work closely with UCD leadership, Marketing & Communications, Advancement, and other teams to develop the content, messaging, and experience for stakeholder events, including State of University City events.

• Create an annual calendar of events and convenings that respond to the interests and needs of the local business community and provide meaningful networking and engagement opportunities for businesses, institutions, property owners, and other stakeholders to connect with one another.

• Develop a range of engagement formats, including networking events, business roundtables, briefings, panels, stakeholder meetings, and other convenings.

• Identify opportunities for UCD to convene stakeholders around emerging issues, shared challenges, district initiatives, and opportunities affecting University City.

• Develop partnerships with UCD board members, institutional partners, businesses, and other organizations to host or participate in events.

• Establish goals and measures for UCD events and engagement activities and use participant feedback and other data to continuously improve programming.

• Ensure UCD events reflect a consistent standard of quality, professionalism, hospitality, and stakeholder experience.

Sponsorships & Corporate Partnerships

• Lead development, solicitation, and implementation of UCD's sponsorship strategy to identify, cultivate, and solicit corporate and institutional sponsors for UCD's events, programs, public spaces, commercial corridor initiatives, and organizational activities.

• Build and manage a pipeline of prospective sponsors and establish annual goals for sponsorship revenue and in kind support.

• Develop sponsorship and custom partnership opportunities that provide meaningful value to partners that support UCD initiatives and priorities, while supporting the interests of prospective partners.

• Integrate sponsorship opportunities into UCD's annual event and engagement calendar, identifying opportunities to build longer-term relationships rather than one time transactions.

• Manage sponsor relationships from initial outreach through proposal development, activation, recognition, and stewardship.

• Coordinate internally with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure sponsorship commitments and benefits are delivered effectively.

External Affairs & Organizational Representation

• Build and maintain relationships with civic, business, institutional, community, and government partners relevant to UCD's work.

• Represent UCD at meetings, business gatherings, community events, conferences, and other external forums.

• Help connect UCD leadership with key external stakeholders and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships with organizations and individuals important to UCD's mission.

• Support the President & CEO and senior leadership in preparing for external meetings and stakeholder engagement as needed.

• Identify opportunities for UCD and its leadership to participate in external events, panels, meetings, and conversations relevant to University City.

• Collaborate with UCD's Marketing & Communications team to ensure external engagement reinforces UCD's organizational priorities and overall positioning.

Qualifications

Required

• At least five years of experience in business engagement, corporate partnerships, events, sponsorships, external affairs, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, or a related field.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with businesses, corporate leaders, institutional partners, and other external stakeholders.

• Experience executing high-quality, large-scale events, meetings, or convenings involving multiple stakeholders and senior business and institutional leaders.

• Experience developing, managing, and securing sponsorships, partnerships, and other revenue-generating relationships.

• Strong written and verbal interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to establish credibility with a wide range of audiences

• Exceptional organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage complex events and multiple deadlines simultaneously.

• Ability to identify opportunities, initiate relationships, and independently move projects from concept through completion.

• Strong judgment and ability to represent UCD professionally in external settings.

• Collaborative working style and demonstrated ability to work effectively across departments and organizational functions.

• Comfort using CRM, event-management, or other systems to track relationships, outreach, registrations, and opportunities.

• Ability to occasionally work evenings or other nontraditional hours associated with UCD events and external engagements.

Starting Salary:

$85,000

To Apply:

If you are interested in this role, please email your resume and cover letter to Erica Jorden, Director of Human Resources at ejorden@universitycity.org.

Finally, a real person will be reading every application, so please bring your humanity to your cover letter. No need to game the word choice algorithm, just let us know why you think you would be a great addition to our growing team!