Posted on September 26, 2012

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Director of Outreach

iMentor is seeking a Director of Outreach (D of O) to drive the growth of iMentor’s national program, iMentor Interactive (iMi) to reach tens of thousands of students annually. The Director of Outreach will oversee strategy to prospect, attract and sign new partners for iMentor Interactive. With the support and input of the CEO and senior program staff, the D of O will develop and cultivate partnerships with nonprofit organizations, schools, foundations and corporate partners across the country who align with iMentor’s mission of ensuring that more students graduate from high school college ready and succeed in college, and will help organizations understand how iMi could be incorporated into and will increase the impact of their programs. The D of O will lead pipeline strategy, contract negotiation and be responsible for securing eight new high-impact partnerships in 2012-2013, as well as ten new partners every year for the next five years, with a focus on nati onal organizations.

The ideal candidate will have experience in education reform organizations, with extensive knowledge of college readiness and persistence programs. S/he will ideally have experience with a combination of the following: proven success in understanding and tailoring a pitch to the unique needs of an audience; business and/or new site development; work with national nonprofit organizations; and experience in B2B relationship management or sales.

iMentor is one of the nation’s most innovative and quickly growing mentoring organizations. As a team, we are mission-focused, results-oriented, passionate and fun, and have been named one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For by Opportunity Knocks and The Nonprofit Times.

Responsibilities

• Create outreach strategy, and research and identify prospective iMi partners who align with iMentor’s mission and with whom iMentor could build a mutually beneficial partnership, with a special focus on national partnerships
• Cultivate strong iMi partner prospects, pitching them on the benefits of incorporating the iMentor program model into their existing programming and converting them to iMi partners
• Negotiate contracts with new iMi members and annual renewals with existing partners
• Collaborate with the iMi Director of Partnerships and Partnership team to ensure sustainable initial program design for new partners
• Craft and lead demonstrations of iMi offerings, tailoring presentations to prospective partners’ missions, programs, and needs
• Travel 30-50% time to build relationships with prospects and existing iMi partners
• Create compelling and customized outreach materials and proposals
• Lead an Outreach Coordinator to assist with select aspects of partner outreach and solicitation
• Collaborate with the CEO, Chief Program Officer, and Managing Director of iMentor Interactive as needed to help cultivate and secure partnerships
• Support iMentor organization-wide initiatives, requiring occasional evening and/or weekend events
  
  

Qualifications

• Experience in education reform organizations and extensive knowledge of the field. Strong preference for candidates with experience in organizations and/or programs promoting college readiness, access and persistence
• Experience working with a national-scale nonprofit organization
• Experience with B2B relationship building and management, new site development and/or sales, with superior networking skills
• Exceptional ability to assess the fit of a prospect and tailor an approach addressing the unique needs and interests of an audience, while fostering trust and credibility
• Effective persistence: able to persevere through long sales and negotiation cycles, knows when to push and when to pull back, able to help prospects develop solutions to problems or obstacles that might stand in the way of a partnership
• Tech savvy: must be able to learn and use new technology quickly, and be able to explain technology so that it is simple and easy for others to understand
• Resourceful, results oriented, team-player with a positive “can do” attitude and a sense of humor
• Flexible and adaptable, open to change, learning, and improvement
• A sincere and deep commitment to the fundamental belief that every child deserves a college education and that college closes the opportunity gap.
• Views differences between individuals (race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education and lifestyle) as an asset rather than a liability, and demonstrates an appreciation of the diversity within iMentor
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory fingerprinting and criminal background check, conducted by the Division of Human Resources at the New York City Department of Education

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary commensurate with experience
• 90% employer funded comprehensive medical and dental coverage
• 18 days paid annual vacation and 13 paid holidays + most iMentor functions closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Significant opportunities for professional development and growth

About iMentor

iMentor leverages the power of mentoring to help youth in low-income communities graduate high school college-ready and succeed in college. Students and mentors work one-on-one through iMentor’s online and in-person curriculum to build the non-academic competencies that further college success. In New York City, iMentor partners with public schools to ensure every student in the school receives a mentor. Since 1999, iMentor has connected 7,000 students in New York City with mentors, and will match 2,600 mentor-mentee pairs this year. iMentor also provides its curriculum, technology, and best practices to more than 30 nonprofits in 20 states to help them run effective mentoring programs in the iMentor model. iMentor has been recognized through funding by leading institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, New Profit, and the Robin Hood Foundation, and is a subgrantee of the federal Social Innovation Fund.

Application Instructions

Visit www.imentor.org/jobs to submit a resume and detailed cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the position, as well as your salary requirements. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so it is in candidates’ best interest to apply as soon as possible. No phone, email, mail, or fax inquiries will receive a response.

iMentor is an Equal Opportunity Employer