Chief Higher Education Partnerships (Chicago) Job at Braven, Chicago, IL

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  • Braven
  • Chicago, IL

Job Description

Job Title : Chief Higher Education Partnerships

Team : Higher Education Partnerships

Location : Hybrid in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NYC), or Newark (NJ)

Employment Type : Full-time

FLSA Classification : Exempt

Start Date : ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a careeraccelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a lifechanging experience that begins with a semesterlong course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

About The Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Chief, Higher Education Partnerships, who will set the vision for how the organization cultivates new partnerships and strengthens existing ones. As the most senior leader of the Higher Education Partnerships team at Braven, you will report to the Chief Executive Officer and lead a team of 36 that executes directly in specialized areas, create systems and tools that foster efficiencies, and empower Braven's regions to steward complex higher education relationships with excellence. The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader with a deep understanding of higher education, a strategic thinker with strong relationshipbuilding skills, and a deep passion for student success.

What You'll Do

Strategic Planning (40%)

  • Create the vision for and oversee the execution of the organization's higher education partnership strategy, working alongside Braven's Strategy and Finance team and other relevant teams as needed, to ensure alignment that drives Braven toward partnership growth and success
  • Create the vision for, and oversee the execution of, the organization's recruitment strategy to ensure Braven meets its ambitious growth goals
  • Develop strategies to engage potential new partners, demonstrating the value of our service to university leadership
  • Create a vision and operational plan for partnership excellence, working with regional EDs and other internal teams as needed, to develop robust metrics and continuous improvement processes to strengthen relationships and drive outcomes and accountability
  • Responsible for higher education market intelligence, understanding the current and future landscape, and providing valuable insights and guidance to Braven and our partners

Higher Education Partnership Cultivation (40%)

  • Determine and execute against key cultivation priorities with highstakes higher education partners, including building and maintaining strong relationships and pipelines
  • Build and strengthen authentic, mutually beneficial relationships with Presidents, Provosts, Deans, faculty, and staff to successfully steward current higher education partnerships, while cultivating dozens more, listening to and understanding their needs and priorities
  • Partner with the Chief, External Affairs, to determine which conference Braven should attend, present at, and/or sponsor, attending conferences as needed to represent Braven at industry conferences, events, and meetings to build brand awareness and foster new relationships
  • Set the vision and manage the execution of special events to cultivate current and potential higher education partnerships and supporters

Leadership and Team Management (20%)

  • Provide leadership and coaching to the Higher Education Partnership (HEP) team, inspiring and motivating them to take action and meet ambitious goals as they create the visions, strategies, systems, tools, and training for university partnerships and student recruitment
  • Partner with the External Affairs team and the Regional Success teams to ensure strong student recruitment across university sites, specifically where structural enrollments are not in place
  • Collaborate with Braven's regional teams and other internal teams as needed to build the skills and mindsets needed to have strong relationships with our higher education partners
  • Serve on the Alignment Team (Braven's leadership team) to set the vision and strategy for the organization

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • Education: BS/BA, Ph.D.
  • 10+ years of experience working in the higher education system, as a Dean, Provost, or above
  • 10+ years of successful management experience leading midsize teams of 1020 people
  • Experience working at a nonprofit preferred
  • Your experiences have informed your belief in Braven's mission and have prepared you to work with or for Braven's student Fellow population

Technical Skills and Knowledge : Proficiency in Google Suite, Slack, Jira, and Salesforce preferred

Preferred Qualifications

  • Exemplifies Braven's core values
  • Deep understanding of university structures, processes, and challenges, particularly related to student success and career development
  • Strong network in higher education and known for credibility and strong relationships with faculty
  • Strong team manager with a clear vision and ability to set and achieve ambitious goals
  • Critical thinking to grasp complex issues, identify patterns, and produce equitable solutions
  • Visionary, with a forwardlooking approach to organizational needs
  • Resilient, planning ahead and finding alternative paths when needed
  • Emotional intelligence, reflecting on identities and engaging in feedback
  • Effective communicator using storytelling to convey complex ideas concisely
  • Commitment to building strong, welcoming cultures that help develop others
  • Exemplification of Braven's core values

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

  • Ability to work inperson in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NYC), or Newark (NJ) at least 3 days per week

Additional Requirements

  • Travel 12 times per month
  • Authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Braven doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

  • Phone screen with Talent Team member
  • Performance Task
  • Interview with Hiring Manager
  • Panel Interview with Key Partners
  • Reference Checks

We strive not to hire directly from our current partner organizations. Applicants are requested to disclose any current employment with a partner during the application process.

Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among notforprofit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. Braven does not negotiate salary offers; each offer is determined using external and internal benchmarking.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development.

  • Unlimited vacation time in addition to orgwide holidays and weeklong shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (minimum 19 days per year)
  • $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, familybuilding, and hormonal health
  • Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
  • Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
  • 12 weeks of paid parental leave
  • A onemonth paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe that our total rewards package matches what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply.

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta, Chicago, New York, or Newark.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

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Job Tags

Full time, Work at office, Immediate start, Remote work, Visa sponsorship, Work visa, Monday to Friday, 2 days per week, 3 days per week,

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