AVANCE, Inc.

Title: Director of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development (Remote - Texas based) Location: San Antonio, TX Job Description: Job Type Full-time Description Job Overview The Director of Strategic Partnerships leads the development, growth, and stewardship of strategic partnerships that advance AVANCE’s program expansion, revenue diversification, and long-term sustainability. This role is responsible for strengthening AVANCE’s national market position by identifying, cultivating, negotiating, and managing high-impact partnerships that align with the organization’s mission and growth strategy. The Director works closely with the Chief Development Officer and Chief Executive Officer to execute partnership and growth objectives. In all interactions, the Director fosters a collaborative and welcoming environment for AVANCE staff, partners, and program participants, reflecting the organization’s values and commitment to community-centered work. Job Responsibilities - Strategic Growth & Expansion - Lead the expansion of AVANCE Inc.’s brand by identifying, cultivating, and securing new strategic partners. - Work closely with executive leadership to develop, implement, and advance long-term growth strategies for the organization. - Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team to establish annual partnership and revenue generation and goals aligned with organizational priorities. - Monitor progress toward established goals and recommend course corrections when partnerships or initiatives fall off track. - Partnership Development & Acquisition - Identify and research prospective partners aligned with AVANCE’s mission and strategic priorities. - Initiate and lead outreach efforts to cultivate new partnership opportunities. - Work collaboratively with the CEO & CDO to secure and onboard new partners. - Negotiate partnership agreements to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes and long-term value. - Partner Relationship Management & Stewardship - Manage and strengthen existing partner relationships by serving as a trusted strategic advisor. - Develop and implement stewardship and cultivation best practices to increase partner engagement, retention, and sustainability. - Create and execute customized strategic plans for each partner to support shared goals and long-term success. - Maintain and cultivate long-term relationships within the early childhood ecosystem, positioning AVANCE as a trusted partner - Provide insight and guidance to partners regarding organizational offerings, impact, and opportunities for deeper collaboration. - Brand Positioning & Market Visibility - Partner with the Communications team to develop and implement strategies that increase brand awareness and market share within targeted markets. - Represent AVANCE at national conferences, regional convenings, and other strategically significant events. - Attend and/or present at events to position AVANCE as the leading early childhood, parenting, and family child care organization of choice among partners. - Performance Management & Continuous Improvement - Track partnership outcomes and performance metrics to assess effectiveness and impact. - Analyze data and partner feedback to refine strategies and improve partnership performance over time. - Proactively identify risks and opportunities and recommend solutions to strengthen partnerships and organizational growth. - Performs other duties as assigned AVANCE Core Competencies - Execution & Accountability - Problem Solving & Decision-Making - Communication & Influence - Collaboration & Teamwork - Stakeholder Focus - Adaptability & Continuous Learning Requirements Education Required: - Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Marketing, Communications, or a related field required. Preferred: - Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, MPA, MS in Nonprofit Leadership, or related discipline) preferred. Work Experience Required: - Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive experience in business development, partnerships, fundraising, external relations, or a closely related field. - Demonstrated experience developing and managing strategic partnerships, preferably within a nonprofit, education, early childhood, healthcare, or community-based setting. - Proven track record of identifying, cultivating, negotiating, and sustaining high-value partnerships that advance organizational growth. Preferred: - Experience working closely with executive leadership, board members, funders, or senior external stakeholders. - Experience representing an organization externally, including presenting at conferences, convenings, or high-level meetings. - Familiarity with corporate, philanthropic, and/or public-sector partnerships strongly preferred. Additional Skills - Strategic thinker with the ability to translate organizational vision into actionable growth and partnership strategies. - Proven relationship builder with strong negotiation skills and the ability to influence senior-level stakeholders. - Skilled communicator, able to represent the organization effectively through presentations, proposals, and public forums. - Data-informed and results-oriented, with experience setting goals, tracking progress, and adjusting strategies as needed. - Collaborative leader who works effectively across departments and with executive leadership. - Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple partnerships and priorities simultaneously. - Deep commitment to mission-driven work and advancing equity-centered outcomes for families and communities. Travel - Ability to travel to various sites: Dependable transportation is required daily with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, Inc. - Travel required up to 40% of the time for work-related site visits, meetings, and functions. Working Conditions - Work is generally performed in an office environment. - Noise level in the work environment is moderate to occasionally loud (examples: business office with computers and printers, light to moderate traffic, human voices). - Standard office equipment generally used includes: - Telephone - Personal Computer (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) or Tablet - Printer/Photocopy Machine - Calculator - May be required to operate a motor vehicle during duties. Mental and Physical Demands Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling and pushing, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Environmental Factors Occasional exposure to biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional expose to weather-related conditions when working in outside environment/neighborhoods and events. Salary Description $97,104 - $145,656

Title: Development Associate (Remote - Austin, TX) Location: Austin, TX Fully remote The Development Associate provides proactive and responsive support advancing our fundraising and donor relations efforts. The Development Associate reports to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to help drive AVANCE’s fundraising strategies, project coordination, data management, and social media campaigns. This support role is important for the success of the Development Team and the sustainability of AVANCE. Job Responsibilities Donor Database and Grants Management - Responsible for CRM database structure, enters and coordinates data entry for donor records, donation tracking, gift processing, donor rolls, prospect lists, performance tracking and ensures donor database records are kept up to date. - Define and generate CRM reports and build dashboards for CDO and CEO at request. - Support the implementation and maintenance and support the CRM migration, rollout, and implementation efforts for HQ and the Chapter network. - Assists with management and tracking of grant documents through the grant lifecycle, including entering information into the donor management systems (Donor Perfect, SharePoint, Outlook, Monday, etc.) and coordinating grant kickoffs and reporting. - Collaborates closely with CFO and Finance Manager to ensure accurate tracking of pledges and donations. - Researches donors and prospects to provide donor profiles, corporate performance reports and other intelligence gathering information. - Researches current and prospective funder organizational and personnel changes. Donor Stewardship and Social Media Campaigns - Conducts donor research and prospecting, develops major donor profiles, maintains cultivation/solicitation schedules, and administers a stewardship schedule for new President Council major donor campaign. - Assists with donor pipeline maintenance, move management, and stewardship cycle process - Creates and designs donor impact reports, gift acknowledgments, and pledge reminders. - Serves as a co-creator, producer, designer of development campaign content, marketing, and public relations materials and collateral. - Serves as a primary liaison with Social Media Coordinator to co-produce development content for the website, social media, e-mail, e-newsletters and e-appeals and fundraising events. - Works closely with CDO, to support and help execute annual appeals (EOY, Giving Tuesday, etc.) including direct mail and digital campaigns and donor stewardship functions. Administrative Support - Organizes and maintains schedules, calendars, and appointments for Chief Development Officer which may include meetings, events and arrangements associated with such, including preparing agendas, minutes, equipment, location, information packets and follow up action items. - Provides administrative support to Development Team including, but not limited to arranging team meetings, conference calls, scheduling meetings/coordinating calendars among multiple staff members, reserving rooms required for meetings, coordination with AVANCE network, printing/assembling documents for meetings, purchasing and organizing supplies, meeting notes and distribution. - Follows established processes for maintaining files, logs and other tracking systems for a variety of donor information, projects and events. - Makes travel arrangements for out-of-town development staff travel. - Performs other duties as assigned AVANCE Core Competencies - Execution & Accountability - Problem Solving & Decision-Making - Communication & Influence - Collaboration & Teamwork - Stakeholder Focus - Adaptability & Continuous Learning Requirements Education Required: - High School Diploma or equivalent Preferred: - Bachelor's Degree and/or two years' professional experience in a development support position Work Experience Required: - Two years' professional experience in an administrative, project management, and /or development support position Preferred: - Demonstrated experience in fundraising and event planning - Experience with Donor/Customer Relationship Management databases, including data entry and report generation - Prior experience developing donor appeals content for the website, social media, e-mail, e-newsletters and e-appeals and fundraising events. - Demonstrated interest and experience improving early childhood outcomes for children and families - Work experience in grants management and reporting functions Additional Skills - Passionate about advancing equity in early childhood and supporting children and families - Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills - High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook; Office 365, Monday, as well as Google Drive - Strong writing and interpersonal communication skills - Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail - Experience using communications via digital platforms (e-news, social media) - Maintain established work relationships and schedule while being adaptable to change - Ability to communicate work priorities to leadership and cross-functional teams - Ability to multi-task in a small team environment and manage multiple projects and deadlines - Ability to negotiate timelines, set priorities, meet deliverables with internal and external partners Travel - Ability to travel to various sites: Dependable transportation is required daily with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) check and policy), current auto liability insurance and be bondable by AVANCE, Inc. - Travel required up to 20% of the time for work-related site visits, meetings, and functions.