Director of Corporate Initiatives, Partnership Development

Summary

Join Autism Speaks as the Director of Corporate Initiatives and play a pivotal role in driving organizational growth. You will identify, develop, and secure transformational partnerships exceeding $500,000, achieving personal annual revenue targets of $1.5M+. As a senior point of contact, you will represent Autism Speaks, persuasively communicating its mission and engagement opportunities. This remote position, ideally based in specified locations, requires leading cross-functional teams, developing business accounts creatively and financially, and contributing to new business development within your portfolio. You will report to the Vice President, Corporate Initiatives. The role demands strong relationship management, strategic planning, proposal development, and industry awareness, along with effective monitoring, reporting, and customer service.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 7-10 years of recent corporate development experience or related experience
• 10 or more years of professional working experience
• Demonstrated track record of sales/corporate development experience with emphasis on new business acquisition
• Excellent relationship-building skills with the ability to be persuasive and close new business
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with ability to express key concepts, share ideas and information effectively; ability to create meaningful reports and business correspondence
• Excellent listening and collaboration skills
• High energy, enthusiasm, professional, diplomatic, and positive can-do attitude
• Ability to drive urgency in the sales cycle and execute solution strategies; manage a robust pipeline
• Ability to evaluate and recruit high level volunteers for appropriate corporate or association development opportunities
• Strong organizational, interpersonal and customer service skills, with troubleshooting and problem-solving capability
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Ability to be self-directed and work in a fast-paced work environment; must demonstrate strong work ethic
• Ability to organize multiple projects simultaneously, think creatively and maintain flexibility
• Ability to adapt and integrate at different audience levels in not-for-profit and for-profit organizations
• Proficient in MS Office suite: email, PowerPoint and CRM databases
• Travel required (25-30%), may include occasional weekends and evenings

Responsibilities

• Achieve annual revenue and mission goals aligned with strategic organizational priorities by developing a portfolio of accounts, with restricted and unrestricted requests ranging from five to seven figures
• Responsible for the development and leadership of a portfolio of accounts, consistently initiating, executing and achieving both revenue and mission delivery goals at $4-6 million annually
• Identify and pursue new national corporate partnerships, focusing on multi-year funding opportunities of $500,000 and above
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with corporate partners, donors, and stakeholders
• Develop target portfolios and recruitment strategies through prospecting, cold calling, and follow-up
• Engage in the implementation of organizational strategic plans, translating them into acquisition plans for new partnerships and long-term engagement opportunities
• Collaborate with the Strategic Leadership Team to create, package, and articulate programs and initiatives into compelling proposals, highlighting the value of partnering with Autism Speaks
• Identify trends, opportunities, and potential corporate partners
• Form strong communication channels and work closely with internal teams to support new business acquisition
• Provide guidance to cross-functional teams, building capabilities, and leveraging corporate capacity
• Track and manage leads/prospects and sales activity in CRM; create and analyze reports
• Facilitate the negotiation of the entire sales process
• Ensure adequate approval processes are completed
• Provide follow-up and customer service, ensuring the full execution of partnerships
• Work with senior-level staff and volunteer leadership to gain new business opportunities

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, benefit and vacation package
• Flex work hours
• Weekly training sessions
• Tuition reimbursement
• Summer bonus Fridays
• Creative, innovative, collaborative, inclusive, kind and fun work environment