Senior Director, Corporate Relations

CASE is a global not-for-profit and membership association whose vision is to advance education to transform lives and society.  Its mission is to be the home for communities of advancement professionals and to inspire, challenge and equip them to act effectively and with integrity to champion the success of their institutions. CASE defines the competencies and standards for the profession of advancement, leading and championing their dissemination and application with over 97,000 advancement professionals at 3,100 member institutions in 80 countries.

Broad and growing communities of professional practice gather under the global CASE umbrella.   Currently these include alumni relations, development services, digital, communications, fundraising, government relations, marketing, and web.  These professionals are at all stages of their career and may be working in universities, schools, colleges, cultural entities or other not-for-profits.  CASE membership also includes many corporate partners. CASE uses the intellectual capital and professional talents of an army of volunteers to advance its work.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, CASE works across all continents from its regional offices in London, Singapore, and Mexico City. CASE works to achieve a seamless experience for all its stakeholders: particularly its members, volunteers, and staff.  Working together across time zones and borders, CASE staff in all offices seek to make the ambitious OneCASE aspiration a reality.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Senior Director of Corporate Relations develops and manages strategies that enhance and increase CASE’s relationships with educational partners—members of the education advancement business community—with the purpose of achieving mutually beneficial goals, generating revenue, and creating goodwill. The senior director manages advertising sales (print and digital), sponsorships for a variety of CASE initiatives, exhibits for select CASE conferences and CASE District conferences and affiliation/memberships for Educational Partners.

The core functions of this position include but are not limited to the following:

Program/Project Management

1. Lead the Corporate Relations Department.
   Supervise two (2) full-time staff members and matrix manage two (2) additional staff. Oversee contracting with and management of freelance support and vendors as needed. Examine, manage, and continually improve key business processes. Oversee the department’s use of databases and collaborate with others to ensure accuracy. Develop and manage annual budgets. Lead, manage, and integrate the functions of the department with the goals of delivering value while achieving specific annual revenue goals. Coordinate sales to North American companies exhibiting or sponsoring or advertising in other regions; provide assistance to regional CASE offices. Maintain communication and a strong working relationship with the executive directors and business development staff in the regional offices and develop global partnerships with key educational partners.
2. Develop new business opportunities.
   Identify potential educational partners, plan and oversee efforts to engage them in CASE’s initiatives. Identify promising opportunities to expand the level of engagement among current corporate partners and develop outreach and solicitation strategies. Create new opportunities for educational partners in support of the new CASE OnDemand product line, including sponsorship and exhibitor possibilities.
3. Steward existing corporate partners.
   Develop and implement strategies to strengthen relationships with current partners to ensure that there are clear advantages for affiliation and retention and that the packages deliver value to CASE. Cultivate relationships with key corporate partners through appropriate outreach. Carry out periodic marketing research to determine satisfaction levels and to inform new CASE initiatives. Develop and implement a plan to recruit and retain corporate partners, with a goal of increasing numbers annually.
4. Plan and direct department’s marketing and communications.Collaborate with CASE marketing staff to develop and distribute effective communications for internal and external audiences, including corporate partners. Write and edit proposals. Plan and help develop marketing materials to recruit Educational Partners.
5. Staff CASE’s Industry Advisory Council. Collaborate with the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and CASE senior staff to plan and manage meetings, ensuring this advisory group is engaged in activities that are rewarding to its members and add value to CASE. Plan and carry out systematic content-rich outreach between meetings, manage the processes for recruiting new members and for naming new board liaison/council chair.
6. Contribute to fundraising initiatives. Work with key executives and senior staff to identify companies and foundations that might provide additional philanthropic support to the organization. In conjunction with the Vice President, develop and write proposals to fund strategic priorities.  Maintain accurate, up-to-date records of potential donors.

Fiscal Management/Budget Responsibilities/Judicious Use of Resources 

1. Develop, manage, and gain approval for a budget for area of responsibility.
2. Exercise fiscal responsibility in the utilization of all CASE resources.
3. Ensure CASE meets IRS regulations on Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).

Liaison Responsibilities

1. Exhibit appropriate leadership toward and work cooperatively and supportively with all volunteer groups for which this position is responsible.
2. Take the lead on coordinating CASE’s corporate partner guidelines and practices with district sponsor and exhibitor liaisons to ensure that the quality and reputation of CASE exhibits remain consistent throughout the organization.
3. Interact with senior-level leaders of CASE (staff and volunteer) to develop strategies and carry out programs with corporate partners that support CASE.
4. Participate in committees, task forces, and other groups that increase knowledge of CASE, corporate partners, corporate resource development, and other areas relevant to the department.
5. Participate in cross-department strategies to determine organizational funding priorities and develop appropriate strategies to respond.
6. Partner with Educational Programs, Finance, Marketing and Communications, Member Support and Volunteer Engagement in all matters related to corporate relations.
7. Key contact for district volunteers in support of region sponsorships.
8. Collaborate with CASE colleagues in all parts of the world to ensure the best sharing of effective practices.

Management/Supervisory Responsibility

1. Supervise direct reports and hold staff responsible the way they perform their work. Oversee hiring, onboarding, training, ongoing communication, and evaluations.
   2. Work closely with Executive Directors in London and Singapore to manage matrixed staff members.
   3. Ensure plans and programs are in place to advance CASE’S inclusivity goals. Demonstrate by example and communicate ways in which each CASE employee can enhance his or her awareness of the importance of inclusivity to the organization.

Image Responsibilities

In keeping with the CASE Values Statement, ensure that CASE is well represented by exercising a high degree of professionalism, accuracy, and ethics, in all activities, services, and products.

 Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by manager.

Education and Experience

Required
Bachelor’s degree.
Five or more years of experience in sales, marketing, membership, or fundraising.

Preferred
Experience at a higher education institution, an association or with a vendor serving the advancement community.

Master’s degree with a marketing emphasis preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• A demonstrated interest in advancing education in the not-for-profit sector.
• A strong commitment to contributing to an organizational culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion.
• An understanding of and interest in engaging with a broad range of cultures and countries.
• Excellent knowledge of sponsorship and corporate resource development.
• Excellent interaction and communications skills, verbal and written.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to lead and participate on teams.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong financial management skills.
• Sound supervisory and managerial skills.
• Knowledge of association environment.
• Demonstrated analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Experience using Personify database or similar AMS a plus.
• Ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial work history.

Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time. This document represents a description of intended job content and should not be construed in any way to be a contract of employment.