Summary of Position:
The Director of Strategic Partnerships is a leadership role critical to advancing the mission and vision of GOF. This person operates at the intersection of corporate engagement, investment strategy, and high-stakes stakeholder relations, representing GOF with authority and credibility in executive settings, conference environments, and partner boardrooms alike.
This role owns GOF’s corporate sponsorship and individual donor relationships, works with internal teams on strategic engagement around Watershed27, and serves as a trusted extension of the VP across the organization’s most consequential external relationships.
The ideal candidate is a polished, strategic, and relationship-driven professional who can walk into a room of C-suite executives, conservation investors, agriculture partners or conference stakeholders and command credibility on behalf of GOF, then return to the office and translate those conversations into tangible outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
Corporate Sponsorship & Investment Strategy
- Lead the development and execution of GOF’s corporate sponsorship and individual donor strategy, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Manage a portfolio of corporate partners and investors at the organizational level, with particular focus on Conservation Acceleration Fund (CAF) alignment and Watershed sponsorship.
- Design and present compelling sponsorship and investment packages tailored to corporate partners’ strategic interests, and conservation priorities.
- Secure sponsorship and investment commitments that support GOF’s annual revenue goals and contribute meaningfully to overall targets as determined by leadership and VP Strategic Partnerships.
- Ensure all corporate partner commitments are fulfilled with excellence, maintaining GOF’s reputation as a best-in-class conservation partner.
Watershed Strategic Engagement
- Serve as the senior partnership lead for Watershed, driving sponsorship revenue and ensuring the conference’s corporate engagement strategy reflects GOF’s broader organizational positioning.
- Cultivate and manage stakeholder relationships in the lead-up to, during, and following Watershed.
- Represent GOF in high-visibility conference settings, facilitating introductions, convening partner conversations, and ensuring sponsors experience exceptional value.
- Collaborate with internal teams to align sponsorship timelines and fulfillment with overall conference planning.
Stakeholder Engagement & External Representation
- Represent GOF in corporate, philanthropic, and conservation stakeholder environments with executive presence and authority.
- Build and sustain relationships with senior leaders across corporate, agricultural, financial, and nonprofit sectors relevant to GOF’s mission.
- Serve as a trusted external face of the Strategic Partnerships Division, conveying GOF’s mission, programs, and value proposition with consistency and impact.
- Attend and actively participate in relevant conferences, convenings, and industry events on behalf of GOF, including occasional evening, weekend, or travel commitments as needed.
- Prepare executive briefings, partner presentations, and strategic communications materials that support high-level engagement.
Team & Department Support
- Collaborate on department budget in coordination with VP of Strategic Partnerships and Director of Marketing.
- Contribute to departmental goal-setting, tracking, and continuous improvement efforts.
- Function as a senior extension of the VP of Strategic Partnerships, stepping in to represent, advance, and execute on divisional priorities across corporate and stakeholder contexts.
- Provide strategic input on partnership opportunities, program alignment, and revenue positioning as a thought partner to the VP of Strategic Partnerships.
- Coordinate with GOF’s grant writer and lobbyists as needed to ensure partnership, grant, and advocacy activities are mutually reinforcing and non-duplicative.
- Handle sensitive organizational information with absolute discretion and professionalism.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Required
- 8+ years of experience in corporate partnerships, sponsorship, business development, or strategic relationship management, with a demonstrated track record at a senior level.
- Proven ability to operate effectively in executive and corporate environments, including the ability to initiate, navigate, and close high-value relationships.
- Exceptional interpersonal presence; confident, credible, and compelling in rooms ranging from one-on-one executive meetings to large conference settings.
- Strategic thinker who can connect organizational priorities to partner interests and translate both into actionable partnership structures.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level presentation and proposal development.
- Highly self-directed with the ability to manage a complex portfolio of relationships and priorities without close supervision, including tracking prospects, commitments, follow-up activity, and stewardship obligations.
- Deep alignment with GOF’s mission and a genuine commitment to conservation, sustainability, or environmental impact.
Preferred
- Experience in conservation, environmental, agricultural, or natural resources sectors.
- Familiarity with Iowa’s corporate, philanthropic, and agricultural landscape.
- Background in conference or convening strategy, particularly at a flagship event level.
- Experience working alongside or in support of senior organizational leadership in a deputy or director capacity.
- Existing network of corporate, financial, or conservation sector relationships relevant to GOF’s work.
- Experience using CRM or donor database tools
Benefits & Work Environment:
The Great Outdoors Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, LTD, STD, Life, retirement contributions, and flexible working hours with paid time off and standard holidays.
The physical and mental demands of this position are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential job results. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to achieve the essential job results.
A mission-driven, “never settle” culture where ambition and compassion go hand in hand.
High visibility across GOF’s most consequential external relationships and flagship programs.