Senior Coordinator, Partnerships

Our Mission

Our mission is to prepare first-generation, limited-income college students and recent graduates to be leaders in their communities. We envision a future where every young person achieves their full potential and contributes their talents to build thriving communities. The Aspire Institute is an independent non-profit co-founded by Harvard Business School Professors Tarun Khanna and Karim Lakhani. To date, we have reached over 500,000 students across 190 countries. We are on a path to enroll 500,000 students in 2026 and double our reach annually. Learn more about Aspire Institute at www.aspireleaders.org.

Our Culture

We are an entrepreneurial, impact-driven organization. Our team plans, experiments, analyzes, and replans. Our core values are rooted in collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. We believe that true change comes from collective effort, and we strive to bring together diverse voices and perspectives to inform our work. Our commitment to innovation drives us to continuously seek out and apply the latest research and best practices in Aspire’s programs. Inclusivity is at the heart of our operations; we endeavor to create opportunities that are accessible to all underserved and marginalized communities.

About the Role

The Senior Coordinator of Partnerships will drive Aspire’s recruitment of first-generation, limited-income students by nurturing a network of universities, NGOs, governmental agencies, individual collaborators, and companies around the world. Through this B2B2C model, this role will build institutional partnerships that promote Aspire’s programs in order to expand our reach. The Senior Coordinator will conduct outreach to build new partnerships, engage with and nurture existing partners, host and attend events, and come up with creative ways to expand and deepen our partnership network to drive applications and assist with the retention and completion of the Aspire Leaders Program — a nine-week free online leadership development program.

Key Responsibilities

1. Deepen our existing partnership network
   1. Engage with partners on a regular basis, providing updates on recruitment, retention, and alumni engagement
   2. Collaborate and provide support on outreach, recruitment, and engagement strategies
   3. Source feedback on Aspire programs and opportunities for improvement
   4. Maintain and develop key analytics and reporting to measure and improve the breadth and depth of partner relationships
2. Build new partnerships
   1. Build new prospect lists across university, non-profit, governmental, and corporate entities
   2. Conduct cold email and phone outreach
   3. Identify key areas for strategic engagement and introduce relevant points of contact from across Aspire’s network
   4. Attend industry-relevant events to represent Aspire, build brand visibility, and meet new potential partners
3. Scale outreach efforts through partners and local Aspire hubs in multiple countries
   1. Equip partners with collateral and promotional materials
   2. Collaborate with partners to co-host events and co-design offerings
   3. Brainstorm new ways to highlight, work with, and support partners
4. Drive creative and strategic partnerships
   1. Collaborate with the CEO on fundraising initiatives like grant applications, events, and collateral
   2. Collaborate with the Programs team to identify and connect with partners in the EdTech, professional services, and education sectors
   3. Collaborate with the CEO and Director of Programs to build strategic partnerships with corporations and universities as paid customers of the AI-Integrated Leadership Program

Employment Details

• Location: Hybrid based in Cambridge, MA; in office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and remote on Mondays and Fridays
• Reports to: Communications Director
• Schedule: 40 hours/week with some evenings and weekend work required based on our international stakeholders and event calendar
• Travel: This role will require regular travel around the U.S. and abroad, up to 40% of the time.

About You

You are…

• Excited to work in a fast-paced, quickly-evolving, startup environment
• Passionate about education, leadership development, social impact, and empowering first-generation, low-income youth globally
• Comfortable working autonomously and experimentally to achieve the desired impact for your role in a matrix team environment
• Outgoing, sociable, and charismatic, with a natural comfort and desire to meet people, build relationships, and foster community
• A strong verbal and written communicator across 1:1, small group, and large audience settings
• Self-motivated with a high degree of personal accountability and commitment to setting and achieving targets

You bring…

• 3-5 years of professional experience across partnerships, recruitment, admissions, sales, business development, fundraising, and/or related areas
• Industry background in education, non-profit, workforce development, EdTech, international development, and/or related sectors
• Experience working with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and LMS systems
• Experience prospecting, cold calling, conducting outreach, and building relationships from scratch

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume to dimitri@aspireleaders.org, subject line: Senior Coordinator, Partnerships.

Additional Information

Benefits

• Health Insurance: Health, vision, and dental coverage with 75% of premiums provided by Aspire Institute (FTE)
• PTO: 15 vacation days, 3 personal days, and 5 sick days
• Company Holidays: 18 additional paid days, including the day after Thanksgiving and the days between Christmas and New Years
• Retirement: Employee contributed 403(b) retirement plan
• Other: Term life and long-term disability insurance (FTE)

Everyone at Aspire Institute works to ensure a workplace where all are treated respectfully and have equal opportunities to grow professionally and succeed. Collectively, we create a work environment that values diversity and inclusion across all aspects of employment.

Job descriptions continually evolve to meet current organization needs. This description is intended to provide a current overview of the role.

• Health Insurance: Health, vision, and dental coverage with 75% of premiums provided by Aspire Institute (FTE)
• PTO: 15 vacation days, 3 personal days, and 5 sick days
• Company Holidays: 18 additional paid days, including the day after Thanksgiving and the days between Christmas and New Years
• Retirement: Employee contributed 403(b) retirement plan
• Other: Term life and long-term disability insurance (FTE)