Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement

Founded in 2012, The Acceleration Project (TAP)’s mission is to empower under-resourced small business owners and accelerate their success by providing high-impact and customized strategic, financial, operational, and marketing support. Small businesses are a vital engine of our economy, and TAP supports entrepreneurs who lack access to critical networks and resources. TAP has worked directly with more than 11,000 small business owners and touched the lives of more than 100,000. And we're just getting started. TAP is at an inflection point, with growing corporate and foundation partnerships, geographic expansion, a new digital community platform, and an ambitious plan to dramatically scale our reach over the next five years. This is a rare opportunity to help build the infrastructure that makes that growth possible.

Position Summary

The Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement is a new role that fills a critical gap in TAP’s structure: dedicated ownership of small business owner pipeline development, community partnerships, and external event presence.

Reporting to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), this person is responsible for building and activating the partnerships that fill TAP’s programs with the right clients and drive new revenue-generating opportunities. The Director works closely with the VP of Programs & Partnerships on pipeline cultivation and delivery and with the Director of Marketing & Communications on partner storytelling and brand elevation.

This is a relationship-driven, externally-facing role for someone who thrives on building connections, activating networks, and creating a strong organizational presence in the community.

Responsibilities

Client & Partner Pipeline Development

• With guidance from the CRO, create and execute a comprehensive outreach strategy to expand TAP’s impact within underserved communities, ensuring a warm and robust stream of small business clients.
• Identify, cultivate, and activate partnerships with community organizations, business associations, CDFIs, SBA resource partners, chambers of commerce, and other mission-aligned organizations.
• Conduct research on potential partners, assess alignment of interests and capabilities, and lead preliminary discussions to build relationships.
• Collaborate with the VP of Programs & Partnerships to ensure pipeline targets align with program delivery capacity and client-served goals.
• Own partner activation through year 1 renewals — from initial outreach through ongoing relationship management and re-engagement, ensuring smooth handoff to longer-term relationship manager.
• Source fee-for-service (FFS) opportunities through partner relationships. Identify and qualify FFS prospects, then coordinate with the CRO for deal closing and contract execution.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of TAP’s service delivery capabilities and current projects to tailor outreach to each community’s needs.

Conferences, Convenings & External Presence

• Represent TAP at conferences, convenings, panels, and community events — while also coordinating attendance by the CRO, VP of Programs & Partnerships, and other team members as appropriate.
• Identify and secure opportunities for prominent event participation, such as panel representation, session leadership, etc.
• Build and manage relationships with SBA district offices, CDFI networks, economic development agencies, and chamber of commerce organizations to strengthen TAP’s presence in key markets.
• Engage in direct, in-person community connections to raise awareness of TAP’s services and cultivate a strong presence within target communities.
• Leverage community events and convenings to identify new partnerships and pipeline opportunities.

Marketing & Content Collaboration

• Partner with the Dir. of Marketing & Communications and the Dir. of Digital Marketing to ensure community engagement insights feed TAP’s content strategy and brand elevation.
• Surface partner stories, client success narratives, and community impact data that can be used for marketing, fundraising materials, and thought leadership.
• Develop community-based marketing tactics and collateral to support outreach in target communities.
• Coordinate with marketing on partner-facing materials, co-branded content, and event promotion.

Grant Partnership Identification

• Identify potential grant partnerships through community and partner relationships — then hand off to the Dir. of Institutional Giving & Grants for grant strategy, application, and funder relationship management.
• Cultivate partner relationships that support funding applications and letters of support.
• Provide field-level market intelligence to the development team to inform grant proposals and funder positioning.

Skills & Qualifications

• Proven experience in partnership development, business development, community engagement, or external relations in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to cultivate and maintain partnerships across diverse communities, including CDFIs, SBA resource partners, chambers of commerce, and community organizations.
• Comfort representing an organization at conferences, convenings, and community events — both on panels and in informal networking settings.
• Entrepreneurial, creative, and innovative approach to outreach and community building.
• A team player willing to take on whatever tasks are needed to reach a goal.
• Embraces and models the collaborative, positive culture that is the hallmark of TAP.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adjust to changing organizational priorities.
• Demonstrated flexibility, self-motivation, attention to detail, and organization, with a proven record of managing multiple relationships and meeting pipeline targets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent from an accredited college/university; MBA, MA/MS in Nonprofit Management, or other advanced degree is a plus but not required.
• Minimum of 1-3 years of experience in partnership development, community engagement, business development, or external relations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with CRM software (e.g., Salesforce) for tracking partner and pipeline activity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Canva, and Google Drive.
• Able and willing to travel to community events in the tristate area and local and national conferences, and partner meetings, including periodic events outside traditional work hours.
• Understanding that, at times, this role may support other TAP activities, given the small staff size and high-growth environment.
• Demonstrated belief in TAP’s mission and values.

Compensation

• Salary: $65,000 – $75,000, commensurate with experience
• Health and dental insurance
• Generous PTO
• 403k Retirement Plan

Work Environment

TAP operates in a remote-first, hybrid work environment. TAP promotes a culture that affords flexibility and calendar control. Our staff predominantly work from home, with mandatory co-working days approximately one to four times per month in Westchester County for those in the Tri-State area. While we encourage additional in-person connections, attendance is mandatory only for these co-working days. As our work model continues to evolve, there may be occasional requirements for attending in-person events and meetings in the Tri-State area. Additionally, we expect all staff to be present at our bi-annual retreats, held up to twice a year.

To Apply: Please submit your resume and two professional references, and answer the following questions-

1. Why does this role — specifically the combination of community partnerships, small business owner pipeline development, and external event presence — interest you, and what in your background prepares you to own all three?
2. Walk us through a community partnership you built from a cold start to active engagement. What did you do, what worked, and what would you do differently?
3. TAP's small business clients come to us primarily through partner organizations — CDFIs, chambers of commerce, SBA resource partners, and business associations. How would you prioritize your first 90 days, and what would you expect to have built by month six?
4. Conferences and convenings can be either a meaningful source of pipeline or a major time sink. How do you decide which events are worth an organization's investment, and how do you measure whether attending paid off?

Please send all materials to careers@theaccelerationproject.org with ‘Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement’ in the subject line.

• Health and dental insurance
• Generous PTO
• 403k Retirement Plan

Fluent in English