Senior Vice President, Partnerships, Ventures & Innovation

ORGANIZATION

Building a Nation of Learners by Advancing America’s Community Colleges

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The association represents more than 1,000 2-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 10.5 million students.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Vice President, Partnerships, Ventures & Innovation positions the organization as a national ecosystem orchestrator by building and stewarding partnerships and ventures that extend mission impact and generate sustainable revenue. The SVP leads enterprise collaboration to design, launch, and scale innovation initiatives aligned to AACC’s Compass and Strategic Bets to deliver value to member colleges and their communities.

Key responsibilities

• • Set the enterprise partnerships, revenue, and venture strategy that advances strategic priorities, grows the organization’s network, and creates mutual value for members, funders, and collaborators.
  • Cultivate corporate, philanthropic, and public-sector relationships, using a portfolio approach to prospecting, solicitation/closing, renewal, recognition, and retention.
  • Lead funding development across corporate, foundation, or federal grants, sponsorships, and giving by shaping proposals and partnership agreements, coordinating internal contributors, and collaborate to ensure strong post-award stewardship and reporting.
  • Design revenue-generating ventures and offerings (e.g., fee-for-service, sponsorship packages, licensing, and other earned-income models) in partnership with finance, legal, and program teams.
  • Craft compelling partner value propositions, producing executive-ready pitch materials, briefings, and proposals that clearly articulate impact and return on investment.
  • Direct partnership performance reporting to ensure data quality, timely processing, dashboards, and regular executive-level updates on goals, renewals, and risks.
  • Integrate partners into programs and convenings while leading cross-functional delivery, developing staff/volunteers, and representing the organization at key ecosystem meetings and events.

Key Leadership Priorities

• • Review partnership pipeline, prioritize highest-value opportunities, and set daily outreach targets aligned to strategic priorities and revenue goals.
  • Conduct partner and funder engagement (calls/meetings) to advance cultivation, negotiation, and closing/renewal conversations.
  • Align internally with program, advocacy, membership, learning systems, and events leaders to shape partnership offerings and ensure readiness to deliver on commitments.
  • Advance active proposals, partnership agreements, and grant applications by drafting/reviewing key sections, clarifying scope and outcomes, and coordinating inputs.
  • Monitor and troubleshoot stewardship and deliverables for existing partners and funders, including reporting timelines, recognition commitments, and issue resolution.
  • Direct venture and earned-income workstreams by reviewing business cases, refining go-to-market assumptions, and removing execution barriers.
  • Drive innovation initiatives by checking progress against milestones, reviewing learning from pilots, and making scale/stop/iterate decisions.
  • Refine and deploy partner value propositions and pitch materials based on feedback, sector trends, and organizational priorities.
  • Review performance dashboards to validate data quality, track progress to goals, and prepare concise executive updates.
  • Coach and unblock team members, assign next actions, and reinforce cross-functional accountability and follow-through.

Enterprise Leadership Expectations

• Build partnerships that create mutual value—beyond transactional relationships.
• Align all partnership and venture activity to strategic priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Scale what works—quickly and intentionally—using data, learning, and disciplined execution.
• Operate with enterprise mindset, elevating collaboration, transparency, and shared accountability across teams.

Core Competencies

• • Strategic partnership development and negotiation; coalition building across sectors.
  • Revenue strategy across philanthropy, sponsorship, grants, and earned-income models.
  • Donor/funder stewardship and relationship management with senior executives.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication, including proposals, presentations, and executive-level messaging.
  • Program and project management; ability to prioritize across multiple complex workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
  • Innovative, solutions-oriented leadership with strong follow-through and attention to detail.
  • Financial acumen to assess business cases, budgets, and return on investment.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office; comfort learning and using CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and pipeline tools.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Education and Experience

Experience in higher education, particularly at community colleges, is strongly preferred and will be prioritized in the review process.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred

• Experience: Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in partnerships, business development, fundraising/development, and/or venture-building within a nonprofit, association, education, or mission-driven environment.

• Leadership: Demonstrated track record of cultivating and closing funding and partnership agreements (corporate, philanthropic, and/or public-sector), including proposal development and contract execution. Experience leading teams.

• Subject-matter expertise: Experience designing and scaling new products, programs, or ventures from concept through implementation.

• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to represent the association in national dialogues and facilitate complex conversations with diverse stakeholders.

• Interpersonal skills: Collaborative, with the ability to lead through influence, build consensus, and manage competing priorities across multiple teams.

• Technology and adaptability: Comfortable with data systems, analytics tools, online learning platforms, and changing higher-education environments.

Work Environment and Reporting

Reports to: President/Chief Executive Officer and serves on the Executive Leadership Team. Partners closely across all portfolios (enterprise systems and stewardship; public purpose and national advocacy; learning ecosystems and workforce strategy; member impact and network engagement; and impact and strategy) priorities to align partnership opportunities internally and externally.

Location and travel

This position is based in the AACC office located in Washington, DC and is eligible for a hybrid schedule with one day remote per week based on organizational policy and business needs. Occasional travel is expected for partner meetings and convenings, with periodic work outside traditional hours to support events and time-sensitive opportunities.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work being performed by the individual assigned to the position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties, and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

American Association of Community Colleges is an equal employment opportunity (EEO) employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where all individuals are valued and respected.

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• EAP
• Flex Spending Account
• Legal Shield
• Vacation, Paid Holidays and Sick Leave
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Life Insurance