Employment type: Full-time; 12 months

Classification: Exempt

Location: Remote; within Midwest or West Coast region preferred

Salary: $95,000 + Up to $30K in Performance Bonuses

About Children’s Literacy Initiative:
Founded in Philadelphia in 1988, Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) is a national 501c3 working to advance equity in public education in the U.S. by ensuring Black and Latinx children achieve reading success by the end of third grade. CLI accomplishes this through job-embedded coaching and professional development, seminars, and workshops, and providing the books and materials teachers and children need along their early literacy journeys.

Learning to read has significance beyond building skills – it is an act of liberation. By helping educators learn and apply high impact, culturally sustaining instructional strategies and nurturing dynamic professional learning communities, CLI is building lasting capacity in teachers and principals to advance equity in education.

Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) is recruiting Managers of School Partnerships and Support. We are seeking abolitionist culturally sustaining educators with deep educator coaching experience, who see the genius in Black and Latinx children, the abundant capability in educator coaches, and liberatory power of literacy to propel children into fulfilling lives and to dismantle White supremacy, and advance equity for all.

Position Overview

The Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships (West), drives revenue growth across CLI’s Midwest and western footprint (IL, TX, CA, OR, NE, and other state/district vendor list opportunities). This role emphasizes district partnerships, cultivating and expanding large urban districts while strategically leveraging state vendor list positions (e.g., Oregon, Nebraska, Oklahoma). The Senior Manager is also responsible for stewarding philanthropic opportunities in the Midwest and West coast regions, including corporate sponsorships and regional foundations.

Responsibilities

• Pipeline & Prospecting: Identify, cultivate and Manage 10–12 active opportunities across state and district vendor list markets and western urban districts.
• Business Development: Lead cultivation and closing of vendor list opportunities, with focus on multi-year, scalable partnerships.
• Philanthropy Integration: Identify and advance philanthropic partnerships tied to midwest and western expansion (corporates, regional foundations).
• Proposal Development: Draft and coordinate grant and vendor proposals, ensuring budgets and narratives reflect local context and equity-centered practices.
• Cross-Regional Leadership: Partner with Senior Manager (East) and MD Strategic Partnerships to balance pipeline and ensure alignment with national targets.
• Visibility & Engagement: Represent CLI at regional conferences, cultivate relationships at convenings, and collaborate with Marketing on campaigns targeted to western markets.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Align with Marketing for campaign support and with Program/Research teams to ground pitches in impact evidence.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business development, institutional fundraising, or partnerships, ideally in the K–12 education sector.
• Proven success in securing grants ($100K+) and managing institutional funder relationships.
• Exceptional writing and storytelling skills, with experience developing campaign copy, proposals, and donor communications.
• Proven record managing multi-state or statewide partnerships.
• Strong proposal and negotiation skills; ability to manage complex RFPs.
• Knowledge of vendor list procurement and state-level education structures a plus.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with district leaders, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Experience developing proposals and presentations for the K–12 education sector.
• Organizational skills to manage multiple pipelines, deadlines, and deliverables.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing landscapes and work under pressure.
• Commitment to CLI’s mission, with an equity-driven approach to fundraising and partnerships.
• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• Up to 25% travel required.