Manager, Corporate Partnerships

Reporting to the Director of Corporate Partnerships, the Manager of Corporate Partnerships will be an integral part of the Development Department building strategic, multifaceted relationships with corporations.

The Manager is responsible for managing the corporate membership program, fulfilling benefits such as volunteer requests, Behind the Scene tours, and lunch and learns; collaborate with Marketing on quarterly Corporate newsletters; routinely review and update partner benefits; and ensure up-to-date records in the database and files.

The Manager will partner with Prospect Development to identify and vet new viable prospects to solicit and write new grant requests/proposals for philanthropic funding and sponsorships. The manager will develop and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of aquarium programs and operations and a companion library of proposals and presentation decks.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values.
• Manage and grow portfolio of corporate funders that are new, have increased capacity, or are already supporting Shedd; work with the Engagement Cohort to steward current partners and create unique engagement opportunities.
• Prepare proposals and impact reports, annual solicitation letters, stewardship reports, letters, research backgrounds and other written materials for corporations.
• Compose event-related sponsorship materials including, but not limited to, solicitation letters, sponsorship collateral and packages, etc.
• Manage sponsorship approval and trafficking process for marketing assets.
• Serve as Foundation and Government team liaison for corporate-related grant requests.
• Respond to requests from funders including admission and other benefits fulfilment data.
• Maintain an annual solicitation calendar for corporate partners in conjunction with the Director.
• Coordinate Corporate Connections program including Corporate Family Days and other corporate engagement-related events.
• Assist with the planning for donor site visits including working with the aquarium’s special events managers and booking meeting rooms.
• As needed and requested, assist in staffing after hours special events hosted by the Development Department, including the annual Gala, member and donor events. Participate in tours as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Shedd Aquarium seeks a Manager, Corporate Partnerships who will be an innovative strategist and can support the vision of the organization yet knows how to translate ideas into a concrete course of action. The Manager will have some experience as a front line fundraiser and be a great collaborator who can deliver on both strategy and execution, and is committed to learning, working in a fast-paced team environment, and pushing to achieve Shedd’s goals in new and exciting ways.

Education

Bachelors degree is preferred, but comparable experience would be accepted in lieu of a degree.

Experience

• A minimum of 2-3 years of experience in development with direct focus on securing grants, managing partnerships, and funding with corporate sources.
• Experience as a grant writer with the ability to translate complex issues into fundraising goals and objectives and ability to articulate organization’s mission to the funding community.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well in a team setting and collaborate across departments and teams, as well as the ability to work independently with clear roles and deliverables.
• Strong and versatile writing background, with ability to prepare a variety of materials.
• Strong active listening, excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to plan and facilitate meetings.
• Ability to successfully present projects and programs to prospects, donors and aquarium leadership.
• Ability to manage multiple demands and deadlines, including excellent time management and organization skills, with strong detail orientation and follow-through.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritize.
• Ability to work independently and under tight deadline; ability to multi-task and work on several projects simultaneously.

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to select which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs).