Vice President Growth and Partnerships

The Vice President, Growth and Partnerships serves as a strategic business development partner, working closely with the sales team to drive growth and expand RNL’s reach. This role is responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities, securing event sponsorships, and cultivating key partnerships with institutions and corporate stakeholders. The VP has strong relationship-building expertise, a proven track record in sales development, and a solid grasp of market research and industry trends to support strategic decision-making

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Executive Level Outreach:
  • Initiate peer-to-peer conversations with senior-level education executives to secure introductory sales meetings, conducted either virtually or in person on campus
  • Conduct preliminary discovery and qualification meetings with targeted prospects to identify and facilitate future business potential through phone and email, with a strong emphasis on verbal communication skills and confidence in phone-based engagement
• University Procurement Engagement:
  • Develop and execute a strategic approach to securing preferred buyer agreements with university systems, consortia, and third-party funders, serving as a foundation for business development in key market segments
  • Engage and negotiate with procurement departments, consortia, and state systems to establish formal agreements
  • Oversee contract execution processes, ensuring timely completion and full compliance with institutional and state procurement guidelines
• Event Sponsorship & Corporate Engagement:
  • Identify, prospect, and cultivate relationships with potential corporate sponsors for RNL events
  • Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to formalize sponsorship packages and deliverables
  • Support the SVP of Partnerships with management of our reseller and referral partner relationships
• Sales & Business Development:
  • Conduct in-depth market research and industry analysis to identify emerging trends and sales/partnership growth opportunities
  • Collaborate with marketing and subject matter experts to update and enhance sales enablement strategies and tools
• Event Coordination & Performance Tracking:
  • Partner with RNL Corporate Marketing to coordinate events, focusing on performance metrics, resource allocation, and staffing

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field; master’s degree preferred
• 4+ years of experience in event sponsorships, partnerships, sales development, or marketing
• Experience with procurement processes or working within higher education
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a customer-centric and relationship-building approach
• Demonstrated ability and comfort with cold-calling and initiating peer-to-peer conversations
• Excellent organizational, multitasking, and prioritization skills, with the ability to work effectively under pressure
• Motivated to work collaboratively in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment
• Hard working and tenacious. Demonstrated commitment to achieving performance goals both individually and within a team
• Ability to meet deadlines; event planning?
• Detail-oriented, self-motivated, and capable of working independently with minimal supervision
• Proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and Microsoft Office Suite
• Travel 5%
• Ability to maintain and work in a remote home office
• A remote/virtual work environment must be free from distractions while performing the essential functions of the job and have a reliable network connection
• Position predominantly includes sitting/standing for long periods of time, close vision through the use of a computer screen, extensive keyboarding, talking, hearing, and infrequent light physical effort is required (minimum of fifteen pounds)

RNL is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, please reach out to us here.