This role is responsible for supporting internal teams in the identification and evaluation of how strategic relationships can advance our work. The Enterprise Strategic Relationship team plays a critical role in planning and development by aligning AARP’s strategy with multiple partners through coalitions, even if the partners haven’t worked together before, that can help create positive social change while helping to deliver on social mission and revenue goals. This role serves as an internal consultant to help identify strategies towards long-term business objectives and the competitive/business environment. It is specifically focused on our social impact issue areas.
This position is responsible for shaping relationships, enabling internal teams to advance AARP’s work by leveraging partners, and ensuring alignment across the organization. This position will also identify, facilitate and steward relationships that have enterprise-wide potential. This position reports to the VP, Enterprise Strategic Relationships and Alliances.
Responsible for
- Mentoring on partner engagement: Deliver guidance and coaching to issue area partners and all levels of management on how to engage partners and build ongoing value in the management of their designated goals. Serve as the “front door” of AARP by fielding inquiries from interested 3rd parties and potential partners. Establish a plan and communicate next steps both internally and externally.
- Driving partnerships forward: Proactively engage with internal business teams to identify, design and implement creative approaches for the engagement of commercial and nonprofit organization (non-flagship) to help advance their work.
- Creating a narrative for partnership: Clearly articulating joint customer value and partner value by crafting pitch decks and other materials to shape the story for potential partners, in collaboration with internal clients.
- Developing an intentional strategy: Developing a partnership strategy, based on industry benchmarks and strategic objectives in collaboration with internal clients with regular monitoring and reporting to evaluate the effectiveness of a partnerships performance.
- Prospecting partnerships: Identifying, fielding and evaluating potential partners for issue areas leads and other key stakeholders based on goals. Build partner-specific value proposition to amplify the relationship including goals and go to market plans, in collaboration with cross-issue area internal stakeholders.
- Assessing risks and opportunities: Drive quarterly meetings and reviews with issue leads and other business units to identify potential areas of risk in existing partnerships, identify pipeline targets and establish new needs
- Measuring and communicating outcomes: Maintain accurate, timely and require documentation of activities to drive quality relations, metrics and ensure transparency
- Strong consulting skills including management consulting
- Ability to build strong relationships, identify matching synergies and secure desired commitments.
- Experience in creating and executing partnerships that rely on creative financing mechanisms.
- Consulting experience in technology, health or finance
- Understanding of product management and/or marketing
- Ability to communicate clearly both internally and externally
- Demonstrated analytical experience in developing, collecting, analyzing and reporting key metrics to partners (internally and externally)
- Experience working in a matrixed environment. Will achieve results with and through others.
- Experience in contracting and/or negotiation
- Ability to work in a constantly changing environment
- This position is based in Washington, DC but must be willing to travel to existing and potential partner sites and/or other organizational related events (about 20% travel)
Other desired skills and abilities:
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport across the enterprise and with clients while quickly and confidently gaining respect of others
- Highly collaborative and able to influence. Should embrace, support and practice a collaborative style which goes beyond relationship building. Strong modeling skills and analytical thinking
- Excellent written and presentation skills including ability to create presentations for review by all levels
- Ability to multi-task and problem solve
- Outstanding attention to detail including strong organization and project management skills
- Acute listening skills with the ability to efficiently sort facts, demonstrating sound-judgement
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.