Chief Partnerships Officer

The Chief Partnerships Officer (CPO) will serve as the chief architect of Accelerate Change's external growth, transforming our philanthropic capacity to match our massive digital footprint. As a primary public face to the funding ecosystem, the CPO will secure the scaled, movement-level capital necessary to expand the nation's largest mission media network, which currently reaches half of all U.S. adults monthly.

By bridging traditional philanthropy with innovative digital narrative strategies, you will manage a seamless relationship handoff from our principals, eliminate structural fundraising bottlenecks, and unlock the resources required to support our network partners. Ultimately, this hire ensures that BIPOC and low-income communities have the sustainable, independent media infrastructure required to build lasting civic power and reshape dominant public narratives.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Scaling

• Lead comprehensive central strategy: Design and execute a broad fundraising framework to scale a $25M+ media network, moving major institutional and civic engagement funders to catalytic action.
• Own specialized funder portfolio: Personally manage and scale a robust funder pipeline and portfolio.
• Pitch major funders nationally: Represent the organization at key donor conferences and high-level retreats to secure large-scale funding for our core media network and pro-democracy initiatives.

Movement Pitching & Narrative Translation

• Inspire through experimental proof points: Effectively translate complex audience data, algorithmic shifts, and randomized control test data into undeniable investment proof points for traditional donors.
• Target core funder segments: Focus core cultivation and pitching efforts on general operations, civic engagement (political), and media funders, while selectively engaging a targeted pool of large, cross-cutting narrative donors.

Internal Leadership

• Oversee and mentor the Development team: Directly manage and provide strategic direction to the Director of Development Operations and the Senior Director of Partnerships, actively shaping their frontline and people leadership capacities.
• Model cross-functional collaboration: Serve as a core member of the Executive Team, partnering with senior leadership to design long-term organizational strategy.
• Goal setting: Set ambitious and achievable goals, and support the team to meet and exceed those goals, tracking progress and adjusting course as needed

Mission and Values Stewardship

• Promote Inclusive Leadership and Cultural Humility: Embody a deep commitment to organizational equity, ensuring an environment where all staff identities are respected and affirmed. Bring a high degree of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and relational maturity to navigating cross-cultural and identity dynamics within a diverse, majority-BIPOC team and across external funder networks.
• Support the Broad Partner Ecosystem: Act as an accessible fundraising resource for partner media properties, sharing key donor takeaways to help network partners monetize and scale their platforms.

Who You'll Work With

You will report to the Executive Director.

You will directly manage the Director of Development Operations, Senior Director of Partnerships, and oversee a total team of 4.

You will frequently collaborate with the President, Chief Program Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other members of the senior Leadership Team.

Executive Fundraising and Network Leadership

• 10+ years of progressive fundraising or executive leadership experience, including preferably at least 5 years in a role such as Chief Development Officer, VP of Advancement, or Executive Director.
• Demonstrated success managing institutional funder portfolios and securing renewals aligned with a $25M+ organizational budget.

Institutional Partnerships and Issue Translation

• Strong understanding of the media landscape, coupled with a mastery of how digital media drives the formation of narratives around issue areas, and the ability to articulate and describe online phenomena to both "online" and "offline" stakeholders
• Proven ability to translate complex digital media metrics, audience reach, and randomized control test proof points into compelling, persuasive narratives for funders.
• Public Presence and Movement Alignment
• Exceptional public speaking and presentation skills, with the credibility, poise, and expertise required to serve as a primary public face on national stages and at major convenings.
• Deep empathy for and personal commitment to addressing the systemic challenges facing BIPOC and low-income communities, ensuring all external relationships are consistent with organizational values around equity.
• Proven ability to champion and integrate anti-racism, distributed leadership, and abundance mindsets into external funder relationships and internal strategy.

Team Management and Distributed Operations

• Success managing, mentoring, and building capacity for senior-level directors (e.g., Dev Ops, Partnerships).
• Ability to collaborate seamlessly with peers and executive leaders while operating with the high autonomy needed to solve capacity bottlenecks.
• Prior experience navigating values-driven, mid-to-large scale non-profit environments is a plus.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is: $196,000 - $220,000. The Chief Partnerships Officer will also be eligible for a performance-based bonus up to $40,000. Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Location

This role operates on a fully remote basis. Candidates must reside within the continental United States. Up to 40% travel expectations to conferences, funder convenings, and in-person meetings to deepen relationships and expand visibility.

We are committed to the continuous work of being and becoming an anti-racist organization and dismantling white supremacy.

We view our racial equity commitment through an intersectional lens that includes LGBTQIA+ equality, class, ability, and other frameworks that help us understand empowerment and dismantle oppression. Anti-racism is mission-critical for Accelerate Change because racial equity is core to who we are as an organization and our progressive values.

Additionally, anti-racism is mission-critical for us because we believe our commitment to BIPOC power building must also be reflected internally in our organizational culture and programs.

Accelerate Change is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQIA+ people must be centered in the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.