Director, Partnerships

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People & HR, Sales & Business Development

Arnold Ventures ( AV ) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity.

The Partnerships & People department serves as a hub for cultivating strategic partnerships that advance AV ’s mission, fostering a strong, values‑driven culture, and supporting and developing a high-performing and mission-aligned team.

The Partnerships function works to position AV as a leading connector of ideas and people across sectors. It guides strategic efforts to advance the organization’s policy priorities and drive impact through thoughtfully designed convenings and relationship‑building across a range of engagement opportunities and formats. The People function works to inspire and empower AV ’s team members to innovate and develop bold solutions to achieve lasting change.

This includes recruiting and developing a strong team, enhancing internal communications and engagement, reinforcing AV ’s core values, and building systems that enable teams and individuals to operate effectively.

The Director, Partnerships & People will play a critical strategic and operational role in advancing the department’s integrated model. Serving as a key partner to the EVP , the Director will ensure that the team’s initiatives — from large‑scale convenings to day-to-day operations — are executed with excellence. The Director will facilitate cross‑functional coordination, develop and maintain systems, and support a range of projects at various stages of their life cycle.

This individual will report into the EVP , be based in AV ’s Houston office, and will be required to travel to support Partnerships & People initiatives as needed.

• Support the EVP in advancing strategic priorities and coordinating across the department, ensuring the team operates with clarity and accountability
• Bridge programmatic and operational teams to keep Partnerships initiatives aligned with AV’s policy priorities, so that strategy and execution move in lockstep
• Design, plan, execute, and assess AV ‑branded events, ensuring they advance strategic objectives
• Develop event content, including agendas, run‑of‑show documents, staffing plans, and speaker coordination materials, setting up internal and external stakeholders for success
• Oversee event logistics, vendor relationships, contracts, and budgets, delivering events on time, on budget, and without operational gaps
• Implement systems, tools, and processes that improve project tracking, documentation, information flow, and cross‑functional coordination
• Manage onboarding and coordination of external partners and vendors, ensuring alignment with AV ’s policies and practices
• Produce timely reporting and synthesize updates for AV leadership as needed
• Support the department’s internal operations and special projects, including strategy and budget planning, internal communications, and organization-wide development activities
• Assist the EVP with agendas for team meetings, retreats, and teambuilding activities, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement across the department

The salary range for this position will be $ 130 , 000 -$ 160 , 000 .

• 7 + years of relevant work experience, preferably in positions involving operational and project or event management, writing and communications, and working with diverse stakeholders across public, private, and/or philanthropic sectors
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills including demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder events or convenings of 100 + attendees from ideation through execution
• Background operating in policy, advocacy, or mission-driven environments, with an understanding of how external convenings and partnerships connect to broader strategy objectives
• Experience managing cross-functional…