Partnership Development Manager

• Help young Australians to improve their long-term educational outcomes
• Flexible work arrangements to give you more balance, including hybrid working
• Permanent full time position, based in Sydney National Office, NSW 

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that works with children and young people to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty – so they can thrive now and into their futures.

About the role

This is not a traditional fundraising role. This is a role for someone who understands that the most powerful partnerships often begin with a single conversation, and has the passion to turn that spark into meaningful, long-term change.

You won’t just “manage accounts.” You’ll own and build a portfolio of prospective corporate partnerships end to end. That means shaping strategy, leading conversations with senior decision makers, co-creating initiatives, and delivering results that matter.

As a visible and credible ambassador for The Smith Family, you’ll represent our purpose in the market, translating genuine relationships into sustainable, high-impact partnerships that help young Australians overcome educational disadvantage. You will join a team of passionate and highly talented fundraisers and enjoy a culture of support and collaboration.

As a Partnership Development Manager, you will:

• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline of warm, strategic prospects aligned to The Smith Family’s values
• Design tailored partnership propositions that align partner objectives with evidence based social impact
• Lead commercially grounded conversations around value, outcomes, and long term commitment
• Collaborate closely with internal teams to bring partnership concepts to life
• Ensure strong governance, reporting, and CRM discipline, supporting forecasting and decision making
• Transition partners smoothly to the Partnership Management team to enable long term growth and renewal

About you

You don’t need to come from the charity sector; however, an understanding of or exposure to purpose-led work will be an advantage. Above all, you’ll be commercially sharp, relationship-driven, and motivated by impact. You will bring:

• 5+ years’ experience in business development
• A track record of securing and growing high value partnerships
• Strong stakeholder intelligence
• The ability to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling propositions
• Confidence managing pipelines, priorities, and competing demands
• Experience using a CRM to track activity and performance
• Experience in education, social impact, or the not for profit sector is welcome but not required

What success looks like

In your first 12 months, you’ll have:

• Built a robust, qualified pipeline with clear prioritisation
• Developed trusted relationships with a portfolio of prospective partners
• Secured new, high value partnerships with strong strategic alignment
• Established credibility as a trusted advisor to corporate partners

Our benefits

Employees are at the centre of The Smith Family’s values and operations. By joining our team, you can expect to:

• Find balance; with flexible work options and opportunities to purchase additional annual leave
• Maximise your take home pay; with salary packaging, as well as opportunities to save with discounts at retailers across the country
• Fulfill your potential, with excellent career opportunities, a suite of development programs and a dedicated learning and development platform
• Feel you belong; with inclusive leave options, including paid parental, cultural and gender affirmation leave
• Thrive; with support for you and your family’s mental and physical health including a complete care and safety platform, unlimited Employee Assistance and access to a huge range of fitness facilities with Fitness Passport

About us

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity with a vision of a world where every child has the opportunity to change their future, no matter their circumstances. We believe that education is one of the most powerful change agents, and we work with young Australians to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty – so they can thrive now and into their futures.

If you are passionate about what you do, committed to make a difference and this sounds like your next role, please click apply, we’d love to hear from you.

You may view the position description here.

Closing date: Friday 12 June 2026

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate must be prepared to undertake a National Police Check and a Working with Children’s Check. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to principles of cultural diversity. Applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are encouraged.