Partner, Learning Options & Innovation

Partner (with expertise in learning options and innovation)

Location: Remote

Reports To: Senior Partner & Head of Emerging Approaches

Team: Program team

Employment Type: Full-time, Exempt

About Bellwether

Bellwether is a national nonprofit that exists to transform education to ensure students furthest from opportunity achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities. We work hand in hand with education leaders and organizations to accelerate their impact, inform and influence policy and program design, and share what we learn along the way.

We are a remote-first team, and our work is national in scope, so our flexible working style allows our professionals to work where they have built their lives. This means Bellwether can hire the best person for each role, regardless of geography. This role can be based anywhere in the United States. Up to approximately 20-30% travel may be required.

Partners at Bellwether pair deep content expertise with a business owner’s mindset. They bring a nuanced understanding of the education sector, a keen strategic lens, strong analytical capabilities, the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, an established network in the field of education, a genuine sense of curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Partners own the growth and health of Bellwether’s work: they originate and close new business, cultivate client and funder relationships, lead and develop teams of high performing professionals, and shape the direction of the organization as members of Bellwether’s partner team.

For this Partner role, we are seeking individuals with the background and expertise necessary to help shape and contribute to the growth of our Learning Options and Innovation portfolio– which includes all learning options from private schools to after-school activities, as well as innovative models and approaches. The role will be substantially dedicated to these topics, while affiliating with one or more additional portfolios based on expertise and interest. We are looking in particular for a leader who can help grow the portfolio’s client and funder base. A demonstrated track record of self-directed business development is central to this role.

About This Position

The Partner will sit on Bellwether’s program team, which informs the field with clear and bold insights; brings leaders together to learn, connect, and drive change; and supports mission-driven clients as they navigate tough decisions. The Partner will inform and help set the direction of the Learning Options & Innovation portfolio, lead and advise project teams, own senior client and funder relationships, and drive business development for the portfolio and the organization.

In this context, the Partner’s primary responsibilities and duties will be to:

Client and Funder Engagement

• Build, sustain, and cultivate strong relationships with our clients and funders in partnership with project team members.
• Serve as a trusted resource and adviser, helping clients solve policy, organizational, or strategic challenges related to expanding effective learning options, developing new learning models, and driving innovation throughout education systems.
• Lead iterative processes that enable joint problem-solving and inclusive decision-making with clients and teams.
• Ensure that clients’ needs are met from the beginning to the end of each engagement, and adjust as needed throughout the engagement.
• Build and sustain strong relationships in the philanthropic sector, particularly as relevant to learning options and innovation, in alignment with Bellwether’s development strategy and in collaboration with other organizational leaders.

Business Development and Portfolio Growth

• Own a business development goal for the Learning Options & Innovation portfolio, including the self-directed origination of new business.
• Bring relationships with potential funders and clients to support early business development.
• Identify and pursue high-impact new client and funder opportunities, including scoping engagements, writing proposals, and building budgets.
• Tell Bellwether’s story in compelling ways, describing who we are, what makes us unique, and why our work is meaningful to organizations and the field.
• Initiate, cultivate, and extend strategic relationships, with an emphasis on developing new partnerships across the philanthropic, public, and private sectors.
• Leverage and expand your personal network with senior executives, funders, and other leaders in the field at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Represent Bellwether externally, including speaking at conferences, participating on panels, engaging with members of the media, and writing articles and opinion pieces.

Portfolio and Project Leadership

• Inform and help set the strategic direction of the Learning Options & Innovation portfolio, including where Bellwether builds depth, which questions we take on, and how we grow our expertise across the organization.
• Serve as project lead or adviser for projects focused on Learning Options & Innovation, including policy development and analysis, ecosystem and landscape assessment, and facilitation.
• Guide Bellwether teams to help clients achieve outstanding results through rigorous, practical, and tailored research, analysis, and insight-generation processes.
• Ensure our work informs the field through published reports and commentary (e.g., blog posts, op-eds).

Team Leadership

• Supervise, manage, and develop program team members to ensure strong functioning of project teams, including the coaching, professional development, and mentoring of mission-aligned team members at various levels.
• Foster a commitment to our mission and our core values, especially curiosity and viewpoint diversity.
• Cultivate a culture in which Bellwether’s team and work benefit from the open exchange of questions and ideas in the service of thoughtful, relevant analyses that advance excellent and equitable outcomes.

Senior Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Bellwether Partner team, supporting the development of our high-impact business strategies and their implementation, with a focus on exceptional quality.
• Advance Bellwether’s organizational priorities and contribute to the execution of its strategic plan, including participating in annual planning and goal setting, leading critical internal initiatives, and engaging in hiring and onboarding to build a diverse team.
• Steward the organization’s culture and shared values.

Qualifications

The Partner will cultivate and build strong senior client relationships, work effectively with team members across roles and areas of expertise, and lead iterative processes that enable joint problem-solving and inclusive decision-making with clients and teams. Specific to this role, the Partner will also have substantial expertise related to nontraditional and out-of-school learning — and a track record of turning that expertise into new work.

In this context, the Partner’s primary qualifications include:

• A commitment to transforming education to ensure students furthest from opportunity achieve outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and flourishing communities.
• Issue area expertise, including:
• The policies governing student-centered learning that happens outside the traditional public school system, including local, state, and federal policies that enable school choice, innovative learning models, unbundled learning, homeschooling, and supplemental educational experiences through afterschool programs and tutoring.
• The players engaged in this segment of the education sector, including private schools and other learning providers (e.g., microschools, afterschool programs, tutoring programs), scholarship-granting organizations, digital wallet providers, advocacy groups, family and student navigation organizations, and funders.
• Key issues shaping the future of learning options and innovation, such as questions of access, quality, responsiveness to family and community demand, and the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies.
• A track record of business development and revenue generation, including:
• Existing, strong relationships with potential funders and clients.
• Originating and closing new client or funder engagements — not only supporting or staffing them.
• Building and sustaining funder relationships that lead to renewed or expanded support.
• Scoping engagements, writing proposals, and building budgets.
• Translating content expertise into a compelling case for why a client or funder should invest in this work.
• Experience leading senior client engagements, including:
• Asking probing questions to identify clients’ underlying needs beyond their stated requirements.
• Developing a deep understanding of clients’ context and opportunities to provide appropriate analysis and recommendations.
• Uncovering and addressing the root causes that may affect client success.
• Bringing a solutions mindset and a bias for action to the work.
• Experience authoring and overseeing field-facing publications and commentary, including:
• Broad familiarity with existing research in education and specific knowledge of research as related to nontraditional and out-of-school learning.
• Skill in structuring, drafting, and editing nuanced analyses of complex issues for multiple audiences, including policymakers, advocates, funders, and practitioners.
• A strong understanding of research methods and attention to accurate, evidence-based analyses.
• Experience leading teams, including demonstrated ability to:
• Attract, build, mentor, coach, and direct a high-performing, cohesive team.
• Supervise and develop other managers and team leaders, not only individual contributors.
• Leverage strong project management skills to ensure a common understanding of goals, objectives, and processes.
• Communicate clearly and delegate authority and accountability to the team as appropriate.
• Reinforce open communication among team members at various levels and effectively manage up, down, and laterally.
• Give a team broad visibility inside an organization and publicly recognize the accomplishments of individuals and of the group.
• Ability to model a high degree of reflection and self-awareness, build trusted relationships across lines of difference and positional power, and seek out and engage in good faith with perspectives different from one’s own.
• Comfort and adeptness working with private-sector organizations, including for-profits; able and willing to evaluate trade-offs and take risks; and proficient at communicating and collaborating in and across ideological groups on actively contested questions.

More broadly, those who thrive at Bellwether are entrepreneurial, self-directed, empirical, and curious. They welcome the opportunity to grapple honestly with competing ideas and perspectives, anchored in a commitment to civil discourse, respect for others, and facts and evidence. These individuals maintain an open mind and willingness to adapt perspectives and mindsets in response to new or updated information, and they champion the idea that a range of perspectives is critical in the pursuit of the best possible solutions to promote equity and excellence in educational opportunities and outcomes.

Compensation

The base salary range for incoming team members in this role is $213,750 to $228,000 annually, with eligibility for an annual performance bonus targeted at $34,200 based on individual and organizational success. While the final offer amount will be determined by multiple factors — including previous experience and content knowledge — and may vary from the stated range, Bellwether is committed to transparency, and all offers align with our compensation philosophy.

Bellwether provides competitive compensation and an attractive benefits package that includes a performance bonus based on individual and organizational success, healthcare coverage, and a 401(k) plan with matching employer contributions.

To Apply

Use your online application — a custom letter of interest and a current resume — to show us you have the skills listed here or why the skills you have are the ones we actually need. You should also use your application materials to clearly highlight ways in which your background and experience align with Bellwether’s mission, including our commitment to helping young people furthest from opportunity. Please address your letter of interest to Julie Squire, Senior Partner & Head of Emerging Approaches. This role has a priority application deadline of [Date]. While we prioritize applications received on or before that date, we will review applications as we receive them until the position is filled.

Note: Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Use of AI in Hiring

Our team may use AI tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, summarizing interviews, or assessing responses. These tools help our team work efficiently, but they never replace human judgment. Every hiring decision is ultimately made by our team. If you have questions about how we process candidate data, please reach out to us.

Bellwether is committed to providing equal opportunities. It is our policy to ensure that all individuals with whom we are in contact are not discriminated against based on age, race, ethnicity, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, political viewpoint, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Further, as described above, Bellwether is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply.