About BDI

The Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is a non-partisan research initiative that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience through elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term to bridge the divides we face as a nation.

We do this by 1) producing action-oriented and responsive research to fill existing gaps and empower local leaders; 2) enabling cross-sector collaboration, so individuals and organizations are better prepared to mitigate risk and respond to crisis when it does arise; and 3) helping to drive the policy and community response. Over the past three years, BDI played an essential role in supporting a wide range of actors preparing for and responding to political violence and democratic crisis. Our data, analysis, and tools continue to help a diverse coalition of national and local decision-makers better target their interventions. BDI is based at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), co-hosted by the Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC). 

For more information, please visit our website: bridgingdivides.princeton.edu.

Position Overview

The External Partnerships Manager with BDI will be responsible for developing, managing, and implementing an external partnership strategy for a growing organization that is moving into a new stage of its work. Reporting to the COO and working closely with the Executive Director (ED), the person in this role will identify new opportunities for support, create and implement a development strategy, and manage, grow, and forge donor relationships. This person will work closely with the Executive Director and the senior leadership team, and in regular consultation with CEFR (Princeton University’s Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations) on stewarding BDI’s sponsors and external partners. Supported by the Administrative Coordinator, they will shepherd proposals and grants through the Princeton grant management system.

This is a full-time, fully remote position. All BDI positions are one-year appointments with annual opportunities for renewal.

Key Responsibilities 

• With the ED and COO, develops and implements creative strategies to meet annual and long-term program sustainability goals, including the diversification of grants, gifts, and external partners.
• With the ED, leads and manages all sponsor-related activities including: grant writing, sponsor stewardship, record-keeping, reports, and communications with sponsors and external partners.
• Building on existing strategies and tactics, manages and stewards relationships with new and potential sponsors. 
• Tracks all development-related activities including grants and individual sponsors in Asana.
• Manages ED outreach to prospective and current sponsors.
• Monitors budget revenue goals and supports COO on ensuring timely and accurate budgeting, forecasting, and reporting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications 

Required

• 7+ years of experience building and managing revenue streams from institutional funders, especially in democracy and/or research or another highly relational field, (philanthropy, external partner management, or other types of relationship management); experience with a range of different institutional donor and individual giving models a plus.
• Ability to build strong relationships with partners and supporters from across the political spectrum focused on strengthening democracy. You are someone who finds and creates opportunities to deepen connections and build authentic relationships. 
• Interest or experience in working in the broad pro-democracy ecosystem, from research to civil society to policy practice
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to engage with a multidisciplinary team and collaborators, including a wide array of partners from diverse backgrounds.
• Exemplary attention to detail, independent thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to maintain systems for keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You’re able to juggle competing demands and prioritize without sacrificing quality. You get back to people in a timely manner and take pride in providing clear, helpful information. 
• Education requirement: Bachelor’s degree or higher.

Preferred

• Experience supporting civil society efforts to address political violence in the U.S., including work with partner organizations across diverse political affiliations, geographies, and sectors.
• Experience working in or with a policy and/or community oriented university center or related setting.
• Master's degree(s) in relevant fields.
• Experience with Asana.
• Experience working on a remote team.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.