Associate Director, Cause Marketing + Brand Partnerships

Arlington, Virginia, USA

Location is flexible; hybrid and remote options available. Applicant work hours should facilitate working with a core team based in North American time zones.

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The mission of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to conserve the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we develop innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges so that people and nature can thrive. Our work is guided by our values, which include a commitment to diversity and respect for people, communities, and cultures. From a rewarding mission to career development and flexible schedules, there are many reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want to know more? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One of TNC’s primary goals is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that employees around the globe have a sense of belonging and feel that their unique contributions are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our mission by hiring and engaging a diverse staff that reflects the communities in which we work. Recognizing that people bring talent and skills that have been developed outside the scope of a job, we take a holistic approach to recruitment that considers life experience in addition to the professional requirements listed in our postings. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and you’ll stay for the people.”

The Associate Director of Cause Marketing + Brand Partnerships (CMBP) will join a highly successful cause marketing team to expand TNC’s robust partnership program and help guide its practice to engage and build affinity with younger, more diverse audiences. The Associate Director, CMBP is responsible for developing and securing cause marketing commitments from corporate brands to build awareness and generate revenue. They manage all aspects of specific partnerships and projects, including supervision of staff. The Associate Director works with key stakeholders to ensure strategies are people/community-centric and partnerships are consistent with the marketing goals/objectives set by senior management.
They support the budget and operational delivery of branding principles, whether applied internally or with external partners. Occasional travel is required for things like business meetings, team retreats, or professional development.
In this role, you will:

• Drive impact, revenue, and brand visibility for TNC and its priority conservation programs.
• Manage and grow a portfolio of new corporate prospects and existing partners that reach and authentically connect with BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other priority communities.
• Develop, cultivate and solicit marketing sponsorships, licensing, and customer donation campaigns with companies that can serve multiple goals.
• Design and oversee multiple projects and partnerships by coordinating the work of other professionals inside and outside the organization.
• Assist with creation and implementation of team budget.
• Supervise one or more staff.

This is an existing role on the Cause Marketing + Brand Partnerships team and reports to the CMBP Deputy Director.

Do you have a background in and are you energized by bringing brands and sustainability campaigns to life? Are you passionate about the intersection of Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice? The time is now! Our world—and our society—requires organizations like TNC to drive transformational change, and consumer brands have the power to inspire more people to act on behalf of a thriving planet.

At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by leveraging
marketing partnerships that engage younger, more diverse audiences.

The ideal candidate will have all or some of these qualifications; if you don’t have all of them, please apply anyway and tell us about your skills and experience:

• Demonstrated skills in fundraising, sponsorship or licensing sales and/or business development.
• Experience developing and implementing marketing plans to diverse audiences
• Strong experience and demonstrated success in corporate partnership development and/or fundraising. Exceptional communication and collaboration skills and direct cultivation and solicitation experience.
• Multi-lingual skills appreciated; Spanish is a plus.
• Multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience preferred.
• Master’s degree or extensive professional experience.
• Management experience that includes the ability to lead, motivate, set objectives, manage performance and resolve conflict.
• Ability to persuasively convey the mission of The Nature Conservancy to diverse groups including donors, board members and the public.
• Expert knowledge and application of current and evolving trends in relevant cause-related marketing disciplines. Cross disciplinary knowledge to support program objectives.
• Experience fostering an environment of creativity and professional growth.
• Demonstrated ability in planning and managing budgets.
• Excellent writing, presentation, mediation and negotiation skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in related field and a minimum of 8 years related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience supervising staff and teams.
• Experience cultivating and managing client relationships.
• Experience in project management, developing marketing plans and measuring results.

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.

To apply for job ID 53728, submit your materials online by using the Apply Now button at https://careers.nature.org/. Need help applying? Visit our recruitment page or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and bases salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

Since we support flexible and remote work for our employees, many positions have a flexible location within countries where we’re registered as a Non-government Organization and established as an employer. This may mean we’re unable to provide a hiring salary range in the posting for some of our positions. However, candidates invited to be part of our interview process will be provided their location specific range upon request.