Strategic Director, Industry Partnerships

At the American Cancer Society, we're leading the fight for a world without cancer. Our employees and 1.5 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds including communities of color, the LGBTQ community, veterans, and people with disabilities. The greater the diversity of our people, the better we can serve our communities.

The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

The Strategic Director, Industry Partnerships role plays a crucial role in advancing the mission of ACS by fostering collaboration, innovation, and driving execution of an enterprise-wide business development strategy to drive multi-dimensional, 6-7 figure corporate partnerships across healthcare industries, including pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, technology firms, and other organizations.

This role brings extensive knowledge of health-focused industries with expertise in successfully aligning industry priorities to successfully establish and sustain partnerships to support revenue delivery for pan-cancer, disease-specific, and equity-focused programs.

**This is a remote position. Ideal candidate will reside and have working knowledge of the West Coast.**

Major Responsibilities

• Strategic Partnership Development: Identify, cultivate, and develop partnerships with existing and future key industry players aligned with our mission and objectives. Provide expertise, ongoing guidance, and strategic support to Region and Division partners to build and implement the best account strategy for partners and ACS.
• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships through integrity to stewardship principles with industry partners, serving as the primary point of contact and liaison between the organization and external stakeholders. Work proactively with Corporate Development and Marketing teams to build and execute the right stewardship and recognition tools to support specific account opportunities across industries.
• Business (organization) Acumen: Engage internal cross-functional partners in delivery and development of multi-faceted account plans (Patient Support, Discovery, Advocacy and Marketing etc.) to ensure ACS is advancing mission and revenue priorities. Develop expert understanding of organization’s assets and new business opportunities to translate to multi-dimensional partnerships.
• Collaborative Initiatives: Lead the development and execution (in partnership with account management operations colleagues) of collaborative initiatives and projects that leverage the expertise and resources of both the organization and its industry partners.
• Resource Mobilization: Serve as a key lead within the Development Pillar to secure support and corporate collaborations, including grants, charitable contributions, cause-marketing, sponsorship, and workplace giving to support organizational programs and initiatives.
• Innovation and Thought Leadership: Stay informed about emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in the healthcare industry, and identify opportunities for innovation and thought leadership through strategic partnerships.
• Compliance and Ethics: Ensure that all partnerships and collaborations adhere to ethical standards, regulatory requirements, and organizational policies.
• Reporting and Evaluation: In partnership with account management operations colleagues, develop and maintain systems for tracking, impact reporting, and evaluating the effectiveness of partnerships
  
  

Knowledge/Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5 years of partnership development, strategic alliances, or business development in the healthcare sector/pharma/medical device organizations. Please demonstrate in your resume this experience in detail.
• Experience closing large deals in the healthcare industry.
  
  

SPECIALIZED TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE:

• A highly trained business development manager with a track record of successfully establishing and managing multi-dimensional partnerships in targeted industries – non-profit experience a plus, but not a requirement.
  
  

COMPETENCIES/SKILLS:

• Must have demonstrated experience with $1M corporate contracts.
• Ability to successfully identify, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships with industry stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to interact with external chief executives and internal senior leaders across many functions to assess the mutually beneficial intersection for collaboration.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and implement innovative strategies to achieve organizational goals.
• Ability to develop executive-level partnership presentations and proposals, including corporate grants.
• Knowledge of healthcare industry trends, regulations, and best practices.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Commitment to the organization's mission and values.
  
  

Other Skills:

• High degree of self-motivation
• High level of organizational and interpersonal influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Skilled negotiator with multi-faceted partnerships
• Sound business judgment and excellent problem solving and influencing skills
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with experience in providing crisp, insightful information to executive teams
• Proficient at working with senior leadership across an organization to manage the process and set expectations accordingly
• Flexible mindset, and comfort with ambiguity and evolving priorities
• Entrepreneurial spirit and creative thinking
• Project management capabilities and high attention to detail; comfortable working under complex demands
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  
  

SPECIAL MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to travel (by car and/or airplane) when required (est. 20 – 25%)
  
  

The starting rate is $129,000 to $135,000 The final candidate's relevant experience/skills will be considered before an offer is extended. Actual starting pay will vary based on non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, skills, specialty, and education

The American Cancer Society has adopted a vaccination policy that requires all staff, regardless of position or work location, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (except where prohibited by state law).

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits. We are a proud equal opportunity employer.