Senior Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement

Travel: 25% (living in the region) and 35% (living outside the region)

Position Summary

The Sr. Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement (PCE) will lead Upstream’s efforts to cultivate strategic partnerships and drive expansion into new markets across the assigned region. This role blends a deep understanding of stakeholder engagement, health systems, and growth strategy with strong people leadership and operational excellence. Reporting to the VP of Partnerships and Community Engagement, the Sr. Director of PCE will oversee a high-performing team responsible for identifying, developing, and formalizing partnerships with healthcare centers, state and local government entities, community organizations, and influential networks. This leader will champion Upstream’s mission to ensure that equitable patient-centered contraceptive care is basic healthcare. This is an ideal role for a dynamic and experienced partnership development and growth strategy leader who thrives at the intersection of healthcare, relationship management, public sector engagement, and mission-driven work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Partnership Development and Expansion Strategy (50%)

• Develop, communicate, and execute a clear regional growth strategy for stakeholder engagement, market expansion, and partnership success across diverse geographies. Responsible for co-developing and achieving regional growth goals.
• Support activities that generate leads at the top of the recruitment funnel and help move leads through the funnel through on-the-ground engagement with key regional stakeholders (e.g. health center site visits, conferences) and through tailored content collaboration with the Marketing and Communications team that can be leveraged during pitch calls, webinars, paid ad campaigns and conference content sessions.
• Work cross-functionally to develop strategic plans for partnerships within a region, including crafting recommendations to Upstream leadership for greenlighting new healthcare organization-level and region- and state-wide partnerships.
• Partner with various Upstream direct reports and cross-functional team members to assess and analyze the regional healthcare landscape and to codify pathways for growth into new states/regions. Develop processes for prioritizing outreach and evaluating potential new partnerships.
• Recommend decisions and tradeoffs regarding utilization of resources, including which partnerships and conferences should be prioritized and strategy for in-person versus virtual activities.
• Responsible for deploying and right-sizing regional growth resources across target states and partnerships, as appropriate, to meet growth goals.
• Develops and monitors KPIs related to regional partnerships, recruitment and regional expansion efforts. Uses data and associated insights to recommend adjustments to regional efforts, support forecasting and goal setting.

External Relations and Regional Engagement (30%)

• Manage a small pipeline of complex healthcare organizations and/or aggregators in active recruitment stages, ensuring pipeline progression in accordance with predicted recruitment cycle timelines; this is a player/coach role.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with healthcare executives, government officials, and community stakeholders to foster regional support for Upstream’s mission.
• Use knowledge of emerging issues, policies, and healthcare trends to inform recruitment strategies and community engagement efforts.
• Work closely with the Partnership Marketing team to ensure alignment between healthcare organization and aggregator value proposition messaging and regional recruitment efforts.
• Represent Upstream at conferences, webinars, and other public-facing events to amplify the organization’s work and attract new partners, deploying the team where it makes sense.

Operational Leadership and Team Management (20%)

• Lead and mentor a regional team of professionals responsible for recruiting healthcare partners and developing regional expansion strategies. Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and collaboration, while championing a high-performing team environment centered on continuous learning, growth, and collective impact.
• Support regional team in managing recruitment pipelines and executing recruitment of health centers, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities through virtual and in-person communications to inform agencies of the opportunity to partner with Upstream and receive training and technical assistance.
• Establish clear performance expectations and monitor progress against goals for individual team members and the region as a whole.
• Facilitate the sharing of key learnings and best practices within the team to ensure continuous quality improvement.
• Be a cross-functional leader. Keep other functional teams (e.g. Practice Transformation Policy, Program) well informed on the Regional Partnership and Community Engagement’s progress towards growth goals.
• Execute clear, partner-friendly handoff processes to ensure seamless cross functional collaboration between recruitment, implementation, and program delivery teams to ensure smooth transitions for implementation.
• Contributes to the annual budget process within the team and ensures strategic allocation of resources within the region, including recommendations on conference attendance, aggregator budgets, and other regional activities.
• Collaborates with other Senior Directors of Partnerships and Community Engagement, across regions, to operationalize best practices and strategies that can scale across regions and drive national growth.
• Leads the refinement of regional playbooks, recruitment workflows to meet market needs and ensure consistency.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Required Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability

Upstream fosters a mission-oriented workplace and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds. The ideal candidate upholds our mission of accessible, patient-centered contraceptive care, builds trust through empathy and honesty, and contributes to a collaborative culture. They bring enthusiasm to their work, creating opportunities for connection and celebration.

• 10+ years of professional experience with demonstrated success in building strategic sales or growth plans, high-stakes relationship management, and developing partnerships with healthcare organizations and public sector leaders
• 5-6+ years have been spent in a leadership role influencing strategy, team development, and internal capacity building to strengthen implementation.
• Proven track record of securing institutional (B2B) partnerships for complex programs, services, or solutions, along with experience leading large-scale growth or recruitment initiatives in the healthcare sector. Background with FQHCs, hospital systems, public health, reproductive health, and/or mission-driven organizations is strongly preferred; growth strategy experience is highly desirable.
• Proven ability to navigate complex challenges with persistence, adaptability, and a solutions-oriented mindset—demonstrating resilience in the face of ambiguity, setbacks, or shifting priorities. Skilled in navigating both long and short sales cycles with strategic agility and persistence.
• Demonstrated experience leading high-performing teams and working cross-functionally in mission-driven environments. At least 5+ years of supervisory experience, with the ability to delegate responsibilities and coach staff effectively
• Knowledge of state and/or local policy and advocacy is a plus
• Exceptional project management skills.
• Strong communicator and influencer, with excellent writing and presentation skills to executive level audiences.
• Entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to work independently, adapt quickly, and think creatively.
• Demonstrated commitment to building respectful, collaborative relationships with individuals and organizations from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
• A strategic thinker and executor who can operate with agility in fast-paced, complex environments.
• Determination and commitment to Upstream’s mission, with a goal-oriented mindset and a high degree of self-motivation.
• High emotional intelligence, with a collaborative and facilitative leadership style.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25-35% within the region and across the US.
• Valid Driver's License required

Valued and Non-Essential Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Ability  (Not required to apply)

• Advanced degree (MPH, MPA, MBA, or related field) or equivalent leadership experience.
• Experience working with or within healthcare providers, networks, or associations.
• Familiarity with Salesforce and data platforms like IMAT/Azara.
• Strong familiarity with healthcare systems and public sector engagement; experience in reproductive or public health is preferred.
• Experience navigating diverse political and geographic landscapes, particularly within the designated region.

Attributes

• Visionary and strategic
• Proactive and persistent; resilient and driven
• Adaptable and solutions-focused
• Relationship builder with a high EQ
• Passionate about Upstream’s mission and reproductive healthcare
• High-functional team Leader
• People-focused

Travel Requirements

This role will require up to 25-35% business travel. All Upstreamers can expect a minimum of 8 days of business travel per year to attend 1 annual organizational retreat and 1 or 2 annual team/department meetings.