The Role

The Principal Partnership Engagement Lead is a senior individual contributor on the Partnerships team and plays a collaborative leadership role in RIPL’s active projects, working with Delivery teams to develop and deliver high-quality, science-powered solutions that address policy challenges and administrative needs. In particular, this role ensures fidelity to partners’ policy and programmatic goals; as Principal, they take ownership over a suite of solutions. The Principal Partnership Engagement Lead is additionally responsible for cultivating relationships with government administrators and program experts, mission-aligned organizations, and other stakeholders, developing new business and funding opportunities, and recommending new capabilities, technologies, resources, or research to foster RIPL’s growth and enable governments to use data and technology to improve people’s lives.

The Principal Partnership Engagement Lead reports to the VP of Advancement.

Job Responsibilities

Portfolio Management

• • • Oversee execution for a suite of solutions and projects through the lens of partners’ statutory, regulatory, and procedural requirements to ensure successful delivery and partner satisfaction.
    • Facilitate project kickoff activities and collaborate closely with Delivery teams throughout the lifecycle of an active project, acting as thought partner and providing input on all major decisions and project support.
    • Monitor project health and creatively problem-solve to balance project success, on-time delivery, and partner needs.
    • Act as key relationship and contract manager for external leads, cultivating strong partnerships.
    • Lead communications activities related to the assigned portfolio of work, such as writing press releases, developing collateral, and contributing to website content.

Strategic Partnership and Business Development

• • • Support VP in securing business with recognized revenue aligned with RIPL’s goals for growth.
    • Responsible for the strategic expansion of the assigned suite of solutions.
    • Develop proposals and secure funding for new initiatives; seek input at appropriate times from product, technology, and science teams to inform scope.
    • Oversee contracting and procurement processes with little or no oversight.
    • Make and give presentations to potential partners designed to pitch solutions and collaborative efforts, generate ideas, and brainstorm collaboratively.
    • Identify and cultivate relationships with new partners and funders, such as foundations, government, and like-minded companies or non-profits; align on shared goals and advance partnership opportunities.
    • Lead the management of strategic partnerships with existing external stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• • • Model and set expectations for effective collaboration with tech, product, and science teams.
    • Facilitate communication and information sharing across departments.
    • Coach and mentor team members on project management, client communication, policy compliance, and effectively working with government.
    • Support navigation of government needs and restrictions while maintaining fidelity to policy goals.
    • As needed, act as deputy for VP of Advancement.

The Ideal Candidate

• • • At least seven years of applicable experience working with governments, in business development, and/or with innovative technology projects, delivering quality work within required timeline while keeping an eye on big picture.
    • Prior experience in state government, with expertise in policy areas such as workforce development, labor, health and human services, or information technology. Experience with state procurement policies and practices a plus.
    • Experience with business development activities such as pitching, developing proposals, and surfacing opportunities; experience with tools like Instrumentl and GovWin a plus.
    • High attention to detail and exceptional written and oral communication.
    • Able to build durable, expansive, and trusting relationships with external partners.
    • Comfort leading meetings, relationships, and projects independently, including structuring new or ambiguous bodies of work.
    • Expansive and creative thinker to develop new ideas for partnerships, solutions, projects, or features to support organizational growth.
    • Generous dot connector, peer coach, and collaborator; able to guide others internally and externally towards a shared vision and desired outcomes.
    • Confident representing RIPL independently within large, complex external environments and relationships, such as with state government leaders.
    • Expert generalist – able to quickly become a subject matter expert in new fields and policy areas.

About RIPL

We support the public sector to use data, science, and technology to improve lives. Faced with rapidly evolving technology needs, governments and non-profit organizations must move quickly to innovate with limited resources. RIPL’s cross-functional teams collaborate with the public sector  to design and deliver cloud-based products tailored to their unique needs. Our solutions drive measurable impact across multiple policy areas – including workforce development, unemployment insurance, wage protections, and criminal justice. We design, develop, and deploy customizable digital services with our public sector partners to improve policy and program implementation – and, in turn, the lives of the people they serve.

Benefits and Compensation

• • • Competitive salary.
    • Committed, mission-minded colleagues.
    • A supportive, remote-first work environment.
    • Highly-subsidized health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance.
    • Paid parental leave.
    • 401k with employer match up to 6%.
    • Flexible schedule and PTO.

We look forward to speaking with you!