THE OPPORTUNITY

The opportunity to succeed in school and in life, regardless of circumstances at birth, is a core American value, and for the past fifty-six years, the Head Start community has embraced the challenge of delivering on that value and changing life trajectories for the nation’s most vulnerable children and families. A strong and sustainable future for Head Start will mean the success of generations of children who may otherwise struggle throughout their lives. Their future success rests on the knowledge, commitment, and collaboration of families, programs, researchers, and policymakers. 

NHSA is a unique organization looking to grow intentionally and to find the right person for the right opportunity on our team. If you are looking to be part of an organization that is static, where things are predictable, and challenges are hard to come by, you should not work with us. If you are a person who is looking to only work on tasks on a job description (such as this) and has a proclivity to say “that is not my job,” we respect that, but you should not work with us. If you are interested in being a responsible contributor while flexing your curiosities and creativity, keep reading.   

We look for flexibility, good judgment, and people capable of evolving. Your growth and contributions to the team are important to us because we know that a better you makes a better us. We pride ourselves on not being bureaucratic. Do you believe that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life? Do you believe in providing America’s most vulnerable children, families, and communities with the opportunities they need in order to succeed? Then think about joining us! The Manager of Partners and Exhibitors will have the opportunity to make us a better organization.  

NHSA is seeking a dynamic, change-oriented, growth-driven, and revenue-producing Manager of Partners and Exhibitors to join the team remotely at first, then in its Alexandria, VA, office.  Essential strengths include attention to detail, ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment, sound judgment, strong communication skills, and superb organization. In this time of unprecedented uncertainty, a strong sense of curiosity and an eagerness to learn is essential. NHSA prides itself on being a learning organization, and additional duties will be added based on the individual’s interests and strengths. Strong commitment of NHSA's mission and a can-do attitude will make them successful. 

This person will work to lead our conference sponsor & exhibitor revenue, partner relationships and prospectus of offerings. Conferences are a major funding stream for NHSA and we are in need of an in-house leader to drive current sponsor & exhibitor sales, procure new prospects and manage partner relationships.  Each year, NHSA host’s six different events with attendance ranging from 150-4,000+ people for the early childhood education field and Head Start community.  Four of those events travel domestically, while two remain in the DMV area.  

This is a great opportunity for someone that can demonstrate their passion and commitment to our Mission, is driven by exceeding revenue goals and seeks to build favorable NHSA partner relationships. The Manager of Partners and Exhibitors will have the opportunity to take us to the next level of event revenue.  

The Manager of Partners and Exhibitors understands the landscape in which our partners operate and ensures that our partnership initiatives are strategically positioned for success. The Manager of Partners and Exhibitors plays a key role in efforts to grow Head Start’s and NHSA's public profiles, deepen relationships with funders, and incubate new partnerships. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide visions, solicit, plan, and deliver high-quality offerings for partners & exhibitors by working with the Conference Team to add new revenue-generating activities at our portfolio of conferences that are consistent with our Mission and Vision. 
• Enhance sponsor & exhibitor prospect lists, sales offerings, and exhibit hall layout and design.  
• Maintain and provide a continuous quality improvement on sponsor & exhibitor sales strategy, contact activity, and follow-up records.
• Deliver a high volume of sales outreach activity including outbound calls, emails, and in-person prospecting at conferences.
• Maintain accurate financial tracking and forecasting while ensuring budget goals are achieved and provide weekly financial status reports.
• Apply effective budgetary and planning techniques to reduce costs and maximize results. 
• Provide customer service support to all current and prospective partners & exhibitors including answering exhibit sales inquiries, vetting prospective exhibitors, billing questions, and promoting current promotions, exhibit requirements, or deadlines.
• Responsible for the day-to-day operations as well as formulation and fulfillment of NHSA’s partnership program for sponsors and exhibitors including on-site management of partners & exhibitors at all 6 in-person events.
• Work with our Marketing Team to develop a comprehensive marketing plan to attract external revenue and increase partner investments at our conferences.
• Procure vendors and contracts for all services needed for exhibit halls and partner deliverables.  
• Build strong relationships with key contacts at partner organizations to drive strategic engagement and have the ability to successfully navigate through multiple levels of decision makers within organizations to make the sale while ensuring that partner organizations have appropriate knowledge and context of Head Start, and understand the platform NHSA provides. 
• Communicate and resolve problems effectively and in a timely manner within the NHSA team, the Head Start community, and vendors including partners, exhibitors, advertisers, show decorator, and other vendor contracts.   
• Lead special projects to make a partnership successful—requiring close coordination with teammates and the ability to effectively manage tight deadlines.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.