Trainer and Partnerships Manager: Playworks

ABOUT PLAYWORKS, At Playworks we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We are changing the school climate by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills by partnering with schools, districts, and after-school programs through services including digital engagement, on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support play, and consultative partnerships.

ABOUT THE ROLE, as a Playworks Trainer and Partnerships Manager, you are directly responsible for providing professional development for adult learners on how to facilitate safe and healthy play. You will work primarily with external clients, helping foster relationships with and deliver trainings in our region to partners such as school districts, after school programs and community based organizations. Each training helps adults create a place where every kid belongs, has fun and is part of the game.

You will also be responsible for managing Playworks’ relationship with established training customers and developing and implementing a strategy to support their renewal with Playworks on an annual basis. Additionally, you will support the Partnerships Director in administrative components such as managing the Salesforce database and scheduling follow up meetings with partners.

As Pro Trainer (75%) specifically you will:

• Provide trainings and consultation to teachers, school staff and admin, youth workers and clients outside of the youth development sphere within the areas of play, youth development, recess design, physical activity, group management, conflict resolution, youth leadership and program sustainability

• Develop and maintain relationships with clients pre and post trainings, including visits to schools to provide recess observations, consultation, and collaborative action planning with school recess teams
• Contribute to the development and continued quality improvement of Playworks curriculum, including developing training content and techniques
• Support the creation of written materials and tools such as training packets, posters, conference programs, promotional materials and other educational and marketing resources
• Provide feedback and support to other Playworks staff delivering trainings
• Build strong relationships with key strategic partners to generate opportunities for future trainings, working closely with the Partner Experience Director and the Director of Field Sales to vet and approach partners for continued relationships
• Build strong relationships with national and regional Playworks’ stakeholders, including national departments, Vice President of Field Operations and Program Directors, to increase impact nationally/regionally and provide high quality customer service to training clients
• This position requires extensive travel to local (PA, DE, and NJ) and national training locations at an average of 45% of your time with some months being more during peak seasons

As Partnerships Manager (25%):

• Serve as a liaison between Playworks and partners who have purchased Playworks services by representing Playworks at training, meetings, and consultative visits.
• Support Partner Experience Director in managing sales contracts process and pipeline in Salesforce database.
• In collaboration with the Partnerships Director, meet monthly and annual renewal targets while also creating campaigns focused on prospecting and developing a strong pipeline of new customers and nurturing relationships with existing customers.
• Manage data collection for all Pro partners.
• Coordinate with Program Director and Partnerships Director to ensure the successful delivery of quality of services and sustainable impact.
• Support the management of existing school partnerships to ensure that the relationships and communication remains strong.

If you’re a good fit for this position, you already know most of what this job entails. However, to be sure we’re providing a complete picture, here are some details:
Success in this position will require strong knowledge of youth development principles and practices, especially relating to social and emotional learning, play and inclusion.

• You will be successful if you possess strong stage presence, public speaking skills and active listening skills
• The strongest candidate will have the demonstrated ability to maintain professional relationships with external clients and represent the organization’s brand in a professional manner
• Have consultative relationship skills that include active listening, synthesizing information and influencing decisions.

Required Skills & Experience

As Pro Trainer:

• At least 2-3 years experience delivering training to adults
• Strong and dynamic facilitation skills
• Experience in development and delivery of trainings and curriculum
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with strong follow through and attention to details
• You must have outstanding interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills -in addition to maintaining an open line of communication, you’ll demonstrate good phone and email etiquette and the ability to facilitate small and large group presentations.
• Requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.
• Comfort with a playful, exuberant and mildly irreverent workplace culture
• Thrives in an environment characterized by growth, diversity and change
• Able to work outside of normal business hours, including evenings and weekends
• Requires extensive travel to local and national training locations at an average of 45% of your time with some months being more during peak seasons
• Must have ongoing access to reliable transportation to and from local training sites.

As Regional Partnerships Manager: 

• Passionate commitment to Playworks’ mission and keen desire to contribute to social impact.
• 2+ years sales experience preferably B2B
• Eagerness to learn and represent a growing brand
• Knowledge of Salesforce and Cirrus is preferred.  Demonstrated proficiency managing contacts and pipeline in CRM is required.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills that facilitate customer cultivation and negotiations.
• Excellent relationship management, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Experience collecting, analyzing and interpreting data
• Experience with managing long term partnerships with a focus on excellent customer service.

WHO YOU ARE

• • Self-starter. You set clear goals and follow through with flexible and creative problem solving. You can work independently with minimal supervision. You also seek and incorporate feedback from your colleagues.

• Communicator. You are not afraid to ask questions. You openly communicate with teams and departments that are different from yours, facilitating collaboration and serving as a thought partner for members of the entire organization.

• Relationship Builder. You have an ability to motivate and develop diverse individuals and teams, knowing how to meet an individual’s unique needs. You also thrive in situations where you are developing and maintaining external relationships and partnerships.
• Highly organized. You are great at multitasking and able to manage your time across multiple priorities.
• Detail Oriented. You catch the little things and think it’s a big deal. You understand that every word you write to an external audience is a reflection on Playworks.
• Flexible. You thrive in an environment characterized by significant growth, diversity and constant change.
• Mission Driven. You are committed to Playworks’ mission and vision to improve outcomes for children and schools. You are also committed to Playworks Equity Statement, recognizing that equity learning is a journey that will require a willingness to participate in organizational-wide learning and development.

Compensation & Benefits:

Playworks offers the full package – great benefits, a fun place to work, and an opportunity to grow professionally. We offer:

• Competitive nonprofit salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, exempt position which reports directly to either a city executive director or a program director.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, 401(k), life insurance, employee funded pre-tax health, and child care spending accounts.
• Generous flexible paid time off policy with paid sick and holiday leave..

This is a hands-on, creative, playful and fun-loving place to work, all while contributing to the success of our nation’s youth. So if you’re ready to immerse yourself in the education sector, working on a rewarding set of challenges and if you’ve got the skills, experience, passion, and a team spirit, apply!

Please include:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Playworks and how your experience has prepared you for this role.
• Resume.
• References will be requested.

Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier and other office equipment. This position requires sufficient physical ability and mobility to stand for extended periods at times; walk on a school site in various weather conditions; to climb stairs at some sites; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach and twist and, dependent on assignment the employee may occasionally lift, push, pull and/or move up to 50 pounds.

OUR COMMITMENT

Playworks is changing the way children experience school every day by leveraging the power of safe and healthy play. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Our ambitions demand that we invest in recruiting, developing and managing a team that reflects the broad diversity of our communities. 

Our core values of inclusion, respect, healthy community and healthy play are the foundation of our organization and are infused in all aspects of our work, including recruiting and retaining the best talent we can. While diversity is often used in reference to visual characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, sex and physical appearance, we embrace a broader definition of diversity that also includes less visible factors, we also recognize that individuals can affiliate with multiple identities.

As an equal opportunity program, Playworks encourages applications from all individuals regardless of national origin, religion, gender, differing abilities (physical, mental, learning), sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, political affiliation, military experience, and any other legally protected basis. Playworks evaluates all candidates on a merit basis.