Jobs › City Year

Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships

City Year · Chicago, IL · $65,000–$75,000 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Walk me through a stewardship plan you built that led to a sponsor renewing.

What they are checking: Whether they can plan and deliver stewardship that results in renewals, the chief goal of the role.

Tell me about a time you worked with senior executives and earned their trust.

What they are checking: Whether they are comfortable and credible with corporate leaders.

Tell me about a time you wrote something that convinced someone to give or say yes.

What they are checking: Whether their written communication is persuasive, a skill the role calls out.

Why does City Year's mission matter to you?

What they are checking: Whether their passion is genuine, which helps them speak authentically to donors.

What would you do

A sponsor wants more visibility at an event than you can give them. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they can manage expectations while keeping the sponsor happy.

A sponsor contact leaves their company. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they protect the relationship by building multiple contacts and acting quickly.

How would you work with your Director to hit the site's $3.5 million goal?

What they are checking: Whether they see their role as part of a team effort and communicate progress well.

About the work

How would you start a relationship with a new corporate prospect in Chicago?

What they are checking: Whether they have a practical approach to research, outreach and first meetings.

How do you plan a corporate volunteer event that goes smoothly and leaves a good impression?

What they are checking: Whether they have strong event planning skills that the posting names.

How do you keep track of many sponsor commitments and deadlines?

What they are checking: Whether they stay organized so no benefit or report is missed.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at City Year from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

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The full job description

As published by City Year.

Application Instructions Click Apply to submit your online application. Please attach a resume and thoughtful cover letter on the "My Experience" page in the "Resume/CV" field. Active City Year Staff members must login to Workday to apply internally. Number of Positions: 1 Position Overview The Corporate Partnerships Manager is responsible for supporting City Year Chicago’s corporate partnerships program.  Reporting to the Corporate Partnerships Director, the Corporate Partnerships Manager will be responsible for supporting the site's fundraising goal of $3.5 million annually. This includes developing new donor relationships and leveraging and cultivating existing relationships. The chief goal of the position is to plan and effectively deliver high quality corporate relations and stewardship plans resulting in corporate sponsorship renewals. -Starting salary range for this role is $65,000-$75,000 -Anticipated start date for this role is fall 2026. -This is an in-person role with flexibility to periodically work remotely. Job Description Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree preferred; • 4+ years of relevant experience desired • Experience working with senior level executives in a corporate environment • Strong verbal and written communication skills • Strong partnership building and event planning skills • Authorized documentation to work in the United States of America • Criminal background history clearance to work with school-age children, depending on the position Responsibilities The   Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships  will perform the following roles and responsibilities as described below: Donor Portfolio Management • In conjunction with the Director, Corporate Partnerships (DCP ), manage  a diverse portfolio of corporate donors in support of City Year's  corporate giving goal of $850,000+ in FY27 • Partner with Regional Grant Writer to develop compelling grant proposals for existing and prospective corporate funders, and lead grant applications for asks between $10,000 - $25,000 • Manage a portfolio of corporate and foundation donors ($1,000 - $25,000) for wh om SMCP will be directly responsible to cultivate, solicit , and steward, with the goal of retaining and increasing giving and engagement • Support the team in soliciting event sponsorships and encouraging attendance for fundraising events • Initiate a minimum of 3 meaningful in-person meetings, phone/video calls, and/or emails a week to strengthen relationships, solicit dollars, and steward gifts • Ensure the successful stewardship and retention of Team and Program Sponsors by managing appropriate frequency of outreach, appreciation, impact reporting, and involvement • Utilize Salesforce as a CRM platform to document and maintain clear and timely records including tracking account activity, meeting and call notes, donor giving, stewardship activities, and giving projections Cultivate and Steward Corporate Prospects • In partnership with the Director, Corporate Partnerships (DCP) , provide relationship management for the Team Sponsorship ($100,000+) and Program Sponsorship ($25,000+) program; a robust existing portfolio of roughly 20 corporate partners • Annually renew 90% of corporate sponsorships • Develop content for Mid-Year and End-of-Year Impact Reports for each Team and Program Sponsor • Ensure the successful stewardship and retention of Team and Program Sponsors by managing appropriate frequency of outreach, appreciation, impact reporting, and involvement • Project manage and facilitate between 1 and 4 engagement opportunities for each Team and Program Sponsor , such as Meet & Greets with Student Success Coach (SSC) teams, school tours, and hands-on service opportunities • Prepare S SCs for corporate partner engagements • Align corporate partners priorities with City Year Chicago; including our mission, impact department, and school partners. Organizational Initiatives & Site Support • Work closely with the Development team to understand priorities and revenue goals, and develop strategies to meet the team’s needs • Collaborate with other site departments, City Year Headquarters’ corporate partnerships team, and other City Year sites on a frequent basis • Participate in site and network-wide meetings and calls, providing insight, feedback, and collective problem solving • Support and attend all major site events, including fundraisers, service days, training, and other initiatives • Engage in structured discussion and training on diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging aimed at developing stronger cultural competency, both individually and collectively as a site • Partner with C YCHI ’s departments and staff to ensure that site-wide goals are met, including, but not limited to, the SSC applicant interview process, stakeholder engagement, event and service day participation, and cross-departmental committees Competencies In order to succeed in this role, an applicant must have the following competencies: • Collaboration: Connects with stakeholders to identify shared interests; partners with others to incorporate different perspectives toward a common goal. • Teamwork: Actively contributes to shared projects with the understanding that team success is personal success. • Understanding & Building Connection: Considers perspectives of others and cultivates relationships to strengthen interpersonal bonds with colleagues and external stakeholders. • Managing Change: Leads and/or demonstrates support for innovation; helps others successfully manage organizational change; holds others accountable for adjusting to change (if people manager). • Project Management: Organizes, prioritizes, tracks, and manages workflow and resources. Working Conditions • Local travel required, including to local partner schools and events, and to other City Year sites and national conferences • Must have access to reliable transportation or the ability to navigate public transit • Occasional lifting or carrying of materials (e.g., event supplies, training materials) up to ~20 lbs. • Works a hybrid schedule, including typical 3-4 days in-person, with occasional periods of longer in-person commitments • Must have reliable internet access when participating in any required virtual meetings or trainings Benefits Full-time employees will be eligible for all benefits including vacation, sick days and organization holidays. You may participate in all benefit programs that City Year establishes and makes available to eligible employees, under (and subject to all provisions of) the plan documents that govern those programs. Currently, City Year offers medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment and disability coverage, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), and other benefits including 401(k) plan(s) pursuant to the terms and conditions of company policy and the 401(k) plan document. For more information, click here . Employment at City Year is at-will. City Year does not sponsor work authorization visas.

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