Our mission is to equip every Australian with the skills, resources and mindset they need to start a business, grow a business or enter the workforce, regardless of their postcode! The Partnerships and External Engagement Manager (special focus on adult education) reports to the Group CEO and works collaboratively across all ASE teams to identify and establish new commercial partnership opportunities, including assessment of leads and opportunities; undertake meetings and visits and establish relationships to progress opportunities; relationship management of existing clients to retain and grow revenue; stakeholder engagement with key partners; reviews of established programs and managing supplier and faculty relationships; conduct learning needs analysis to inform the development of innovative customised learning solutions; effectively project manage the discovery, design, delivery and evaluation of client programs; manage the budget of individual programs prior to making a sale and overall partnerships. This role will also take a special lead in supporting the roll-out of our new Australian Government Digital Solutions Program and finding Local Government + Private Partners to help promote the program.
You'll be the face of ASE for events across the state, building the relationships that bring our programs into more communities. If you've worked in a fast-moving, founder-led business before, you'll know what this means. Priorities shift, decisions get made quickly and you won't always have a playbook handed to you.
If you thrive when you're trusted to just get on with it, you'll love it here.
OUR VALUES: Energy. Bring authentic energy and positive momentum to everything you do. Be above average, have fun and enjoy the journey. Share the WOW. Deliver experiences that make our participants feel WOW’ed and consistently exceeds their expectations.
Know that when you do amazing work, you change people's lives. Solve & Learn. Take ownership and initiative.
Get creative and learn quickly from mistakes. Care deeply about your work, follow through on commitments and be accountable for the impact you create.
Be Real. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Communicate honestly, give feedback directly, and be transparent when things are hard. Work without ego, build trust through authenticity, and over-communicate so no one is left guessing.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR: Proven business development or partnerships experience A track record of building relationships from scratch and converting them into long-term partnerships
Confident bid and proposal writer, able to lead a response with minimal oversight
Strong negotiator, comfortable securing formal agreements
Exceptional communicator across all levels, from Council officers to executives
Self-managed and organised - you own your own pipeline
Comfortable using CRM software (we use Asana!)
Valid driver's licence and happy to travel regularly across NSW, attend face to face meetings and events
Proactive with a can-do attitude - you don't wait for a lead list, you go find one
Calm under pressure and comfortable with ambiguity A natural relationship-builder - people trust you quickly
Direct, honest and comfortable with accountability
Genuinely enjoys the chase - you get a kick out of closing a deal
Adapts quickly when priorities shift
Bonus points: You've worked alongside young founders before (iykyk) and understand the pace, the pivots and what it takes to keep momentum going.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES: Business Development:
Identify and pursue new partnership opportunities with corporates,
government departments and education providers nationally
Develop and implement sales plans to hit revenue targets
Manage your pipeline and client relationships through our CRM
Write and lead business proposals with little to no supervision using the ASE way of presenting - lots of energy!
Negotiate and close formal partnership agreements
Develop retention strategies for existing clients, including gathering and acting on feedback Council & Stakeholder Engagement
Build and grow a portfolio of Council partnerships across the State - phone calls, video calls and potentially meeting them when we commence our work together!!
Build tailored partnership solutions that respond to each Council's community needs
Represent ASE at industry events to build your network and pipeline
Establish and maintain robust relationships with partners, clients, learners, government and other stakeholders including private organisations with a large audience base Reporting & Collaboration:
Research and stay across market and industry trends to inform ASE's growth strategy
Collaborate with the marketing team on lead-generation campaigns and go-to-market plans
Report on pipeline, commercial performance and key priorities to the Group CEO Employment type: Full-Time, Fixed Term to March 2030
Location: The ASE Group Sydney Launchpad, 8 Cunningham Street, Haymarket
Salary $90 to $110k pa inc super + partnership bonuses TO APPLY: Please submit a custom cover letter (without using AI - we want to meet the REAL YOU!!) telling us why you're the best person for the job to
[email protected] Please note, due to the level of submissions we receive, we will only be reviewing applicants with a Cover Letter. Make it interesting!!! Videos, presentations, etc are VERY VERY VERY INTERESTING SO TRY TO BE INTERESTING!
To succeed in this role, you need to be thinking differently, show us what you can do from the very start! There's only one role!
📌 Partnerships and Engagement Officer (Sydney)
🏢 The Ase Group
📍 Sydney