Job Description

Job Summary:
The Sr. Manager of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives acts as a force multiplier for Sustainability, Culture & Communications by advancing strategic partnerships, leading cross-functional initiatives, and enhancing organizational effectiveness. This role provides dedicated leadership for initiatives that span multiple business functions, ensuring strategic priorities are aligned, executed, and delivered with measurable impact. Working closely with senior leaders across the organization, the position builds and strengthens relationships among customers, employees, community partners, educational institutions, industry organizations, and other key stakeholders. The role identifies opportunities, solves complex business challenges, influences decision-making, and leads initiatives that advance enterprise objectives. This position strengthens organizational capacity, improves execution of strategic priorities, enhances knowledge sharing and scalability, and expands Estes' ability to build meaningful partnerships that support long-term business success.

• Develop and lead strategic relationships with customers, community organizations, industry groups, educational institutions, and other key stakeholders to advance business objectives and strengthen Estes' market position.
• Partner with Sales, Customer Experience, Operations, and functional leaders to identify and advance customer strategic customer, community, and business engagement opportunities.
• Identify emerging trends, business challenges, and partnership opportunities, providing recommendations that enhance customer experience, organizational effectiveness, brand reputation, and business performance.
• Represent Estes and SC&C in customer meetings, conferences, industry forums, community events, and other external engagements, serving as a trusted ambassador for the organization.
• Connect and align charitable giving, sustainability, employee engagement, recruiting, and customer experience, and corporate reputation initiatives to maximize impact.
• Develop and expand community engagement strategies that support organizational priorities in partnership with the Charitable Giving Program Manager.
• Serve as a trusted ambassador and extension of SC&C leadership, strengthening relationships and advancing strategic priorities.
• Lead complex cross-functional initiatives and special projects that advance enterprise and departmental strategic priorities.
• Serve as a liaison between SC&C and key business leaders to build alignment, navigate competing priorities, and drive successful execution of key initiatives.
• Conduct research, evaluate business challenges, analyze opportunities, and develop recommendations that support decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Lead onboarding, knowledge management, and departmental resource development.
• Develop and maintain governance tools, frameworks, playbooks, SOPs, templates, and training resources.
• Identify and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, collaboration, consistency, and scalability.
• Lead capability-building and continuous improvement across the department.
• Prepare stakeholder briefings, strategic recommendations, stakeholder analysis, business cases, presentations, meeting materials, and follow-up plans for leadership.
• Maintain awareness of strategic priorities, stakeholder commitments, organizational risks, and opportunities while proactively identifying actions needed to advance business objectives.
• Monitor emerging trends, issues, competitive developments, customer expectations, and partnership opportunities relevant to SC&C and the business.
• Drive the development and execution of leadership, customer, community, and partnership initiatives that advance Estes' strategic priorities and strengthen key stakeholder relationships.
• Lead project teams, steering groups, or cross-functional working teams to solve complex business challenges and achieve measurable outcomes.
• Regular attendance is required.
• This is not an all-inclusive list of job requirements and/or duties and may not contain all mental and physical capabilities necessary to perform the job at all times due to circumstances. Operational, safety and other needs may require the employee to perform any and all other duties as assigned. Employees are expected, and must be able to perform all such duties and tasks.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or any combination of education and experience which would provide an equivalent background; Graduate Degree preferred
• 10 or more years of progressive experience in communications, relationship management, customer experience, or similar field required. Prior leadership experience highly preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate complex concepts in a compelling, concise, and creative way to internal and external stakeholders required
• Ability to lead and influence others required
• Must be self-directed with strong analytical, problem solving, and analysis skills required
• Strong executive presence and ability to advise senior leadership required
• Ability to project and maintain a professional and positive attitude required
• Strong documentation and organizational skills required
• Project management skills highly preferred
• Experienced and proficient in Microsoft office
• Must be willing to travel as needed
• Must possess a strong work ethic with flexibility in work schedule
• Must be able to lift approximately 20 lbs., or more if required by the essential functions of the job
• Must be able to comply with all company policies, rules, procedures and Code of Conduct
• Must be able to interact well with others
• Must be able to work independently, or in a team setting
• Must be capable of working under tight time constraints in a high volume environment with multiple priorities
• Responds well to questions; Ability to read, interpret and comply with written information and documents such as safety rules, operations / procedure manuals and maintenance instructions with a high comprehension and concentration level to include the ability to meet deadlines
• Must pass a pre-employment drug screen, random drug and/or alcohol tests, and will be subject to a criminal history background check
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. The employee is frequently required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel or operate computers and other standard office equipment. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, lift, twist, turn and reach with hands and arms. The employee must be capable of lifting a minimum of 20 lbs., or more if required by the essential functions of the job.

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment ranges from quiet to loud as required by the essential functions of the job.