Job Details
FORGE is a 501(c)3 on a mission to help innovators navigate the journey from physical prototype to impact at scale. We do this with a unique focus on manufacturing, working with a broad range of startups with physical products or components across sectors including robotics, medical devices, cleantech, agriculture, advanced materials, and more. FORGE prepares product innovators to scale production, and connects them with right-fit manufacturers and suppliers. The goal is to break down barriers to bringing impactful new physical innovations to market, and the numbers speak for themselves: in a world where less than 10% of hardtech startups make it, the startups FORGE has helped boast a survival rate of over 85%, and an incredible 24% have reached mature production.
This is a full-time, hybrid (weekly in-person at HQ in Somerville, as well as attending and supporting events across the region) position that will report to our Chief of Staff, and work closely with our Executive Director. FORGE is looking for a Partnership Engagement Coordinator who is passionate about driving value and building relationships in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This role is focused on helping grow and strengthen FORGE’s network of corporate and institutional partners, ensuring sponsors feel connected, informed, and excited about the work we do together. The ideal candidate is an excellent operator who is excited by engaging with our partners, organizing partner communication campaigns, and maintaining and developing systems to keep partnerships running smoothly and help grow our sponsor network. You will join the Executive Director for sponsor and prospect meetings, manage renewals, contracts, and invoicing, prepare supporting reporting and briefing materials, and coordinate partner-facing events and communications, ensuring excellent record keeping across worksteams. You'll also contribute to the broader growth of emerging revenue streams by supporting paid engagements and identifying opportunities to improve scalability. We're looking for a strong executor who can prioritize quickly, is attentive to detail, thrives both on a team and independently, and brings enthusiasm to the work.
Partnership & Business Development Support:
● Support sponsor and partner relationships through meeting coordination, follow-up, and ongoing engagement activities ● Proactively maintain sponsor renewal activities and calendars, including supporting communications, contracts, and proposal development in collaboration with the Executive Director ● Research and proactively scout potential new sponsors, partners, and funding opportunities; support outreach preparation and background research ● Prepare executive briefing materials, partner-facing agendas, presentations, and related deliverables ● Assist with funding research, writing preparation, and drafting support
Event & External Engagement Support:
● Plan and provide logistical support for sponsored and paid events, including pre-event coordination, registration tracking, attendee communications, and post-event follow-up ● Coordinate logistics for corporate office hours, pitch days, roundtables, VIP tours, and other partner and corporate innovation events ● Attend sponsor, prospect, and partner meetings as needed to support relationship management and event execution
Operations & Data Management:
● Maintain clean, accurate partner and prospect data, engagement records, and contact information; own CRM and data logging processes for sponsors and prospects ● Liaise with accounting on sponsorships and other paid engagements; support invoice processing, document organization, data entry, and administrative follow-up ● Prepare internal reports and build data dashboards for team and leadership use ● Help identify tasks, estimate time requirements, document processes, and contribute to opportunities for efficiency, automation, and delegation ● Develop and maintain systems, workflows, and supporting materials to facilitate sponsor engagement, retention, feedback collection, and renewal operations
Communications & Marketing Support:
● Support sponsor and prospect communications, including drafting professional emails, updating distribution lists, and preparing outreach materials on behalf of the team ● Assist with drafting partner-related social media posts, Canva visuals, thought leadership content, event recaps, impact storytelling, and other marketing materials based on frameworks provided by staff Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as needed.
What are we looking for?:
You are organized, proactive, resourceful, and enthusiastic about building relationships and improving systems. You thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments, enjoy collaborating across teams, and are equally comfortable managing details and communicating externally. You care about supporting innovation, local manufacturing, and entrepreneurs developing impactful physical products.
Your strengths & experience include:
● Experience: We welcome candidates from a range of professional backgrounds, including recent graduates. Relevant experience may include internships, co-ops, fellowships, campus leadership, or roles in operations, program coordination, client services, business development, or related fields. We value strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and initiative as much as years of experience.
● Skills: ○ Detail-oriented with excellent task and time management. ○ Excellent written and verbal communication skills ○ Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience ○ Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms preferred ○ Strong Excel and/or Google Sheets skills; experience building dashboards or tracking tools a plus ○ Ability to work independently on assigned tasks with minimal oversight.
Physical Demands of the Job:
● Ability to travel to our Somerville office (and occasionally meetings or events at partner sites or in or near our Lowell, Springfield, Beverly, and/or New Haven locations), work some evenings to support events as needed ● Occasional periods of prolonged standing during set-up for events and during events ● Must be able to lift or move items up to 25 lbs using proper lifting techniques
Benefits/Perks:
● A flexible, high energy, supportive working environment with added perks like bike racks, showers, free flowing coffee and snacks on site ● Immersion in a fun, ever-changing community of innovators, supporting disruptors in a wide variety of industries ● A number of community-wide networking and socializing events. ● Network with innovators who are taking on some of the world's hardest problems ● Hybrid work policy
Timeline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We are hoping for the right candidate to start as soon as possible, ideally by early summer.
Our Process 1. Send your resume and cover letter to apply@forgeimpact.org 2. Phone screen with Chief of Staff (15-20 minutes) 3. Interview with Chief of Staff (30 minutes) 4. On-site interview, including a short tour and interview with a few team members 5. Two professional references are requested
Compensation: 45,000–$55,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications