About JUST
Since 2016, JUST has invested in Texas entrepreneurs through capital, coaching, and community. JUST is a nonprofit CDFI working in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio. Its model is built on trust-based lending through existing clients who form and lead their own borrowing groups. We call them JETAs (JUST Entrepreneur Trust Agents).
We’ve deployed over $30 million in small loans to more than 10,000 women with a 99% repayment rate—all based on trust, without requiring credit scores or collateral. And we don’t just make loans. We invest in leaders. Our JETA model turns clients into trusted community leaders who guide their peers toward financial independence and generational wealth. Our ultimate vision? A just Texas—where ownership is possible, joy is present, and prosperity is shared.
We are headquartered in Austin with operations in Dallas, Houston, and El Paso and we have plans to expand across Texas. We are motivated to prove the potential of underestimated communities to be their own change agents when given access to the right resources.
We believe in and make decisions around the JUST Core Values:
- Empathy: People first - We begin and end with curiosity.
- Action: A bias toward action - We test, not to be right, but to learn.
- Community: Juntos salimos adelante - We focus on solutions, remain open, and act with consistency.
- Trust: Believe in potential - We believe trust is earned and a two-way street.
- Perseverance: Keep going - We believe change happens over time.
Learn more: www.hellojust.com
Position Summary
JUST is hiring its first Partnerships Manager to build three kinds of partnerships: partners who refer entrepreneurs to our programs, partners whose benefits help members grow in our Wealth Club, and partnerships that generate earned revenue for JUST. The role is based in El Paso and anchored by a planned two-year partnership with a major El Paso economic development institution, which will refer local business owners to JUST. That partnership is the foundation of the role, not its limit. The Partnerships Manager will run it, build new partners in El Paso, and develop a model that can expand to JUST's other Texas markets.
Key responsibilities
1. Anchor partnership
- Serve as the day-to-day contact for the anchor partnership, managing deliverables, timelines, and quarterly reporting.
- Contact each referred business owner within agreed timeframes and coordinate enrollment into JUST programming.
- Work with Programs staff on session scheduling and referral capacity.
- Set clear referral criteria with each partner so the people they send are a fit for JUST's programs.
2. Partner development
- Identify, qualify, and prioritize prospective partners, including workforce organizations, economic development agencies, community organizations, and financial institutions.
- Manage the full partnership cycle: outreach, scoping, agreements, launch, and ongoing account management.
- Develop and test earned-revenue partnership models, such as referral-fee and fee-for-service arrangements.
- Shape JUST's benefits strategy for Wealth Club members, starting with a pathway to homeownership: partners that prepare clients to buy a home, and the homebuying partners who take them the rest of the way.
3. Pipeline and performance
- Build a documented, repeatable referral process that every team involved can see, tracked in Salesforce.
- Track partner performance, including referral volume, conversion, and retention, and recommend where to invest or step back.
- Prepare regular reports for JUST leadership and external partners.
- Find where partner referrals drop off before their first session, and work with Marketing and Programs to improve conversion.
4. Cross-functional collaboration
- Coordinate with Programs, Development, Marketing, and Finance. Development leads all funder relationships.
- Represent JUST at partner meetings and community events.
Who You Are
- Mission-Aligned: You care deeply about racial equity, financial justice, and building a more inclusive economy.
- Connecter: You know how to connect with all types of people, and capture and convey information in a way that connects emotionally and inspires action.
- Builder: You like being part of something new. You’re organized, adaptable, and proactive.
- Growth-Minded: You’re eager to be mentored, learn new skills, and grow personally and professionally while making an impact in a growing organization
- People-Person: You connect with team members, community members, and service providers with ease, and you enjoy working cross-functionally in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial nonprofit.
Qualifications
Required
- 3 or more years in partnerships, business development, account management, or program management, including at least one partnership or program you built from the start.
- A track record of sourcing, negotiating, and managing partnerships with minimal supervision.
- Experience managing contracts or grants with defined deliverables and reporting requirements.
- Proficiency with a CRM (Salesforce preferred) and comfort reporting on data.
- Strong written and verbal communication with government, corporate, and community stakeholders.
- Based in El Paso, or willing to relocate.
- Fluency in English and Spanish, spoken and written.
Preferred
- Experience with CDFIs, small business lending, or economic or workforce development.
- An existing professional network in El Paso.
- Curiosity about new tools, including AI, and the ability to learn them quickly.
Work Environment
- Highly collaborative, entrepreneurial work environment with distributed workforce
- Full-time, 40 hours/week with a flexible schedule
- This position will work remotely from El Paso and requires in-person networking and meetings, plus occasional travel within Texas
What We Offer
- A mission-driven, values-centered team culture
- Hands-on experience in nonprofit partnership development
- Mentorship, training, and opportunities to grow with JUST
- A front-row seat in a movement that’s reshaping access to capital in Texas and beyond
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary of $62,000-72,000, commensurate with experience
- Eligible for discretionary bonus based on individual and organizational performance
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid time off
- Remote work with a flexible schedule
- Professional development assistance
We value diversity and commit to making hiring decisions based on the skills and traits needed to be successful in this role. We are an equal opportunity employer and we welcome your application! All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
