Recruitment & Brand Partnerships Specialist

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly motivated, relationship-driven Recruitment & Brand Partnerships Specialist to serve as the critical link between our certified Freedom Academy members and our network of partner businesses.

At Freedom Academy, we train, coach, and certify sales professionals — and this role is responsible for ensuring those certified members get placed into the right opportunities with the right companies.

This is a dual-sided relationship role that requires equal parts business development, recruitment, systems thinking, and community care. You'll be building the infrastructure that makes placements happen consistently, quality-controlling every connection, and continuously improving the engine that drives Freedom Academy's fulfillment promise.

Beyond placements, this role also plays a key commercial function — identifying partner businesses that would benefit from Freedom Academy's growth programs and converting them into the ScaleUP CEO Diagnostic, and subsequently upselling them into the full ScaleUP CEO Package. This is a natural extension of the relationship-building work and represents a significant component of the role's earning potential.

The right person for this role is confident without being aggressive, professional without being corporate, and caring without being a pushover. You will hold the line when needed, mediate when things get difficult, and always keep the reputation and integrity of Freedom Academy at the centre of every decision you make.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Development & Partner Acquisition:

• Proactively source and identify businesses across high-growth and emerging industries with strong, established sales funnels who would benefit from our certified talent
• Attend industry-related events, conferences, and networking opportunities to build relationships and create new partnership opportunities
• Generate referrals from existing founders and business leaders in our network who may have contacts seeking qualified sales staff
• Represent Freedom Academy professionally and compellingly when engaging with potential partner businesses

Business Vetting & Interview Process:

• Design and implement a structured filter and interview process for businesses applying to partner with Freedom Academy
• Conduct interviews with prospective partner businesses to assess culture fit, sales funnel quality, and suitability for our certified members
• Produce detailed reports on each approved business, documenting key findings, strengths, expectations, and placement suitability
• Build and maintain SOPs for the entire business onboarding process to ensure consistency and quality at scale

Partner Business Onboarding:

• Collect and organise key information from approved businesses including pitch decks, role details, compensation structures, and company culture materials
• Package this information clearly so internal candidates can make informed decisions about the opportunities available to them
• Maintain an up-to-date and well-organised library of approved partner business profiles

Candidate Preparation & Placement:

• Assess each candidate's personality, skills, experience, and goals to match them with the most suitable partner business opportunities — this is genuine matchmaking, not just logistics
• Build a short internal course equipping Freedom Academy candidates with the skills and confidence to interview successfully — covering positioning, communication, objection handling, and professionalism
• Coach certified members on how to present themselves effectively for specific partner opportunities
• Make warm, considered introductions between candidates and partner businesses, ensuring both sides are well-prepared and well-matched before the introduction is made

Conflict Resolution & Retention:

• Mediate professionally when candidates express dissatisfaction with a placement, encouraging perseverance and resolution where appropriate
• Ensure members fully understand the commitment required before accepting a role, setting clear expectations from the outset
• Handle difficult conversations with businesses and candidates with confidence, warmth, and fairness — without being overly accommodating or emotionally reactive
• Know when to hold firm on a decision and when to find a creative solution that serves all parties

Aftercare & Relationship Management:

• Conduct structured follow-ups with both placed candidates and partner businesses at 30, 60, and 90 days post-placement to ensure smooth integration and mutual satisfaction
• Proactively identify any friction points early and address them before they become larger issues
• Maintain positive, long-term relationships with both businesses and members beyond the initial placement
• Use insights from aftercare conversations to continuously improve the matching and onboarding process

Community Engagement & Support:

• Serve as a key point of support for members navigating their placement journey, keeping them informed, motivated, and engaged
• Foster a positive community environment where members feel seen, supported, and celebrated throughout the process
• Share placement wins, success stories, and milestones to inspire broader community momentum

Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement:

• Manage and maintain CRM and pipeline tools to organise workflows, track relationships, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks — this role requires structure and discipline, not improvisation
• Track all placement data including outreach activity, interview outcomes, placement rates, and post-placement performance
• Analyse trends and identify patterns to continuously improve the matching process, candidate preparation, and business partnerships
• Implement process improvements across the board based on data insights and feedback from both candidates and partner businesses
• Report regularly to leadership with clear metrics and actionable recommendations

Competencies & Skills:

• Strong business development and relationship management skills — comfortable pitching to decision-makers and building long-term partnerships
• Excellent verbal and written communication with the ability to engage effectively across a diverse range of audiences
• Confident and assertive — able to say no when needed, hold firm on decisions, and navigate conflict without being aggressive or a pushover
• Skilled mediator and conflict resolver — able to handle difficult conversations with professionalism and warmth
• Genuine matchmaker — understands how to assess personality, skills, and experience to place the right person in the right role
• Systems thinker who can build processes, SOPs, and training content from scratch
• Organised and disciplined — proficient in CRM and pipeline management tools with the ability to manage multiple relationships and priorities simultaneously
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to track, interpret, and act on placement metrics
• Proactive networker who thrives at events and in relationship-building environments
• Strong business acumen — understands what drives a company's growth, culture, and sales performance and can align placements accordingly
• Self-directed and dependable in a fully remote setting — takes initiative without needing constant direction

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in recruitment, business development, partnerships, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience managing both candidate and client relationships simultaneously
• Proven track record of achieving and exceeding KPIs in a results-driven environment
• Experience in conflict resolution and retention strategies
• Experience building processes, SOPs, or training materials from scratch
• Background in sales, sales recruitment, or a sales-adjacent environment strongly preferred
• Proficiency in CRM or pipeline management tools
• Proven ability to work independently while staying closely aligned with a remote team
• Experience attending and networking at industry events is an advantage

Compensation & Performance Incentives:

Base Salary: $80,000 — $100,000 per annum (adjusted based on experience and location)

Performance Bonuses:

• Every business that doesn’t have the system they need to scale we sell the ScaleUP CEO diagnostic → $500 bonus
• Businesses that do the ScaleUP CEO diagnostic we upsell them to the full ScaleUP CEO package → $4,000 bonus

Total compensation potential for a high performer: $200,000 — $250,000+

The right person for this role will see significant upside beyond the base salary. We reward results, relationship-building, and the quality of every placement — not just volume.

Next Steps:

Step 1 — Submit your CV with relevant experience and a personalised cover letter addressed to Shane

Step 2 — Film and submit a short video answering the below questions in under 5 minutes to Shane

• 2.1 — Tell us who you are and what drives you — give us a brief introduction and tell us what excites you most about this role and the work of connecting people to opportunity.
• 2.2 — Walk us through a relationship you built from scratch that led to a meaningful outcome — how did you find that person or business, how did you nurture it, and what was the result?
• 2.3 — If you were starting tomorrow with no existing contacts, how would you identify and approach businesses to partner with us? Walk us through your actual strategy.
• 2.4 — Tell us about a time you had to sell an idea, a product, or yourself to someone who wasn't immediately convinced — what was your approach and how did it land?
• 2.5 — What does your current network look like and how do you actively maintain and grow it? Be specific about the types of people, industries, and platforms where you have genuine relationships.

Step 3 — Include examples of any systems, SOPs, or processes you've built, or any relevant recruitment/partnership work

Step 4 — Send your application to shane.dacosta@freedomacademy.com.au and hr-admin@freedomaademy.com.au