Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships

Essential Functions

• Provide corporate outreach and business development by working in coordination with the WES teams, university leaders, and faculty in identifying and implementing partnership opportunities resulting in increased enrollments and revenue from partner organizations.
• Manage and guide the creation of innovative, uniquely competitive, and distinct high-performing partnerships that result in future growth opportunities.
• Collaborate with other Workforce Education Solutions vertical teams and leadership to align program approaches and development with identified market force needs.
• Implement adaptive and advanced technology-based approaches to ensure student attraction and engagement.
• Develop and achieve region and program enrollment goals and projections in consultation with the Vice President.
• Manage and oversee development and implementation of annual and long-range recruitment and strategic plans.
• Maintain and implement working knowledge of current trends and best practices in corporate partnership development, B2B business development, and B2C enrollment.
• Design and manage recruitment activities such as student forums, graduate school fairs, trade shows, conferences, open house / information sessions, prospective student meetings, and walk-ins.
• Represent the university at on-and-off-campus events, programs, and other outreach activities.
• Hires, leads, inspires, and directs staff in each area of responsibility by promoting direction and leadership on a day-to-day basis.

Provides ongoing supervision, coaching, training, and mentoring to individual team members.

• Provide leadership in ensuring partner and student information is updated and managed into systems accurately and in a timely manner.
• Serve as the university representative on various chamber, workforce commissions, and economic development bodies throughout key markets in Texas.
• Work closely with current students and alumni on various quarterly events including graduation, orientation, open houses, and holiday parties.
• Maintain close relationships with program alumni, develop special events and continuous education programs for alumni, and participate in those activities.
• Monitor all expenses related to recruiting and admissions, information sessions, open houses, admitted student days, yield activities, brochures, collateral marketing materials, advertising, promotional activities, website maintenance, etc.
• Maintain knowledge of best practices for online course development and maintenance and discuss these features with key leaders at organizational partners.
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities :

Supervisor duties to include :

Leads WES business development and outreach staff hired to generate prospective student inquiries, develop organizational partnerships, and otherwise represent National University in their region.

Requirements :

Education & Experience :

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of twelve (12) years of experience in a combination of business development, operations, and developing relationships with corporate leaders and academic professionals with at least seven years of experience in higher education.
• Market awareness in the MBA market preferred.
• Experience working in a technology-driven enterprise preferred.
• All skills, abilities and education will be considered for minimum qualifications.

Competencies / Technical / Functional Skills :

• Exceptional community relations skills, ability to represent the University and help build public understanding of the University’s brand and values.
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills; strong attention to details and the ability to balance a variety of tasks and deadlines.

Extremely well organized and strategic, with strong attention to detail.

• Openness, flexibility, and decisiveness to lead and inspire internal and external constituencies. Commitment to diversity and equality.
• A flexible and creative thinker able to find and create opportunities for partnerships.
• An independent, strategic thinker with good judgment, sensitivity, and common sense.
• Self-motivated, outgoing and results oriented; ability and desire to set and reach ambitious goals.
• Superior interpersonal skills with the ability to project professional competence, leadership capability and personal maturity.
• Actively seeks to influence, build effective relationships, and gain alignment with peers, functional partners, and / or external partners to accomplish business objectives.
• Ability to communicate with and influence executive leadership.
• Ability to drive towards achieving measurable and challenging goals to support organizational success. Demonstrates the ability to focus on achieving results consistent with the organization’s objectives.

As a leader, develops goals based on the organization’s vision, mission, strategic goals, and objectives.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate and build strong working relationships with a wide range of individuals of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Ability to carry out a variety of professionally complex assignments without detailed instructions.
• Excellent customer service skills. Must have excellent organizational skills, strong interpersonal skills, effective public speaking capability, be detail and goal-oriented and able to multi-task.
• Must be able to adhere to strict deadlines and possess leadership, training, marketing, and advertising experience.
• Strong computer and database management skills; demonstrated ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively and sensitively with individuals from diverse cultures, ethnic groups, lifestyles, and backgrounds.
• Intermediate to advanced use of computers and Microsoft Office Suite Applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.
• Proficiency with Salesforce CRM.
• Ability to learn new software programs as required.

Location : Remote

Travel : Travel Required; up to 50% for employer / partnership cultivation and participation in partnership and events as a key representative of National University.

Frequent travel throughout Texas, as well as other key markets in the United States as needed.

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Compensation Range :

Annual Salary : $98,472.00 - $132,935.00