The Business & Community Partnerships Coordinator develops and strengthens relationships between KRESA and business, industry and community partners to expand opportunities for learners and advance organizational priorities. The Coordinator serves as a key connector between external partners and KRESA teams, helping partners identify meaningful ways to engage with Career Connect and other programs.
The position supports a coordinated, data-informed approach to community engagement by developing relationship-management processes, maintaining partner information in Salesforce and using engagement data to inform outreach, stewardship and continuous improvement.
The Coordinator works collaboratively across Communications & Community Engagement, Career Connect and other KRESA teams and serves as a public representative of the organization.
We are currently seeking a
Business & Community Partnerships Coordinator at the Kalamazoo RESA Service Center in Portage, Michigan. The essential responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
Essential Duties & ResponsibilitiesPartner & Community Engagement- Develops, maintains and strengthens long-term relationships with business, industry, community and other external partners.
- Manages a portfolio of partner relationships, including outreach, engagement, follow-up, recognition and stewardship.
- Identifies and cultivates new partners aligned with Career Connect and broader KRESA priorities and identifies opportunities to deepen existing relationships.
- Connects partners with meaningful opportunities to contribute expertise, experiences and resources that benefit students and KRESA programs.
- Coordinates partner inquiries, referrals and engagement opportunities, connecting partners with appropriate KRESA staff and supporting effective handoffs for engagement opportunities.
- Collaborates with KRESA teams to recruit and engage partners in career awareness, exploration, preparation, work-based learning and other learner experiences.
- Supports KRESA-wide community engagement initiatives and represents KRESA at partner and community meetings, events and activities.
Career Connect Advisory, Strategic Partnerships & Events- Coordinates and supports Career Connect's business and industry advisory structure, including recruitment, communication, engagement, follow-up and documentation.
- Supports KRESA's compliance with Career and Technical Education advisory requirements by helping maintain effective advisory structures, processes, participation and documentation.
- Works with Career Connect staff to ensure relevant business and industry expertise informs programs and to identify trends, needs and opportunities emerging through advisory and partner relationships.
- Serves as co-coordinator for the annual MiCareerQuest Southwest event, supporting business and industry participation, partner coordination and event implementation.
- Serves as KRESA's lead for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Kalamazoo partnership, coordinating opportunities for human resources professionals to support students with résumé development, interview preparation and related career-readiness experiences.
- Develops and supports strategic partnerships that connect students and KRESA programs with community and industry expertise.
Salesforce, Data & Relationship Management- Serves as a functional lead for partner relationship-management processes in Salesforce, maintaining accurate information about relationships, interactions, interests and engagement.
- Develops and promotes consistent processes for documenting and managing partner relationships and trains and supports staff in using those practices.
- Uses Salesforce reports, dashboards, partner feedback and engagement data to monitor relationships, identify follow-up needs, recognize gaps and opportunities, and inform engagement strategies.
- Tracks partner engagement and satisfaction and provides information and insights to support planning, reporting and continuous improvement.
- Partners with Salesforce technical and application staff to identify business needs and improve engagement-related processes and tools.
Communication & Collaboration- Collaborates across Communications & Community Engagement, Career Connect and other KRESA teams to coordinate partner engagement, share relevant partner information and support organizational priorities.
- Provides partner stories, information and impact data to support communications, outreach, presentations and reporting.
- Maintains current knowledge of KRESA programs and services, Career Connect pathways, career learning, workforce development, and relevant business and industry trends.
Additional Responsibilities- Participates in relevant professional learning, team and agency meetings and serves as a knowledgeable and professional representative of KRESA.
- Maintains regular and consistent attendance and performs other duties as assigned.
Must have knowledge of and comply with the policies and procedures contained in the Kalamazoo RESA handbook.
Qualified candidates will have:- Bachelor's degree in communications, business, community development, education, nonprofit management, workforce development or a related field; or an equivalent combination of 5-7 years of education, training and relevant professional experience.
- Experience in community engagement, partnership development, workforce development, education, nonprofit or related work.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, maintain and strengthen relationships with businesses, community organizations and other external partners.
- Experience coordinating projects, events or initiatives involving multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience using a customer relationship management system, database or similar technology to manage relationships, activities and data; experience developing or using Salesforce reports and dashboards preferred.
- Ability to organize, analyze and use data to inform decisions, identify opportunities and improve processes.
- Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation and facilitation skills.
- Knowledge of or experience with career learning, Career and Technical Education, work-based learning or workforce development preferred.
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel locally for meetings, events and partner engagement activities.
Other Skills & Abilities include:• Builds trust and maintains positive, long-term relationships with internal and external partners.
• Demonstrates strong communication skills, including listening, writing, presenting and facilitating, and adapts communication to different audiences.
• Collaborates effectively across programs, departments and organizations while also working independently.
• Demonstrates strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines and follow work through to completion.
• Develops and maintains effective processes and workflows and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates initiative, sound judgment, adaptability and effective problem-solving.
• Uses data and feedback to identify trends, opportunities and areas for improvement, with strong attention to data accuracy and quality.
• Understands how relationships, processes, technology and data work together to support effective community engagement and partner stewardship.
• Interacts effectively and respectfully with individuals representing a wide range of identities, experiences and perspectives.
• Represents KRESA professionally and maintains appropriate confidentiality in interactions with staff, partners and community members.
• Adapts to changing technology and relationship-management practices and demonstrates proficiency with Microsoft Office and related productivity tools.
• Embraces and supports KRESA's core values of Collaboration, Innovation, Compassion, Respect and Integrity and its commitments to Culture & Belonging and Continuous Improvement.
This is a 12 month calendar position in job grade 18 with an annual rate of pay between $72,155 and $112,848.
KRESA employees enjoy a comprehensive benefit offering that includes health insurance, paid time off, retirement benefits through Michigan's Office of Retirement Services, tuition reimbursement, student loan forgiveness and wellness incentives - all within a supportive and caring culture centered around our values of collaboration, innovation, compassion, integrity, and respect.
A Great Place to Live and Work
Kalamazoo was recently recognized as a great place to live in the 2024 50 Best Places to Live roundup by Money.com. Kalamazoo was noted for its abundant family-friendly activities and appreciation for artisan-crafted goods, as well as the Kalamazoo Promise, a scholarship for each Kalamazoo Public School resident graduate that provides up to 100% tuition for post-secondary education.
Candidates should apply by November 15th. 
