Please apply online at https://www.hrci.org/about-hrci/hrci-careers
** This position may be performed remotely. Occasional travel is required. **Position Overview:The Director of Academic Partnerships is responsible for driving revenue growth by developing and expanding Academic Partnerships with colleges, universities, and higher education systems. This role blends relationship-building with business development, navigating complex institutional buying processes and multi-stakeholder decision-making to convert strategic relationships into measurable revenue growth.
Higher Education Business Development- Develop and execute a strategic growth plan for colleges, universities, community colleges, and higher education systems, building a robust pipeline from prospecting through contract execution and implementation.
- Establish relationships with academic leaders, deans, department chairs, and workforce development offices, and navigate complex university procurement, governance, and budgeting processes while maintaining momentum through lengthy sales cycles.
- Identify opportunities to embed HRCI certifications and learning solutions into academic programs and workforce readiness initiatives, and architect innovative partnership models (e.g., co-branded learning, stackable credentials, platform integrations).
- Design and implement partnership strategies aligned with annual business goals, informed by market research and competitive analysis.
Revenue Generation & Lifecycle Management- Own the full partner revenue lifecycle-from ideation and pipeline development to deal closure and onboarding-driving multi-million-dollar total contract value (TCV) through strategic targeting and channel optimization.
- Monitor performance metrics and ROI across partnership types, and consistently generate new business through proactive outreach, networking, referrals, and strategic account development.
- Manage long sales cycles with disciplined follow-up and stakeholder engagement, developing multi-threaded relationships within institutions to advance opportunities and mitigate deal risk.
- Maintain accurate pipeline forecasts and activity tracking within CRM systems, and negotiate contract terms, pricing structures, and service level agreements with institutional partners.
Partner Relationship Management- Establish tailored engagement frameworks primarily for colleges and universities, and secondarily for other strategic partners (corporations, platforms, and brand collaborators).
- Ensure mutual value creation through proactive relationship management, co-marketing, and joint initiatives, overseeing partner health using KPIs and refining workflows for scalability.
- Serve as the primary relationship owner for strategic higher education accounts, building trust-based relationships and maintaining regular touchpoints throughout extended evaluation, approval, and implementation periods.
- Identify opportunities for account expansion, renewal, and deeper institutional adoption, coordinating with product and academic affairs teams to customize offerings for institutional partners' needs.
The Skills You Need to Succeed:- 8+ years of progressive business development, strategic sales, account management, or partnership experience, including significant experience selling into colleges and universities, required
- Demonstrated success developing and closing complex, multi-stakeholder opportunities within higher education institutions.
- Proven ability to generate new business while maintaining and expanding existing strategic relationships.
- Demonstrated experience personally delivering millions in new TCV through long-cycle enterprise deals and fast-cycle pilots, with strong instincts for pipeline pacing and partner fit, required.
- Experience leading CRM renovations and contributing to product development, required; 3+ years of people and project management experience, required.
- Experience selling certifications, educational technology, or workforce development solutions strongly preferred; HR industry knowledge or certification highly desirable. Hunter mentality with the discipline to sustain long-term relationship development and demonstrated resilience navigating lengthy institutional sales cycles.
- Strong understanding of higher education decision-making and procurement processes, skilled at balancing new business development with ongoing account stewardship.
- Ability to influence diverse stakeholders without direct authority, combining emotional intelligence with strategic clarity across audiences from university leaders to corporate partners.
- Bachelor's Degree, required; Master's degree, highly desirable
Salary range: $125,000 - 150,000/year; Compensation is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, internal equity, geographic location and potential incentive bonus plan.
