Senior Manager, Regional Strategic Partnerships, Central Region

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Develop strategies, initiatives, structure, and support to deliver partnership and other university and regional goals for self and team.
• Lead a team of Strategic Partnership Managers (SPMs), guiding them in building key relationships that culminate in partnerships for WGU. Identify attributes and alignment to guide employer and community groups in state and across region, as well as national organizations across multiple states.
• Ensure SPMs have a relevant strategic partnership activation plan for every partnership owned, ensuring partnership launches, strategic initiatives, timelines, student impact, and business development results are achieved over time and there is fluidity and consistency with each managed account.
• Work in collaboration with the VP Strategic Partnerships, Director of Partnership Operations and Enablement, and Research Analyst to advise and support data research and documentation to ensure accuracy of business intelligence related to new starts, new starts reporting, and processes and procedures for SPMs, as well as other key metrics deemed critical to SPM success, KPIs and success of the institution.
• Work across functions and departments including Communications and Marketing for go to market regional strategies, Recruiting, Career Services (Handshake) and Alumni team to identify WGU Ambassadors and leverage alums to open doors at employers.
• Advise, help develop and pilot the sales tool kits for all SPMs. Successfully implement available and new training tools and partnership resources in coordination and collaboration with Partnership Operations and Enablement team to elevate partnership engagement, process, policies, that positively influence SPM workflow and outcomes.
• Promote open SPM jobs via social media and network, vet candidates, and support talent recruiters. Identify top candidates, oversee interviews with key stakeholders, collate and review feedback to inform the best hiring decision. 
• Manage direct reports through coaching, training, and motivation to achieve results. Contribute to the overarching strategy for the region regarding talent deployment and development by state/specialty and initiatives to reach goals. Revisit and evaluate team positions due to changes in the marketplace, university goals, new initiatives and as team member strengths continue to develop.
• Stay abreast of developments in the region that impact workforce development, governmental or agency updates, large employer initiatives and other issues which may impact and inform WGU existing and prospective partnership opportunities.
• Support, contribute to and help market WGU’s full expanse of program offerings for awareness, partnership collaboration, and scale.
• Connect with academic leaders on issues and opportunities that impact new programs, outreach, sales tools, and partner strategies. Be the eyes and ears in the field.
• Liaise with WGU internal departments on partnership, scholarship, external relations, and marketing.
• Effectively handle highly diverse and complex initiatives, partnership strategies, and solutions that drive toward successful relationships.
• Complete intra-region travels to support the SPM team and inter-region travel to collaborate with colleagues throughout the university. Perform other related duties as assigned. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

•  Able to develop new ideas that will enhance partnership results, is future-oriented and assesses what will help/hinder achieving goals; focuses on what is important.
•   Persuasive using communication skills, oral and written, and delivers on commitments.
•   Accountable to self and others; does what it takes to get the job done; actions are consistent with words; follows through on commitments; exhibits exceptional integrity and is capable of self-management.
•   Negotiate and influence skillfully and professionally while maintaining relationships.
•  Shares relevant and