Director, Academic Partnerships

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** This position may be performed remotely. Occasional travel is required. **

Who we are:

HRCI®, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is the premier credentialing and learning organization for the human resources profession. For over 50 years, we have set the global standard for HR expertise and excellence through our commitment to the development and advancement of businesspeople in the people business. HRCI develops and offers world-class learning, as well as the administration of eight global certifications and is dedicated to helping professionals achieve new competencies that drive business results. We are a dynamic non-profit with a hard-working, committed team. Want to know more about what life is like at HRCI? Find out more about us at .

Why HRCI:

• We are a Top Workplace, three years running (2024-2026)!
• Be part of a dynamic and passionate team of professionals focused on driving the organization forward.
• Have the autonomy to grow your career and opportunities for professional development.
• Highly rewarding work in a fun, team-oriented culture.
• Great benefits (health insurance, generous time off, 401(k) match, parental leave) and a flexible working environment.

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.

Originally posted on Himalayas