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Summary of Position: The Director of Partnership Pipelines provides strategic leadership for the development and growth of enrollment pipelines through partnerships with external organizations. This position is responsible for leading the Partnership Executive (PE) team focused on established partnership verticals including healthcare, behavioral sciences, counseling, community colleges, churches, educational organizations, corporate partners, and education benefit providers.
The Director is responsible for driving partnership development, strengthening organizational relationships, expanding lead-generation opportunities, and ensuring effective execution of partnership strategies across assigned verticals. This role works collaboratively with academic leadership, enrollment, marketing, student success, and operational teams to advance partnerships that create awareness, generate prospective student interest, and support institutional growth objectives.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Team and Culture
- Develop and lead a high-performing Partnership Executive team that models the mission, values, and culture of Indiana Wesleyan University
- Provide leadership, coaching, and development for Partnership Executives
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and strategic execution
- Establish performance expectations and professional development plans
- Promote leadership development and succession planning within the partnership organization
- Ensure team alignment with institutional priorities and assigned vertical goals
- Partnership Strategy & Pipeline Development
- Lead the development and execution of partnership strategies that strengthen enrollment pipelines within assigned verticals. Collaborate with leaders to develop outreach and engagement strategies
- Guide partnership development efforts that increase organizational awareness and prospective student interest
- Ensure consistency in partnership development processes and relationship management practices
- Maintain and refine partnership development playbooks and best practices
- Monitor pipeline activity and progress toward established partnership objectives
- Strategic Relationship Management
- Cultivate and strengthen strategic relationships with organizations, industry leaders, and influencers
- Identify and engage organizations that align with university priorities
- Facilitate executive-level conversations between university leaders and external partners
- Advance partnerships that support enrollment, workforce development, student success, and institutional objectives
- Serve as a trusted advisor to key organizational partners
- Support long-term partner engagement and relationship growth
- Market Awareness & External Representation
- Expand awareness and visibility within assigned verticals and target markets
- Represent Indiana Wesleyan University at conferences, industry associations, networking events, and community gatherings. Identify opportunities for lead-generation events and strategic outreach initiatives
- Maintain awareness of market trends, workforce needs, and competitor activity
- Engage alumni, community leaders, and strategic stakeholders within assigned verticals
- Travel as needed to support partnership development and relationship management
- Partnership Development
- In collaboration with the PE leads, creates and executes university-to-organization development and contact strategies and techniques to engage prospective partners, nurture key relationships, present IWU-N&G offerings, and guide the prospective partner through the partnership development funnel, and increase enrollment
- Ensures the administration of legal agreement for new partners, utilizing existing templates
- Executes these strategies with the goal to meet performance targets, including the number of partnerships and students enrolled in degrees
- Provides consistency in the sales process within Partnerships
- Creates and manages with an enrollment and sales playbook
- Onboarding & Engagement
- Ensures the onboarding of new partners
- Provides ongoing communication with and account management for partners to ensure engagement, optimize the relationship, and ensure long-term enrollment success
- Recruitment Strategies
- Aligns partnership development with recruitment strategies that will effectively communicate to an organization’s associates IWU programs and deliverables
- Advances partnerships in a way that supports sustained enrollment
- Ensure the execution of recruitment activities at partner organizations
- External Representation & Travel
- Serves as an IWU representative to organizations and events as requested from time to time to support pipeline development and student recruitment
- Frequent travel within the region is an expectation of this role
- Cross-Functional Collaboration & Operational Alignment
- Build strong partnerships across the university to support successful partnership outcomes
- Coordinate internal resources necessary to support partnership initiatives
- Support implementation of strategic university initiatives related to partnerships and enrollment growth
- Data, Analytics & Performance Management
- Utilize data and analytics to improve partnership performance and decision-making
- Oversee partnership pipeline reporting and performance analysis
- Monitor partnership metrics, lead-generation activity, engagement trends, and conversion indicator
- Partner with Salesforce and institutional teams to improve reporting accuracy and effectiveness
- Develop recommendations based on performance trends and market intelligence
- Leverage AI-enabled tools and technology to support prospect research, workflow efficiency, communication, forecasting, and strategic planning
Qualifications: According to Indiana Wesleyan University employment policy all employees must possess a strong Christian commitment and adhere to the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement.
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Education
- A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required, a master's degree is preferred
Experience
- Minimum of five (5) to seven (7) years of progressive experience in partnership development, business development, sales leadership, account management, enrollment management, workforce development, or higher education partnerships
- Demonstrated success leading teams and achieving measurable growth objectives
- Experience managing partnership pipelines and relationship portfolios
Required Skills
- Communication Skills
- Exceptional oral, written, and presentation communication skills
- Ability to effectively communicate with executive leaders, organizational stakeholders, and internal teams
- Strong relationship-building, negotiation, and influence skills
- Demonstrated ability to establish trust and credibility across diverse constituencies
- Leadership & Strategic Execution
- Ability to lead teams, manage priorities, and execute complex initiatives
- Strong project management and organizational skills
- Ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and drive results
- Demonstrated success leading through influence and collaboration
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining strategic focus
- Analytical & Technology Skills
- Strong analytical and data interpretation skills
- Experience utilizing CRM systems, reporting tools, and performance dashboards
- Proficiency in artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies to support market research, communication, workflow optimization, data analysis, and strategic planning
- Ability to leverage technology to improve efficiency, decision-making, and partnership effectiveness
- Collaboration & Organizational Effectiveness
- Ability to work effectively across academic and operational functions
- Broad understanding of higher education operations and enrollment processes
- Ability to navigate complex organizational environments and drive collaborative outcomes
- Demonstrated ability to lead self and others with minimal oversight while maintaining accountability and results
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IWU Kingdom Diversity Statement
IWU, in covenant with God's reconciling work and in accordance with the Biblical principles of our historic Wesleyan tradition, commits to build a community that reflects Kingdom diversity. We will foster an intentional environment for living, teaching and learning, which exhibits honor, respect, and dignity. Acknowledging visible or invisible differences, our community authentically values each member's earthly and eternal worth. We refute ignorance and isolation and embrace deliberate and courageous engagement that exhibits Christ's commandment to love all humankind.
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LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMER
As a religious educational institution operating under the auspices of The Wesleyan Church, Indiana Wesleyan University is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (42 U.S.C., Sections 2000e-1 and 2000e-2).
The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. Employees will be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws.
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