Job Description

About the Department:

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is an innovative, inclusive, and cutting-edge college that successfully prepares professionals to promote learning and development across the life span while contributing meaningfully to research in human and organizational performance as well as in the learning and developmental sciences. The college, with nearly 130 full-time faculty members, more than 300 part-time faculty members and nine academic divisions offers 27 academic programs, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, across its three schools, the School of Education, the School of Kinesiology and the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management. In addition, faculty engage in an extensive portfolio of research and are fully engaged in the community. The CEHD is ranked among the top 100 Colleges of Education in the world by the Shanghai ranking of world universities and is among the top tier in the rankings of the US News and World Report.

About the Position:

The Director of Partnerships and Engagement is responsible for optimizing limited resources through the development and implementation of systems to efficiently and effectively cultivate business partnerships with school districts and other institutions to set up contract cohorts and create new revenue streams for the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Reporting to the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, the Director of Partnerships and Engagement focuses on supporting and strengthening the college’s enrollment capabilities. The incumbent serves in a leadership role with faculty program representatives at multiple levels to develop, implement, and assess the effectiveness of business development strategies and initiatives to support prospective student engagement, recruitment and enrollment across CEHD.

Responsibilities:

Service

In collaboration with the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, the applicant serves as the liaison between academic program leaders and OSE, including serving as the resident expert on business development;
Serves on the Office of Strategic Enrollment leadership team and various college and campus-wide committees pertaining to business development and strategic enrollment, with the objective of building stronger relationships internally and externally to sell ideas and identify opportunities for strategic partnerships and collaborations to optimize enrollment outcomes;
Researches and drafts communications and presents on opinions and recommendations on topics related to business development and strategic enrollment to leadership at the college, both upon request and proactively to improve enrollment outcomes;
Meets with program, division, and school leadership and faculty, upon request, regarding topics related to business development and/or strategic enrollment; and
Attends central meetings of the Academic Enrollment Planning Team (AEPT), Graduate Recruitment Action Council (GRAC), Recruitment Action Council (RAC), and the university marketing teams where necessary.
Strategic Planning

Establishes clear business development assessment metrics;
Remains transparent in reporting to leadership and the broader community, and establishes a culture in OSE rooted in evidence-based planning and assessment, continuous improvement, and accountability;
Researches and drafts annual and longer-term business development strategic planning documents and delivers and sell them to leadership and the college and university community through various forms of communication; and
Sets revenue growth targets and develops strategies for contract business development and new revenue streams.
Business Development Cultivation and Relationship Management

Researches, plans, and implements new target market initiatives;
Researches prospective accounts in target markets and put together custom proposals;
Advises the development of marketing assets for business development; and
Collaborates with academic program leads and other relevant CEHD leadership, pursues leads and moves them through the sales cycle.
Business Development Administration

Oversees administration of contracts, memorandums of understanding, and quick admits.
Required Qualifications:

Master’s degree in related field;
Considerable, directly relevant professional experience (typically five or more years);
Demonstrated skill in strategic enrollment management in higher education settings;
Well-organized with outstanding multi-tasking skills, and ability to anticipate issues and adapt plans in a dynamic environment;
Excellent customer service and vendor management skills;
Strong verbal, interpersonal, and written communication skills; and
Must currently possess an appropriate, active, valid motor vehicle operator’s license that meets all of GMU’s requirements for operating state vehicles and equipment under Mason’s Vehicle Use Policy 1411 https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/vehicle-use/. The Office of Risk Management reserves the right to review the driver’s licenses and Motor Vehicle Reports (MVRs) of all candidates selected with employment contingent upon favorable review.
Preferred Qualifications:

Considerable experience in higher education business development.