Director of Innovation and Growth Initiatives
Position Summary
The Director of Innovation and Growth Initiatives serves as Expanded Education’s lead strategist for program growth, innovation, and market development. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, the Director is responsible for identifying, developing, launching, and scaling new educational programs, strategic partnerships, certificates, and revenue-generating opportunities across New England Conservatory’s Expanded Education portfolio, including Preparatory School, Summer Programs, Adult Education, digital and hybrid learning initiatives, certificates, and community-facing programs.
Essential Functions
Identify, evaluate, and develop new educational programs, certificates, cohorts, intensives, camps, and special initiatives aligned with NEC’s mission and strategic goals.
Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and environmental scanning to identify emerging opportunities and areas for growth.
Develop business plans, implementation strategies, enrollment projections, pricing recommendations, and success metrics for new initiatives.
Lead pilot programs from concept through launch, evaluation, and refinement.
Recommend new educational offerings and portfolio enhancements based on market demand, mission alignment, and financial sustainability.
Analyze enrollment, revenue, retention, and participation trends to identify opportunities for expansion and improvement.
Develop recommendations for new markets, audiences, and programmatic offerings.
Monitor the performance of new initiatives and recommend adjustments to support long-term success.
Identify opportunities to expand venues/learning locations, diversify revenue streams, and strengthen learner pathways across the Expanded Education portfolio.
Monitor financial performance against projections and recommend improvements to enhance program sustainability, growth, and return on investment.
Develop and execute growth strategies that support enrollment, participation, and revenue objectives across new and emerging programs.
Identify and develop new strategic partnerships that advance NEC's educational mission and growth objectives.
Cultivate and develop new strategic partnerships that align with NEC's fundraising priorities and donor interest.
Evaluate new partnership opportunities for mission alignment, educational value, operational feasibility, and financial sustainability.
Serve as a primary point of contact for prospective strategic partners during exploration and development phases.
Collaborate with the Director of Education and Executive Director of the Preparatory School to ensure partnership opportunities align with educational priorities.
Identify and recommend opportunities for innovative online, hybrid, and technology-enabled educational experiences.
Collaborate with academic and operational leaders to support the development of scalable learning models.
Evaluate emerging trends in lifelong learning, continuing education, credentialing, and digital engagement.
Recommend new approaches that expand reach and accessibility while maintaining educational quality.
Lead cross-functional project teams responsible for launching new programs and strategic initiatives.
Coordinate implementation efforts across curriculum, operations, enrollment, marketing, technology, and finance functions.
Establish project timelines, milestones, and performance metrics.
Monitor outcomes and facilitate the successful transition of initiatives into ongoing operations, establishing clear ownership, performance expectations, and assessment metrics for long-term sustainability.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in program development, business development, innovation, continuing education, arts administration, entrepreneurship, or related fields.
Demonstrated success launching, growing, or managing educational, nonprofit, arts, or community-based programs.
Strong project management and organizational skills.
Experience developing business plans, budgets, revenue projections, and implementation strategies.
Ability to lead complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Preferred Experience:
Experience in music, arts education, higher education, community music schools, continuing education, or lifelong learning environments.
Experience developing certificate programs, professional development initiatives, or non-credit educational offerings.
Familiarity with enrollment-driven and revenue-generating educational models.
Entrepreneurial mindset with a demonstrated record of innovation and execution.