Director/Sr. Director for Partnership Operations

This is a senior operational leadership role focused on driving excellence across university partnerships and strategic initiatives. You will serve as a key advisor to executive leadership, translating organizational priorities into measurable plans, systems, and results.

About the role

The Director/Sr. Director for Partnership Operations combines strategic planning, project management, data analysis, process optimization, and technology enablement. You will oversee critical partnership operations, including reporting, capacity planning, portfolio management, and post-program student transition processes. Working across multiple departments, you will act as a central connector, removing dependencies and ensuring initiatives move forward effectively. You will also serve as a business-side owner for key platforms, helping translate operational needs into scalable technical solutions.

This opportunity is ideal for a highly analytical, collaborative operations leader who thrives in a fast-paced, distributed environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational strategy for the University Partnerships function, ensuring departmental priorities, initiatives, and resources remain aligned with organizational objectives and enrollment goals.
• Establish, configure, and oversee standardized reporting processes across Salesforce and external platforms to provide timely visibility into performance metrics and partnership health.
• Oversee the Post-Verto Planning function, ensuring systems, workflows, and processes effectively support student transitions to partner universities.
• Identify operational bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and systemic challenges, then design and implement streamlined processes and scalable solutions.
• Manage partnership portfolio, resource allocation, and capacity planning to support efficient growth and achievement of annual objectives.
• Establish, track, and communicate department-wide KPIs and OKRs, identifying barriers to progress and driving accountability against quarterly and annual goals.
• Provide senior-level project management for large-scale initiatives and complex cross-functional projects from conception through execution.
• Serve as the business-side product owner and technology liaison for Salesforce, Partner Portal, automation initiatives, and related operational systems.
• Lead technical scoping and business process development for Salesforce, Partner Portal, Slate, and other system enhancements and integrations.
• Ensure appropriate training, standard operating procedures, documentation, and sources of truth are maintained for key operational systems.
• Partner closely with Academics, Technology, Admissions, Student Financial Services, Revenue Operations, Onboarding, Marketing, and executive stakeholders to align priorities and successfully execute strategic initiatives.
• Act as a strategic advisor and trusted proxy to the Chief Strategy Officer, participating in high-priority meetings, synthesizing key decisions, and driving follow-through on action items.
• Lead ambiguous and high-impact special projects, including pilots, new initiatives, and organizational change programs.
• Maintain an enterprise-level view of strategic initiatives, proactively identifying and mitigating operational risks and bottlenecks.
• Support annual and quarterly strategic planning cycles by helping design, facilitate, monitor, and communicate progress against organizational priorities.

Requirements

• 10+ years of professional experience in operations, with a demonstrated track record in higher education partnerships, business development, account management, or closely related fields.
• Advanced hands-on experience configuring and managing Salesforce dashboards, reports, and operational workflows, with the ability to translate business processes into clear technical requirements.
• Proven success leading large-scale, complex, cross-functional projects and organizational change initiatives from strategy and planning through execution.
• Strong understanding of process improvement methodologies, with exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, or similar approaches.
• Highly analytical and data-driven, with the ability to interpret complex information, identify trends, and translate data into actionable business insights.
• Exceptional project management, organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong emotional intelligence and collaborative leadership skills, with experience influencing and building trust across matrixed teams and managing professionals directly or indirectly.
• Excellent communication skills and full professional fluency in English.
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a fast-paced, distributed, and evolving organization.
• Demonstrated ability to operate strategically while remaining comfortable working hands-on with systems, processes, data, and operational details.
• Experience working with Slate or university database systems is a plus.
• A master’s degree in Business, Operations, Technology, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Experience in high-growth startups, EdTech, or international organizations undergoing significant scale is an advantage.
• Must have legal authorization to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Benefits

• Remote-first position with 100% remote work flexibility within the United States.
• Competitive base salary of $120,000–$170,000 USD, with the final range determined by geographic compensation tier, experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Unlimited vacation and bank holidays.
• Uncapped sick time.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Fully funded short-term and long-term disability and life insurance.
• Paid parental leave.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Stock equity options for employees.
• Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven organization focused on transforming the higher education experience.
• Collaborative environment with broad exposure to executive leadership and cross-functional strategic initiatives.
• Reasonable accommodations available throughout the recruitment process for candidates with disabilities.