Executive Director, Strategic Partnership Expansion

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

Lead and develop a high-performing Expansion Partnership Executive team that embodies the mission, values, and strategic priorities of Indiana Wesleyan University.
Promote leadership and direction to Partnership Executives.
Establish performance expectations, accountability measures, and professional development plans.
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, strategic thinking, and continuous improvement.
Ensure alignment of team activities with institutional priorities and assigned vertical strategies.

Partnership Expansion Strategy and Vertical Development

Develop and execute strategies that expand partnership pipelines and create new growth opportunities across priority verticals.
Identify emerging markets, industries, and partnership opportunities.
Evaluate and launch new partnership models that increase awareness and qualified lead generation.
Develop strategies to expand IWU's presence within business, military, education, workforce development, and corporate education benefit sectors.
Collaborate with university leadership to align expansion efforts with academic and institutional priorities.
Assess market trends and competitive dynamics to identify future growth opportunities.

Market Intelligence, Data and Innovation

Leverage data, market intelligence and emerging technologies to improve partnership effectiveness.
Analyze partnership, market, and lead-generation data to identify trends and opportunities.
Utilize AI-powered tools and analytics to improve prospect identification, market research, outreach effectiveness, and strategic decision-making.
Partner with Salesforce and institutional data teams to strengthen reporting and forecasting capabilities.
Develop recommendations based on market intelligence and performance analysis.
Evaluate innovative technologies and partnership models that support growth.

Cross Functional Strategy and Market Activation

Collaborate across the university to support successful market expansion and partnership activation.
Build strong relationships with enrollment leaders, counselors, and support staff to promote enrollment aims.
Collaborates with academic leaders to design and execute outreach strategies.
Partnership Expansion Strategy & Vertical Development

Develop and execute strategies that expand partnership pipelines and create new growth opportunities across priority verticals.
Identify emerging markets, industries, and partnership opportunities.
Evaluate and launch new partnership models that increase awareness and qualified lead generation.
Collaborate with university leadership to align expansion efforts with academic and institutional priorities.
Assess market trends and competitive dynamics to identify future growth opportunities.

Strategic Relationship Development

Develop executive-level relationships that create pathways for long-term institutional growth.
Identify and cultivate relationships with organizational leaders, influencers, and decision-makers.
Facilitate strategic conversations between external organizations and university leadership.
Advance partnerships that support enrollment pipelines, workforce development, student success, and institutional objectives.
Represent IWU in key industry associations, conferences, and leadership forums.
Expand strategic partnerships within assigned verticals and emerging sectors.

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.

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.
Education: A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required. A master's degree is preferred.
Experience: A minimum of five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in sales, partnership development, business development, strategic growth, sales leadership, workforce development, or higher education partnerships. Demonstrated success leading teams responsible for developing strategic partnerships and growth initiatives. Experience developing new markets, partnership models, or growth strategies preferred.
Required Skills: Strategic Leadership: Ability to develop and execute long-range growth strategies. Demonstrated success identifying and advancing new opportunities. Strong organizational leadership and team development skills. Ability to lead change and innovation within complex organizations. Relationship Development: Exceptional relationship-building and executive communication skills. Ability to engage senior leaders, executives, and external stakeholders. Strong negotiation, influence, and partnership development capabilities. Analytical & Technical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. Experience using CRM systems, pipeline management tools, and performance analytics. Proficiency with artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies to support market research, prospect identification, workflow optimization, strategic planning, communication, and data analysis. Ability to leverage emerging technologies to improve organizational effectiveness and partnership growth. Collaboration & Execution: Ability to work effectively across diverse teams. Strong project management and execution skills. Demonstrated ability to operate independently while maintaining alignment with institutional objectives.