Director, Partnerships (SLP - Texas)

• Identify, cultivate, and sustain partnerships with clinical sites, healthcare organizations, schools, community colleges and other relevant industries to create and maintain enrollment pipelines into the MS-SLP part-time program.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for clinical partners, ensuring consistent communication, mutual value, and compliance with accreditation and programmatic standards.
• Develop and execute partnership agreements, including MOUs, tuition agreements, and workforce development contracts, in collaboration with Legal, Enrollment, and Academic Affairs.
• Build structured pipelines for SLPAs and related professionals seeking academic advancement in speech-language pathology.
• Conduct on-site visits, presentations, and professional outreach to strengthen partner engagement and visibility.
• Develop a partner activation model that moves opportunities from contract to first enrollment within 90 days or less.

· Develop and execute market expansion strategies to increase program visibility and enrollment through targeted partnerships.

· Design and implement tuition reimbursement and employer partnership models that reduce barriers for working professionals.

· Collaborate with Marketing and Enrollment to create co-branded campaigns, pathway maps, and workforce development collateral.

· Establish measurable partnership performance indicators tied to enrollment growth, student outcomes, and partner satisfaction.

· Manage the end-to-end partnership process—from prospecting and negotiation through contract execution and post-launch engagement.

· Maintain a scalable tracking and reporting system to monitor partner performance, student progression, and clinical site utilization.

· Represent the MS-SLP program and the University at professional conferences, regional meetings, and community events.

• Collaborate with MS-SLP program leadership on curriculum development for the MS-SLP part-time program to support partnerships.
• Work with the MS-SLP clinical placement team to create policies and procedures for speech-language pathology assistants working with partnership placements.

The partner manager will demonstrate ownership of partnership pipeline performance measured by:

• Number of newly signed partnerships per quarter
• Partner activation rate (contract to launch within 90 days)
• Enrollment and revenue contribution from partner channel
• Volume of tuition reimbursement/direct payer agreements
• Retention and expansion of partner accounts

Requires close collaboration between marketing, program strategy, academic leadership, legal, accreditation, enrollment and field teams.

Must be able to work across a matrix and build cross functional teams

May perform other duties and responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time.

REPORTS TO: Vice Chancellor or designee

POSITIONS SUPERVISED: Dotted line to SLP Enrollment Advisor & Field Representatives

This position may be performed remotely and requires up to 60% travel.

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Incumbents will be evaluated, in part, based on performance of each essential function.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions

• Strong qualitative and analytical skills. Ability to perform market analyses and evaluate results.
• Must have the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have advanced interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver presentations to senior management and top-level executives
• Exceptional problem solving and negotiating skills
• Ability to drive the program management process with diplomacy and enthusiasm
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, often in a remote, virtual workplace
• Must have a high level of proficiency of Microsoft Office Suite. High Proficiency in Microsoft Windows including Excel, Word and Power Point.
• Ability to develop marketing presentations, marketing brochures, flyers and other digital assets- working closely with program, marketing and enrollment teams

• Experience in partnerships, business development, or workforce strategy
• Proven success closing institutional or workforce contracts
• Experience in higher education, healthcare, workforce development, or corporate education
• Demonstrated success building scalable partner frameworks and growth playbooks
• Strong business acumen with ability to influence senior decision-makers

• Experience in higher education/clinical education for SLPs
• Background in employer tuition reimbursement models or direct payer agreements
• Knowledge of transfer, articulation, or laddered pathway models
• Leadership experience building and scaling teams

• Execution-focused : Moves from strategy to results
• Builder mindset : Designs systems that scale
• Relationship architect : Trusted executive with strong negotiation skills
• Operational rigor : Strong process discipline and partnership management
• Revenue accountability : Growth mindset tied to measurable outcomes
• Collaborative leader : Cross-functional alignment and business integration

WORK ENVIRONMENT Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to moderate noise levels.

Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for six to eight hours daily and includes physical demands associated with a traditional office setting, e.g., walking, standing, communicating, and other physical functions as necessary.