Academic Development Manager

Material Handling Industry•Charlotte, NC

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

MHI is seeking an Academic Development Manager to cultivate the next generation of supply chain and material handling talent. This role involves expanding academic partnerships, student programs, and workforce pipeline initiatives through MHI's College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE). The manager will drive governance, audience growth, and rebranding to broaden CICMHE's reach across educational institutions from high schools to universities, while increasing the Academic Community's visibility. This position acts as a crucial link between MHI and the academic world, engaging professionals from the early stages of their academic careers.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
5+ years in association management, academic engagement, workforce development, or a related field
Demonstrated experience managing volunteer committees or advisory boards
Strong project management, event coordination, and stakeholder communication skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and event management tools
Comfortable in a hybrid environment with periodic travel to events and partner sites

Nice To Haves

Direct experience working with university programs, faculty networks, or CTE institutions
Background in supply chain, logistics, material handling, or an adjacent industry
Familiarity with workforce pipeline programs, sponsorship development, or industry-education partnership models
Familiarity with audience development, membership growth, or institutional outreach campaigns
Experience supporting credentialing, research, or academic recognition programs
Experience with AI-assisted content development tools

Responsibilities

Lead CICMHE governance & growth, serving as the primary staff liaison to leadership, volunteer committees, and advisory groups. Manage governance, budget execution, financial reporting, and the CICMHE microsite. Execute rebranding and audience-development initiatives.
Recruit members & volunteers, onboarding and supporting CICMHE volunteers, committee members, and student representatives. Actively recruit new institutional members and faculty participants to grow membership year over year.
Run flagship student & academic programs, including Student Day, MHTI (MHI's academic research conference), IMHRC (the International Material Handling Research Colloquium), and the Student Design Competition. Manage these end-to-end at MODEX, ProMat, and standalone programs, focusing on growing participation and institutional reach. Track outcomes against MHI's Workforce Development “Inspire and Recruit” priorities.
Own academic & industry partnerships, serving as MHI's primary relationship owner for universities, community colleges, and high school CTE programs. Cultivate them as curriculum-aligned, long-term pipeline partners. Build relationships with academic councils, accreditation bodies, and faculty networks.
Manage sponsorships & budgets, overseeing budgets for Student Day, MHTI, IMHRC, and the Student Design Competition. Secure and manage academic program sponsorships, ensuring sponsor deliverables are fulfilled.
Track data & report outcomes, establishing performance metrics such as institutional participation, attendance, membership growth, student engagement, and geographic reach. Use data to grow attendance at MHTI/IMHRC, expand Student Day participation, and increase institutional diversity across programs. Report outcomes to MHI leadership.
Represent MHI & CICMHE at academic conferences, faculty convenings, industry-education forums, MODEX, ProMat, and MHI's Annual Conference.
Collaborate cross-functionally with the Workforce Development Manager on shared pipeline events and sponsors. Coordinate with Marketing on outreach. Field inquiries from faculty, students, and institutions; maintain website content and CRM records with IT and Marketing.