Academic Development Manager

Material Handling Industry•Charlotte, NC

11d•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 increase CICMHE's reach across educational institutions from high schools to universities, while enhancing the visibility of the Academic Community within MHI and the industry. This position acts as a crucial link between MHI and the academic world, engaging with CTE programs, university research, and faculty to bring new professionals into the industry.

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 and growth, serving as the primary staff liaison to its leadership, volunteer committees, and advisory groups.
Manage CICMHE governance, budget execution, financial reporting, and the CICMHE microsite.
Execute rebranding and audience-development initiatives, including recruiting new members and volunteers.
Onboard and support CICMHE volunteers, committee members, and student representatives.
Actively recruit new institutional members and faculty participants to achieve year-over-year membership growth.
Manage flagship student and academic programs, including Student Day, MHTI, IMHRC, and the Student Design Competition, end-to-end at major trade shows and standalone events.
Focus on growing participation and institutional reach for student and academic programs.
Track outcomes against MHI's Workforce Development “Inspire and Recruit” priorities.
Serve as MHI's primary relationship owner for universities, community colleges, and high school CTE programs, fostering them as long-term pipeline partners.
Build relationships with academic councils, accreditation bodies, and faculty networks.
Oversee budgets for Student Day, MHTI, IMHRC, and the Student Design Competition, and secure/manage academic program sponsorships.
Establish performance metrics (institutional participation, attendance, membership growth, student engagement, geographic reach) and use data to drive program growth and diversity.
Report outcomes to MHI leadership.
Represent MHI & CICMHE at academic conferences, faculty convenings, industry-education forums, and MHI trade shows/conferences.
Partner with the Workforce Development Manager on shared pipeline events and sponsors.
Coordinate with Marketing on outreach efforts.
Field inquiries from faculty, students, and institutions, and maintain website content and CRM records with IT and Marketing.