Associate Director Technical Partner Management

Collegis Education•Oak Brook, IL

36d•Hybrid

About The Position

In this role, you’ll serve as a strategic technology partner and relationship leader, helping higher education institutions align their technology priorities, operational needs, and digital transformation goals with scalable solutions and services. This role exists to support Collegis Education’s managed services partners by leading technology strategy, governance, project delivery, account performance, and stakeholder relationships across assigned college and university partnerships.

Requirements

3 years of experience in a customer-facing role interfacing with executive stakeholders, driving customer technical implementation, or leading transformation programs
At least 10 years of IT professional experience with at least 2 years of direct staff management or leadership experience
Understanding of at least one of the following areas: IT operations, database systems, networking, IT security, application or integration development, service architecture, or hosting services
Ability to provide effort, leadership, and creative thinking to solve complex and significant problems in a collaborative environment
Ability to work concurrently on multiple complex and sometimes ambiguous problems
Strong ability to communicate complex concepts, problems, and solutions clearly and effectively to all levels of an organization
Excellent communication, presentation, problem-solving, and management skills
Ability to adapt communication style to the listener’s experience, background, and expectations, including technical and non-technical audiences
Ability to communicate in an effective and approachable style that engages others and builds credibility
Ability to provide rationale when delivering complex or challenging information
Strong relationship management skills with the ability to build trust, manage expectations, and drive partner satisfaction
Financial and business acumen with the ability to manage account performance, profitability, budgets, and growth opportunities
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and coordinate service delivery across internal and external stakeholders
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related technical field, Management, or equivalent practical experience required

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technology account leader for up to three higher education institutions, ensuring successful, enduring, and productive partner relationships
Partner with institutional leaders, CIOs, and key stakeholders to understand technology needs, strategic objectives, service expectations, and institutional priorities
Provide technology thought leadership and input into IT strategy based on partner objectives, collaboration with CIOs, and alignment with Collegis technology functional leaders
Facilitate IT project governance and steering committee processes to prioritize technology initiatives and align technology priorities with institutional strategic objectives
Define project and service scope, resource plans, schedules, staffing needs, tools, budgets, and internal or external constraints
Oversee the IT portfolio for assigned partners, including project schedules, delivery progress, stakeholder communication, and expectation management
Build and nurture inter-organizational and interpersonal relationships that strengthen trust, enhance collaboration, and support partner and Collegis business plans
Conduct regular check-ins with external stakeholders, including monthly and/or quarterly business reviews
Provide clear direction to internal technology teams on client priorities, objectives, and expectations to ensure projects are appropriately scoped and executed
Manage ongoing communication with partner leadership, key departments, stakeholders, and internal Collegis teams
Review monthly service level reports and provide analysis and feedback to support continuous improvement
Develop the annual account operating budget and monitor account profit and loss financial statements to manage profitability and drive improvement initiatives
Support account growth by identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities aligned with partner needs
Report to management on information technology plans, projects, account performance, and related matters
Provide continual process and technology improvement suggestions for Partner Management
Provide assistance and mentorship to less senior team members
Manage assigned IT Managed Services partners simultaneously with minimal oversight
Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned
Adhere to the appropriate information security policies based on the sensitivity of company data and report any security-related issues