Director of Corporate Partnerships, NYC

Vanderbilt University•New York, NY

2d•$164,000 - $201,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Corporate Partnerships (New York) will build deep and lasting partnerships between the university and business/industry as well as other strategic external entities that result in significant investment via student and alumni hires, co-marketing, executive education and training, as well as sponsored investments in other projects and/or research/philanthropy. As an integral member of the Vanderbilt University–New York City team and the university’s Center for Corporate Partnerships, this individual will help establish the NYC campus as a hub for corporate engagement, connecting New York City business and industry leaders with Vanderbilt’s academic programs, research enterprise, students, and broader institutional priorities. This position requires careful attention and guidance to manage expectations, facilitate experiences, and drive results. Insightful and continuous matchmaking, progress tracking, story capturing, best practices research, and co-creation are essential aspects of advancing such partnerships. Providing a single point of contact for the primary interface for a portfolio of strategic partner organizations with Vanderbilt, to organize across and support holistic engagement across the university, is essential to create and grow these lasting partnerships. The Director of Corporate Partnerships role based at the New York City campus serves as the primary interface for an assigned portfolio of strategic external partner companies on behalf of Vanderbilt University in New York, continuously connecting these clients with VU programs and initiatives across the entire portfolio to solve their business needs and increase revenue and other value for VU programs.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is required
Minimum 8 years of related professional work experience is required
Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required
Ability to exercise good judgment in the handling of confidential information is required
Capacity to perform in an intellectually rigorous and complex academic environment is required
The ability to work independently, take initiative, manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities is required
A professional attitude, with the ability to exhibit considerable tact, persuasion, and judgement in interactions with internal and external constituents is required
Demonstrated ability to work successfully with high-level executives is required
Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion as an organizational operating principle is required

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.
Experience in implementing and scaling Salesforce or similar CRM is preferred
Demonstrated experience developing relationships and navigating the New York City business community is strongly preferred.
Experience at the intersection of higher education, industry, and economic development is desirable.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Vanderbilt University focal for a portfolio of strategic partner companies to elevate engagement, drive value, and increase financial investment.
Create and implement client account plans to map existing alignment and forge strong, value-added relationships through achievement of identified partner business objectives.
Drive collaboration, engagement, and accountability to align solutions for client needs that are achieved on schedule, on budget, and meet/exceed expectations.
Deliver repeatable engagement processes to achieve client’s desired solutions and outcomes.
Assist with inquiries and/or answering questions on university capabilities, aligning visits and/or providing tours, making presentations, making referrals, and facilitating the achievement of official partnership agreements where appropriate.
Represent the department on committees and initiatives as delegated by leadership.
Identify and cultivate corporate partnerships that leverage Vanderbilt’s NYC presence to advance research collaborations, executive education, athletics, sponsored programs, student engagement and hiring, thought leadership, and innovative uses of campus facilities.
Facilitate and maintain deep collaborations with colleges and departments to develop and cultivate key relationships with researchers, faculty, academic leadership, administrative and research units, including Development and Alumni Relations, Government and Community Relations, Athletics, The Office of the Vice Provost for Research & Innovation, IT, Facilities, Procurement, and student employment units, including the Career Center, and other student talent gatekeepers, to increase breadth and depth of partnership opportunities.
Assist leadership in development of internal programs to increase visibility and opportunities for industry/business engagement for faculty and staff.
Collaborate with NYC academic leadership, faculty, and university career services to align opportunities with student interests and academic programs.
Partner with NYC campus leadership and university stakeholders to identify opportunities for corporate engagement through executive conversations, conferences, industry roundtables, thought leadership programs, and corporate engagement in signature campus events; convert these engagements into partnerships that drive revenue.
Proactively measures client satisfaction. Resolve any issues or potential process breakdowns and then leverage to preserve resources and create products and/or services that can be re-purposed as future solutions.
Collaborate on designing and implementing client focused policies and procedures that ensure that the university has an effective framework for maintaining and growing relationships with corporate partners so that they will recognize Vanderbilt University as a partner of choice.
Capture data and partner engagement to effectively allow marketing and communications to “tell the story” of transformational outcomes related to working with Vanderbilt University.
Help design and populate systems for progress metrics collection and reporting. Provide reports on a known regular cadence.
Advise leadership on issues, opportunities and best practices associated with partnership relationship management and make recommendations for continuous improvements.
Direct and implement special projects and/or perform related duties as assigned.
Maintain a qualified NYC corporate partnership pipeline and jointly agreed performance measures. Review progress regularly with both the Center for Corporate Partnerships leadership and NYC leadership.