Director of Strategic Partnerships

Howard University

1d•$115,000 - $125,000

About The Position

Under the direction of the Assistant Vice President of Corporate Relations, the Director of Strategic Partnerships develops, manages, and executes strategic partnerships that advance Howard University's institutional priorities. The Director serves as the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of corporate and strategic partners and leads partnership development efforts that support research, workforce development, student success, innovation, and institutional engagement. Working collaboratively with academic and administrative units, the Director identifies, cultivates, negotiates, and manages partnerships that create mutual value for the University and its external partners. The Director supervises partnership development staff, monitors partnership performance, and supports departmental initiatives that strengthen Howard University's corporate engagement efforts.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic partnerships, corporate relations, business development, external affairs, university relations, workforce development, or a related field.
Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or management experience leading professional staff, managing performance, and fostering a collaborative, results-oriented work environment.
Demonstrated success developing, negotiating, implementing, and managing strategic partnerships that result in measurable organizational outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with senior executives, external stakeholders, and cross-functional partners while representing an organization with professionalism and sound judgment.
Demonstrated ability to develop partnership strategies, proposals, presentations, executive briefing materials, and reports that effectively communicate organizational priorities and partnership opportunities.
Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, faculty, staff, corporate partners, and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, lead cross-functional initiatives, solve complex problems, and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.
Experience conducting prospect research, evaluating partnership opportunities, and utilizing data to support decision-making and relationship management.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience utilizing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, such as Salesforce or similar systems, to manage partnership activities, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.

Nice To Haves

MBA, Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, Communications, Marketing, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.
Experience developing and managing strategic partnerships within a research university, higher education institution, Fortune 500 company, corporate foundation, or similarly complex organization.
Demonstrated success cultivating and managing relationships with Fortune 500 companies, corporate foundations, and executive-level stakeholders, resulting in strategic partnerships and measurable organizational impact.
Experience developing partnerships that support research, workforce development, experiential learning, innovation, student success, or sponsored initiatives.
Knowledge of corporate engagement, university-industry collaboration, public-private partnerships, or strategic alliance development.
Experience utilizing CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and data analytics to manage partnership pipelines, measure outcomes, and inform strategic decision-making.
Experience with corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sponsored research, or advancement is desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement partnership strategies that align with Howard University's mission and institutional priorities.
Manage a portfolio of strategic corporate and institutional partners.
Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective partners.
Identify and cultivate new partnership opportunities that support research, workforce development, student success, and innovation.
Develop partnership proposals, engagement plans, and collaborative initiatives.
Lead partnership discussions and facilitate mutually beneficial agreements.
Coordinate executive meetings, campus visits, and partner engagement opportunities.
Prepare executive briefings, presentations, and partnership recommendations.
Represent the Office of Corporate Relations at meetings, conferences, and events.
Maintain productive relationships with senior corporate and institutional stakeholders.
Support stewardship activities that strengthen long-term partner engagement.
Collaborate with academic and administrative units to identify partnership opportunities.
Coordinate internal and external stakeholders throughout partnership development and implementation.
Align partnership activities with institutional priorities.
Facilitate communication across participating University units.
Support the development of partnership presentations, reports, marketing materials, and briefing documents.
Collaborate on partnership success stories and impact communications.
Ensure partnership information on departmental communication channels remains current.
Prepare reports and updates on partnership activities and outcomes.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate assigned staff.
Assign responsibilities and monitor progress toward departmental objectives.
Promote collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Support staff professional development.
Monitor industry trends and identify prospective partnership opportunities.
Maintain partnership records and CRM data.
Track key performance indicators and recommend process improvements.