Senior Manager, Enterprise Partnerships - Institution Strategy & Ventures

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

24d•$130,600 - $235,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships will accelerate WGU’s mission by cultivating and managing high-impact partnerships that expand our reach, enhance innovation, and generate new pathways for learners and employers. This leader will bridge the academic, corporate, and non-profit ecosystems, identifying opportunities for collaboration, co-development, and strategic investment aligned with organizational-wide priorities.

Requirements

Solid understanding of workforce trends, and the interplay between education, technology, and labor markets
Familiarity and experience working solution providers in the talent economy: education and learning, workforce management, GenAI
Strategic thinker with the ability to see connections across entities and initiatives and translate them into actionable partnership
Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, capable of engaging diverse audiences—from executives to external stakeholders.
Strong negotiation, contract structuring, and project management skills.
Highly data-driven, organized, and comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
Skilled in coaching and empowering team members to take ownership of partnership initiatives, manage complex workstreams, and deliver measurable results.
Bachelors Degree
7+ years of professional experience in strategic partnerships, corporate development, product management, or innovation strategy.
3+ years leading a team, either in a direct management role or complex cross-functional project lead role
Proven experience managing complex cross-sector relationships and delivering measurable results through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
Demonstrated success in building and managing partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, venture-backed startups, or innovation labs.
Experience negotiating and executing multi-party agreements (MOUs, joint initiatives, or sponsored research partnerships).
Proven ability to translate organizational goals into partnership strategies that deliver measurable outcomes (funding, pilots, co-development projects, etc.).
Familiarity with innovative philanthropic funds including corporate venture capital, startup accelerators, and research commercialization.
Experience working in or alongside academic institutions or mission-driven organizations, understanding how to bridge public and private sector objectives.

Nice To Haves

Strategic partnership experience in higher education, edtech, workforce development, corporate learning, or mission-driven sectors.

Responsibilities

Build proactive plans for co-development, joint initiatives, and first-of-its-kind collaborations for products, technologies, or market-shaping programs that advance enterprise priorities and deliver measurable impact.
Coordinate across internal stakeholders—academic and business unit leaders, WGU Labs, Enterprise Tech, Marketing, Legal, and Operations—to ensure alignment, risk management, and delivery readiness.
Negotiate effective partnership structures that maintain WGU’s mission integrity, financial stewardship, and brand strength.
Oversee progress and performance across all partnership initiatives—from concept to launch to operational scale.
Ensure both partners and WGU meet milestones and achieve intended outcomes, measuring jointly defined success metrics.
Identify opportunities to deepen relationships or, where impact and alignment diminish, responsibly sunset partnerships.
Serve as the primary bridge between internal teams and partner organizations, translating vision into execution.
Lead cross-functional workstreams (e.g., tech validations, research collaborations, go-to-market pilots, joint marketing activities) that deliver measurable value.
Promote knowledge sharing and playbooks for partnership management across SVG and the broader WGU system.
Establish partnership success metrics and dashboards to assess reach, impact, and return on investment (ROI).
Leverage insights to refine partnership strategy, report outcomes to senior leadership and the Board, and contribute to the annual enterprise strategy review.
Represent WGU at major industry events, conferences, and consortia related to education, workforce, and technology innovation.
Position WGU as a trusted collaborator and thought leader in the talent economy ecosystem.
Lead and mentor a small, high-performing team fostering collaboration, curiosity, and excellence.
Model cross-functional leadership, influence without authority, and build capacity for partnership management across the SVG function.