Sr. Director, Partnership Strategy & Engagement (UK)
About Boundless Learning
Leaders in Online Learning Solutions Empowering Partners to Reach Learners Worldwide For 30 years, we have partnered with organizations and corporations around the world to design workforce-aligned experiences. When it comes to online program management, we keep learner success at the heart of everything we do and work hard to deliver positive career outcomes. And now, after launching more than 450 online programs with Pearson Online Learning Services, we are excited for our mission to evolve. Today, as a fully independent operation, we help some 17,000 learners begin their journeys annually and serve a student body representing more than 150 nations.
Four Key Areas of Focus
1. Learner-Centered Design The quality of the learner’s experience matters. We design solutions that are informed by learner needs and industry demands. We design courses and develop programs with flexibility, engagement, and employability in mind. Our teams are led by subject matter experts in strategy, research, development, and data science.
2. Data-Drive Personalization Our approach to academic strategy pinpoints untapped potential. Our team uses advanced digital analytics tools to identify learners across all segments, build student recruitment strategies, and develop enrollment management services. We see what works. We adjust. Then we dig in again. The results speak for themselves.
3. Access and Opportunity We believe the power of learning should be available to all. Our solutions consider values, beliefs, and life stage.
4. Trustworthy Partnerships As experts in online learning solutions, our reach breaks borders (and barriers) to support learners and partners around the globe. We emphasize transparency and commit to shared goals. It is how we have made long-lasting relationships worldwide.
About the Team
Global Partner Strategy & Engagement
As experts in online learning solutions, our reach breaks borders (and barriers) to support learners and partners around the globe. Currently we serve partners in North America, the UK, and Australia. We emphasize transparency and commit to shared goals. It is how we have made long-lasting relationships worldwide.
The Global Partner Strategy & Engagement (PSE) team sits in the heart of the Global Acquisition and Retention (A&R) team, led by Boundless Learning’s Chief Revenue Officer. We are joined in this division by Global Marketing, Enrollment Services, Student Support Services, and Product and Learner Experience. The purpose of the PSE Team is to establish, translate, and position the strategic capabilities, operational value, and KPIs that Boundless Learning provides to our global University Partners. We work across the organization to be experts in the end-to-end services we provide partners so that we can best position our work and collaborate with University Partners to accelerate growth. The PSE team’s goal is to ensure that both internal business partners and external partner stakeholders have a clear understanding of what Boundless Learning’s strategic and tactical plans are for lead generation, new student enrollment, and continuing student retention and how performance is pacing against KPIs. We do this directly by serving as bi-directional coordinator for A&R – representing the functional teams to the partner and reporting back to the business partner-provided feedback and insights to inform strategic and operational enhancements. We aim to be the unified voice for A&R for the organization. As such, we are the face of the business with Academic Partners and serve as their single point of contact for all aspects of their engagement with Boundless Learning from contact inception forward. Through our deep business and partnership knowledge, we develop and ensure on-point delivery of Boundless Learning’s capabilities.
About the Role: Steward Boundless Learning’s University Partnerships for Optimal Bi-Directional Success
This role will be part of the Global Partnership Strategy & Execution team that coordinates Boundless Learnings partner activities cross-functionally and will be the central conduit for engagement management between Boundless Learning and our portfolio of UK-based University Partners. The role will report to the VP of Partnership Strategy & Engagement and will have several dotted line coordination requirements for consistent communication and engagement with global marketing, enrollment, student support services, product, finance, legal and B2B. This position will be the knowledge expert on all aspects of university partners and will be asked to present at business reviews, executive meetings, and team meetings.
It is expected that this person will have consistent interaction and engagement with Boundless Learning partners and the internal Boundless Learning cross-functional team. This person will demonstrate a deep understanding of partner GTM and growth strategies.
Position Purpose
To progress partnership opportunities with well-regarded and ambitions higher education institutions and manage/optimize existing agreements for quality, efficacy, improvement in market share, and to drive enrollment growth.
Responsible for the development and execution of partner strategy, leading the activity of the Portfolio Strategy & Engagement Team within the UK, and securing and coordinating engagement from Boundless Learning functional and executive teams as needed.
Responsible for evaluating new initiatives and business opportunities relating to partnerships, conducting due diligence, and making recommendations to functional leads across the Global Acquisition & Retention team for incremental and transformational growth.
Top Three Goals
1. Meet/exceed annual performance KPIs for revenue targets and total enrolments.
2. Meet/exceed University partner expectations for Boundless Learning service delivery.
3. Improve internal and external cross-functional collaboration and alignment for efficiency and speed.
Core Tasks
1. Lead the creation and development of a clearly defined growth and engagement strategy for partners designed to deliver significant and sustainable growth.
2. Lead relationship building with senior level stakeholders at University Partnerships to understand institutional drivers and exert influence in relation to significant long-term strategy and investment decisions.
3. Serve as the main point of contact in all partner-facing engagements on behalf of the Acquisition and Retention Team.
4. Provide leadership to a team of Partnership Strategy & Engagement Team members in the UK.
5. Develop best-practices in partnership development, engagement, and complexsolutioning, and share these with colleagues across the Global business.
Key Relationships
• Manages a wide range of senior/executive relationships externally with university partners
• External Stakeholder Examples - University Executives (VC, DVC, PVC, Dean/Head of School, University Administration and Functional Leaders (Marketing, Recruitment, Distance Learning, Admissions, etc.), University Faculty
• Negotiates complex legal and commercial solutions with university partners on behalf of boundless learning (in collaboration with Finance & Legal)
• Influences investment and resourcing decisions across marketing, enrollment, and student support services
• Engages with all aspects of the internal Boundless Learning team via a matrixed structure
Key Accountabilities
• Serves as the senior leader based in the UK who provides overall supervision for the office
• Stewarding end to end student acquisition & retention strategy and engagement plans for UK-based University partners
• Monitoring, reviewing, and reporting on partnership acquisition and retention performance
• Leading the development and maintenance of stakeholder relationships
Responsibilities
• Contract and proforma metric tracking
• Partner-facing reporting and performance updates for partner-facing and executive briefings
• Lead deep dive analyses for areas of opportunity/risk
• Asset review, approval, and maintenance
• Post-Term performance reviews and strategy development
• Represent Boundless Learning in ad-hoc partnership meetings as required
About You
Are you ready to join an organization where your potential is boundless?
• Exceptional experience in high-level stakeholder management
• Knowledge of the end-to-end learner and partner experience as it relates to online program management
• Strategic aptitude with an ability to diagnose and assess tactical performance and relationship headwinds and tailwinds
• Ability to influence internal and external stakeholders • Exceptional communicator with an eye for detail and an ear for the unspoken
• Ability to translate complex information bi-directionally, to and from the partner and the business
• Skilled at seeing the connective tissues that exist between divisions/teams/partners
• Creative thinkers & problem solvers who can knit together disparate tactics across the business into a cohesive overarching strategy
• Experienced in strategy development and execution • Highly experienced in drawing actionable insight from data
• Strong commercial acumen
• Highly organized and meticulous
• Culture Champion with a track record for improving employee morale and engagement
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