[Remote] Employer Partnerships & Business Development

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Salem University is hiring an Employer Partnerships & Business Development Specialist to develop, secure, activate, and grow employer partnerships that connect organizational workforce needs with the university’s education programs. The role manages the business development lifecycle, including prospecting, employer consultation, proposals and agreements, partnership implementation, engagement, and pipeline reporting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development plans for assigned territories, industries, and employer markets
• Identify and prioritize prospective employers whose workforce development and employee education needs align with Salem University's academic programs and institutional priorities
• Independently generate new business opportunities through direct prospecting, targeted outreach, referrals, professional networks, industry associations, and relevant events
• Establish relationships with human resources, benefits, learning and development, operations, and executive-level decision-makers
• Identify employer workforce challenges, education benefit opportunities, employee development priorities, and potential partnership needs
• Evaluate prospective partnerships based on organizational needs, eligible employee populations, program alignment, employer commitment, implementation requirements, and growth potential
• Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of employer partnership opportunities
• Evaluate outreach effectiveness and adjust prospecting strategies based on market response, conversion trends, and business development results
• Demonstrate ownership and accountability for identifying, developing, and advancing new employer relationships
• Conduct employer discovery meetings to understand organizational workforce challenges, desired outcomes, decision-making processes, and potential barriers to employee participation
• Develop customized partnership recommendations that connect employer needs with relevant Salem University programs and educational opportunities
• Present business cases and value propositions to employer stakeholders
• Conduct employer presentations, respond to objections, and advance opportunities toward formal decisions
• Identify organizational decisionmakers, internal sponsors, approval requirements, and implementation expectations
• Establish clear next steps, responsible parties, and timelines following substantive employer meetings
• Maintain consistent follow-up throughout the business development process
• Exercise sound judgment in determining which opportunities warrant continued investment and which should be deprioritized
• Negotiate partnership terms within established University guidelines and obtain appropriate authorization before making commitments or exceptions
• Coordinate the development, review, approval, and execution of employer partnership agreements
• Ensure proposed partnerships align with approved University pricing, scholarship, academic, contractual, and operational parameters
• Collaborate with appropriate University stakeholders to confirm partnership feasibility and implementation requirements
• Develop activation plans for newly executed employer agreements
• Establish employer launch timelines, internal responsibilities, communication strategies, and implementation milestones
• Coordinate with Marketing, Enrollment, and other University departments to develop employee-facing communication materials, information sessions, and referral processes
• Support the transition of signed agreements into active, operational employer partnerships
• Identify and resolve implementation barriers through effective coordination and timely escalation
• Complete documented handoffs when ongoing partnership management responsibilities are reassigned
• Ensure employer partners receive accurate information regarding university programs, educational benefits, eligibility, and participation processes
• Maintain professional relationships with assigned employer partners following partnership activation
• Monitor partnership engagement, employee participation, and progress toward established objectives
• Identify opportunities to increase employer awareness and employee utilization of available educational programs
• Coordinate employer communication activities, educational presentations, and engagement initiatives
• Collaborate with Enrollment and Marketing to support employee outreach and partnership-related enrollment activities
• Identify opportunities to expand existing partnerships into additional programs, locations, departments, or employee populations
• Address declining participation, stalled activity, or partnership concerns through proactive engagement
• Support long-term partnership, sustainability and institutional growth
• Maintain accurate, complete, and timely employer partnership records within HubSpot or the University's designated Customer Relationship Management system
• Document employer contacts, stakeholder relationships, qualification findings, opportunity stages, next steps, responsible parties, and anticipated decision dates
• Monitor pipeline development, opportunity progression, proposal activity, agreement execution, and partnership activation
• Prepare regular pipeline updates, forecasts, and performance reports for the Vice President of Partnership Development
• Identify obstacles affecting partnership development and present recommended solutions
• Monitor sales-cycle timelines, conversion rates, forecast accuracy, and partnership outcomes
• Collaborate with Enrollment to support accurate tracking of partnership-generated inquiries, applications, and enrollments
• Utilize performance data to evaluate business development effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement
• Maintain disciplined follow-through and accountability for assigned business development activities
• Research assigned employer markets, workforce trends, industry needs, and potential partnership opportunities
• Identify industries and organizations with workforce development needs aligned with Salem University's academic offerings
• Develop and refine territory strategies based on employer demand, market opportunities, and demonstrated results
• Recommend new outreach approaches, employer engagement strategies, and partnership opportunities
• Provide market intelligence and employer feedback to University leadership
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for new or expanded employer education solutions
• Maintain awareness of relevant employer education benefits, tuition assistance programs, and workforce development initiatives
• Evaluate business development activities based on potential institutional impact and available resources
• Collaborate with Enrollment, Marketing, Academic Affairs, and other University departments to support employer partnership development and implementation
• Communicate employer needs, partnership commitments, and operational requirements clearly to appropriate stakeholders
• Ensure internal teams are engaged before commitments are made that require their resources or approval
• Support coordinated employer communication and employee enrollment processes
• Maintain professional working relationships across departments
• Escalate operational, contractual, or implementation concerns when appropriate
• Represent Salem University professionally in employer meetings, industry events, conferences, and community activities
• Manage assigned travel and business development expenses within approved budgets
• Evaluate travel and outreach expenditures based on opportunity quality and anticipated partnership value
• Maintain appropriate documentation of business development expenses
• Utilize University resources responsibly and in accordance with applicable policies
• Recommend resource allocation adjustments when supported by business development results
• Represent Salem University's mission, values, academic programs, and institutional priorities professionally
• Maintain accurate and ethical representations of University programs, costs, eligibility requirements, and educational opportunities
• Exercise sound judgment when communicating with prospective and existing employer partners
• Maintain confidentiality of employer, employee, student, and institutional information
• Follow established University policies and procedures
• Participate in required meetings, professional-development activities, and University initiatives
• Maintain a high degree of professionalism, initiative, accountability, and responsiveness
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Skills

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant professional experience
• Minimum of three years of successful business-to-business sales, business development, employer partnerships, or workforce solutions experience
• Demonstrated responsibility for independently generating and closing new organizational accounts or partnerships
• Documented success developing qualified business pipelines, securing new accounts, executing agreements, or producing measurable account growth
• Experience conducting proactive prospecting and navigating organizational decision-making processes involving multiple stakeholders
• Strong consultative selling, business writing, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills
• Experience using CRM systems to maintain business development records, manage opportunities, and support forecasting
• Demonstrated ability to independently develop new business opportunities without relying exclusively on established lead sources
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Experience exclusively recruiting individual students, without organizational business development or employer partnership responsibility, does not independently satisfy the required B2B experience
• Experience selling education, workforce development, corporate learning, employee benefits, or other consultative B2B services
• Experience establishing employer education partnerships or workforce development agreements
• Experience working with employer tuition assistance or employee education benefit programs
• Experience engaging employers in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, construction, skilled trades, or related industries
• Experience developing and activating employer partnerships that result in sustained employee engagement
• Experience working within higher education or workforce education environments
• Experience using HubSpot for pipeline management, forecasting, and employer relationship tracking
• Experience utilizing technology-assisted account research and business development outreach
• Established employer relationships in Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, or Georgia
• Residence within an assigned or priority employer market is preferred but not required

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