Account Manager - Business/IT, Health, Military/Government, Sports & Fitness

ACU is affiliated with the fellowship of the Church of Christ. This position requires the employee to be a professing Christian and to be willing to support the Christian mission of ACU.

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Abilene Christian University (ACU Dallas) is seeking a high-performing, mission-driven Account Manager to lead enterprise-level partnership account management. Serving as a strategic partner to external organizations, this role focuses on aligning ACU's robust online academic catalog with corporate, clinical, public-sector, and athletic workforces to solve acute talent shortages and drive enrollment growth. Candidates must support ACU's Christian mission. Regional travel and occasional overnight travel are expected.

Imagine helping executive leaders across major industries solve their acute talent shortages, upskill their workforce, and develop values-driven leaders. In this role, you won't just be selling degree programs; you will serve as a respected strategic partner to organizations within specialized verticals. By aligning ACU’s robust online portfolio with the needs of corporate, clinical, public-sector, and athletic workforces, you will make a meaningful impact on adult learners, their organizations, and the broader communities they serve.

Scope:  Responsible for enterprise-level Business Development and B2B Partnership management for ACU Dallas. The Account Manager will champion specific workforce development products, targeting corporate accounts, healthcare networks, military/government installations, and sports organizations to drive enrollment growth.

Major Responsibilities:

• Sales, Negotiation & Enterprise Business Development

• Client Relationship & Lifecycle Management

• Product Leadership & Strategic Alignment

• CRM & Operational Excellence

Vertical Market Focus Areas

The Account Manager will actively cultivate and manage a portfolio across one or more of the following sectors:

• Business & IT: Partnering with tech firms, financial institutions, and corporate enterprises to offer workforce upskilling in cybersecurity, data analytics, MBA programs, and organizational leadership.

• Healthcare: Partnering with hospital systems, clinical networks, and public health organizations to build pathways for BSN, MSN, Healthcare Administration, and clinical leadership development.

• Military & Government: Partnering with defense commands, veteran associations, state/local agencies, and municipal departments to provide specialized public administration, emergency management, and leadership pathways.

• Sports & Athletics: Partnering with professional franchises, collegiate athletic departments, school sports associations, and fitness enterprises to promote sports management, coaching, and athletic administration programs.

Major Responsibilities & Essential Duties

Sales, Negotiation & Enterprise Business Development

• Pipeline Generation: Proactively identify, target, and secure meetings with key organizational decision-makers—including Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), Chief Learning Officers (CLOs), Hospital Administrators, Military Education Officers, and Athletic Directors.

• Account Upselling & Expansion: Build and expand existing institutional partnerships by maintaining high-touch rapport, introducing new educational tracks, and identifying multi-departmental upselling opportunities.

• Outreach Strategy: Design and execute multi-channel outreach campaigns utilizing networking events, cold outreach, executive sales presentations, and strategic LinkedIn/social selling.

• Goal Achievement: Meet and exceed quarterly and annual enrollment and corporate partnership goals by building high-conversion workforce development pathways.

• Market Intelligence: Track industry trends, corporate tuition assistance benefits, and competitor offerings (pricing, discounts, delivery models) to keep ACU’s B2B benefits highly competitive.

Client Relationship & Lifecycle Management

• Institutional Liaising: Build long-term, trust-based relationships with corporate partners, acting as the primary executive liaison between the client organization and ACU Dallas leadership.

• Strategic Handoff: Bridge the gap between the partner organizations and the university by seamlessly introducing enrolled working professionals to ACU’s dedicated enrollment and student success teams.

• Lifecycle Oversight: Maintain a bird’s-eye view of the corporate student lifecycle to anticipate, mitigate, and resolve roadblocks related to tuition reimbursement, cohort scheduling, or employer billing.

• Outcome Analysis: Monitor partner behavior, employee enrollment metrics, and workforce retention data to continually optimize engagement strategies.

Product Leadership & Strategic Alignment

• Subject Matter Expertise: Develop an in-depth, expert understanding of ACU’s online academic catalog, understanding exactly how specific degrees align with industry-specific skill gaps (e.g., matching a tech firm's needs with ACU's MS in Information Technology).

• Contract Negotiation: Draft, negotiate, and execute formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), cohort agreements, and custom corporate discount structures with partner entities.

• Feedback Loop: Collect ongoing feedback from industry partners regarding workforce needs to inform curriculum updates, new certificate designs, and program refinements by the ACU Dallas academic team.

CRM & Operational Excellence

• Maintain meticulous data integrity in Salesforce, ensuring all leads, accounts, touches, and contract lifecycles are accurately tracked in real time.

Professional Experience & Skills

• Experience: Minimum of 3–5 years of successful B2B sales, enterprise account management, or institutional business development experience.B2B sales experience preferred; military service, military leadership experience, or experience working within military organizations will also be considered.

• Vertical Domain Expertise: Direct experience working within, selling to, or managing partnerships in at least one (preferably more) of the target verticals: Corporate Business/IT, Healthcare/Nursing systems, Military/Government sectors, or Professional/Collegiate Sports networks.

• Adaptability: Proven capability to flourish in a fast-paced, high-growth, remote-first environment.

• Consultative Selling: Outstanding communication and active-listening skills, with a demonstrated ability to uncover an organization's talent challenges and craft tailored educational solutions.

• Executive Presence: Comfortable presenting to, negotiating with, and securing buy-in from C-Suite executives, high-ranking military officials, and institutional leaders.

• Tech Literacy: Proficiency with Salesforce (or similar enterprise CRM), Zoom, Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets, and corporate presentation software.

Qualifications:

Education Requirements:

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Healthcare Administration, Sports Management, or a related field.

• Preferred: An advanced degree (MBA, MS, or relevant master's degree) is highly desirable.

• Preferred: Military veteran with base access

Physical Demands & Travel

• Digital Workspace: Most work is performed in a remote home office setting utilizing a computer, telephone, and video conferencing software (Zoom). Must be comfortable remaining stationary for extended periods.

• Travel: Regional travel is required to meet clients on-site, attend industry conferences, and participate in corporate networking events. Occasional overnight travel may be necessary.

• Resilience: Ability to perform efficiently under performance objectives and manage professional stress gracefully.

ACU does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal law.

ACU is committed to maintaining a safe and secure campus environment and protecting the university's financial and physical assets. Therefore, Abilene Christian University conducts background checks on all candidates for employment in security sensitive positions. As a current employee, it will be determined if you need an additional background check upon your hire.