This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Partner Operations Manager based in the United States.
In this role, you will oversee the operational success of strategic university partnerships, ensuring smooth program delivery and an exceptional experience throughout the student lifecycle. Acting as the primary operational contact for assigned partners, you will build trusted relationships and coordinate initiatives across multiple internal teams. You will lead program launches, optimize ongoing operations, and proactively address challenges to ensure consistent execution. By leveraging data, technology, and analytical insights, you will identify opportunities to streamline processes and improve performance. You will also drive change management initiatives and support the adoption of new workflows and systems. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the growth of online education while helping universities expand access to flexible, high-quality learning opportunities.
- Serve as the primary operational point of contact for assigned university partners, developing strong relationships and maintaining alignment on objectives, priorities, and project timelines.
- Coordinate and execute operational plans for successful program launches and ongoing delivery, ensuring a seamless experience throughout the student journey, from initial inquiry to graduation.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including enrollment, marketing, technology, and other departments, to coordinate deliverables and ensure consistent, high-quality execution.
- Identify, investigate, and resolve operational challenges proactively, escalating complex issues when necessary while maintaining a partner-focused and solutions-oriented approach.
- Drive operational excellence by implementing best practices, optimizing workflows, reducing inefficiencies, and improving the experience for university partners and students.
- Lead change management initiatives by communicating process improvements, supporting partner adoption, and coordinating the implementation of new systems, workflows, and program structures.
- Analyze operational data, performance trends, and escalations to identify root causes, support informed decision-making, and recommend improvements that contribute to student success and program growth.
- Ensure accurate and timely data integration, reporting, and documentation to provide clear visibility into operational performance and support strategic planning.
- Maintain regular communication with stakeholders, sharing updates on partner activities, operational metrics, project progress, and program changes.
- Contribute to resource allocation and prioritization discussions to improve partner satisfaction, strengthen operational scalability, and support long-term business growth.
- Document processes, decisions, and partner communications to ensure transparency, consistency, and continuity across teams.
- Monitor operational outcomes, including program launch timelines, enrollment performance, student retention, and process efficiency, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
Requirements:
- At least 5 years of professional experience in operations, account management, project management, or program management, ideally within higher education, education technology, or another complex, client-facing environment.
- Proven experience managing multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and complex operational workflows while delivering measurable results.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify operational trends, investigate root causes, and translate insights into actionable improvements.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with external partners while collaborating effectively with internal cross-functional teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to manage stakeholder expectations, facilitate discussions, communicate change, and influence outcomes.
- Experience improving operational processes, managing projects, and implementing solutions that enhance efficiency, service quality, and customer or partner satisfaction.
- Familiarity with operational technology and business systems, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms or Student Information Systems (SIS), is an advantage.
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% as required.
- Preferred qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related discipline.
- Experience working with universities, online education programs, enrollment operations, or within the higher education and edtech sectors.
- Exposure to change management, organizational transformation, or initiatives involving the implementation of new systems, processes, and working methods.
- Experience using technology, data analytics tools, or AI-powered solutions to optimize operations, generate actionable insights, and support business growth.
- Strong organizational skills, adaptability, initiative, and a collaborative mindset, with the ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving environment.
Benefits:
- Full-time employment opportunity.
- Fully remote working arrangement within the United States.
- Opportunity to work with university partners and contribute to expanding access to affordable, high-quality online education.
- Exposure to cross-functional projects involving operations, technology, enrollment, marketing, and strategic partnerships.
- Opportunities to drive meaningful operational improvements and influence partner and student outcomes.
- Collaborative and inclusive working environment that values adaptability, empowerment, and customer-centricity.
- Professional development through involvement in transformation initiatives, process optimization, and innovative education technology solutions.
