University Partnership Manager

Keypath Education; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Professional development

Wellbeing initiatives

LinkedIn Learning access

IT equipment provided

Job summary

StudyNext is seeking a University Partnerships Manager to expand our university network across Australia. You will build strategic relationships with leading higher education institutions, helping them attract students and contributing to StudyNext's growth.

You will work with university leaders and internal experts to own the partnership journey from initial talks to signed agreements and ongoing expansion.

Qualifications

• Experience in higher education sector, particularly student recruitment or partnerships.
• Established network within Australian higher education sector.
• Natural relationship builder who influences senior stakeholders.
• Strong commercial mindset with ability to close complex B2B agreements.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end business development from prospecting to contract execution.
• Build and maintain relationships with university leaders (VCs, Marketing Directors, Admissions, IT, Faculty Heads).
• Identify enrolment growth opportunities and position StudyNext solutions.
• Develop business cases, proposals and presentations showing value and outcomes.
• Manage sales pipeline with forecasting and CRM activity.
• Collaborate with product, marketing, delivery, finance and legal teams.
• Represent StudyNext at conferences and industry events to generate opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing university partnerships and ensure long-term value.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activity to inform strategy.

Skills

Relationship building

Commercial mindset

Stakeholder management

Proactive selling

Pipeline management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Education or related field

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Make an Impact on the Future of Higher Education

StudyNext is a platform that connects learners with education providers, offering a wide range of courses, from short upskilling programs to full postgraduate degrees.

For learners, this means a more tailored, transparent, and empowering alternative to navigating university websites, helping them find the right course, compare options, and apply with confidence. For education providers, we offer a way to reach motivated students, tell their story, and grow enrolments through a trusted, student-first platform.

We partner with leading universities, professional associations and publishers. We break down complex decisions into clear, actionable steps, helping people choose the right course to suit their lifestyle and match their career aspirations.

The Opportunity

As a University Partnerships Manager, you'll play a critical role in expanding our university network across Australia. You'll build strategic partnerships with leading higher education institutions, helping them attract the right students while supporting StudyNext's continued growth.

This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded business development professional who thrives on building senior stakeholder relationships, solving complex challenges and creating partnerships that deliver measurable outcomes. Working closely with university leaders and internal experts, you'll own the entire partnership journey, from first conversation through to signed agreement and ongoing growth.

If you're passionate about education and enjoy working at the intersection of strategy, sales and stakeholder engagement, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the end-to-end business development process, from prospecting and qualification through to proposal development, negotiation and contract execution.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with university stakeholders, including Vice-Chancellors, Marketing Directors, Admissions Leaders, IT teams and Faculty Heads.

• Identify institutional challenges and enrolment growth opportunities, positioning StudyNext solutions to meet each university's unique needs.

• Develop compelling business cases, proposals and presentations that clearly demonstrate value and commercial outcomes.

• Manage a healthy sales pipeline, maintaining accurate forecasting, CRM activity and reporting.

• Partner with internal stakeholders across product, marketing, delivery, finance and legal teams to create commercially sound solutions.

• Represent StudyNext at conferences, industry events and networking opportunities to build brand awareness and generate new partnership opportunities.

• Identify opportunities to expand and grow existing university partnerships, ensuring long‑term success and value for our partners.

• Monitor market trends, competitor activity and sector developments to inform strategy and uncover new opportunities for growth.

About You

• You are passionate about education and excited by the opportunity to help universities reach more learners and deliver meaningful educational outcomes.

• Experience within the higher education sector, particularly student recruitment, enrolment growth or education partnerships, will be highly regarded.

• An established network within the Australian higher education sector

• You're a natural relationship builder who enjoys engaging with senior stakeholders and influencing decision-makers.

• You have a strong commercial mindset and a proven ability to identify opportunities, develop solutions and close complex B2B agreements.

• You thrive in consultative sales environments, taking the time to understand client needs and deliver tailored solutions that create value.

• You're an exceptional communicator and presenter, confident adapting your style to suit executive leaders, technical teams and operational stakeholders alike.

• You're enjoying navigating complex organisations and building relationships across multiple stakeholder groups to achieve a common outcome.

• You're highly organised, data-driven and disciplined in managing pipelines, forecasting and CRM activities.

• You're comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment and enjoy the challenge of building new opportunities from the ground up.

Experience within the Education Industry (Higher Ed), in particular student recruitment, is highly valued as well as having an established network within the higher ed sector.

What We Offer

• Professional development support, including access to certifications and training programmes.

• Flexible working (remote, hybrid or office)

• Employee Assistance Program and wellbeing initiatives

• Access to LinkedIn Learning and career development programs

• IT Equipment provided for your success

Ready to Make an Impact?

Join StudyNext and help shape the future of education. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to an inclusive hiring experience.

Please note that only candidates residing in Australia with full working rights will be eligible for consideration. Preferred applicants may be required to complete a police check and other pre-employment checks.