Business Partner Coordinator

The Kalamazoo Promise; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The Kalamazoo Promise is seeking a Business Partner Coordinator to develop and sustain partnerships with the business community, connecting Kalamazoo Promise Students, Scholars, and Alumni with opportunity paths.

Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the role emphasizes driving equitable outcomes by expanding employer engagement, delivering presentations, and maintaining partner relationships across Kalamazoo.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in partnership management, account management, business development, or similar role.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships.
• Familiarity with partnership activation and engagement strategies.
• Previous success delivering projects on time and achieving results.
• Strong organizational and oral/written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Identifies, cultivates, and secures relationships with new business partners interested in hiring higher Promise interns, job training graduates, apprentices, and early career talent.
• Creates and implements strategies that ensure partnerships are mutually beneficial and aligned with the Promise’s mission.
• Travels throughout Kalamazoo to meet with employers, deepen relationships, and expand engagement opportunities.
• Maintains strong, ongoing relationships with existing business partners through consistent communication, updates, and relationship-building activities.
• Develops and delivers presentations to employers, industry groups, and community stakeholders to promote Promise talent and partnership opportunities.
• Serves as a responsive liaison to business partners, ensuring high-quality engagement and support.
• Partners internally to connect students, scholars, and alumni with career-related activities.
• Supports the integration of employer engagement into relevant Promise programs and initiatives.
• Prepares reports on partnership activities and outcomes for the leadership team.

Skills

Partnership management

Account management

Business development

Relationship building

Public speaking

Oral/written communication

Time management

Networking

Education

BA/BS in Business / Non-profit Management / Communications

Job description

The Kalamazoo Promise

Business Partner Coordinator

Position Description

As a member of the Workforce Innovation Team, the Business Partner Coordinator develops and sustains partnerships with the business community and coordinates engagement opportunities for Kalamazoo Promise Students, Scholars, and Alumni. This role connects local employers with Promise talent and serves as a key liaison between Promise initiatives and community stakeholders. Through this work, the Coordinator advances The Promise’s Guiding Value of reducing disparities in educational and economic outcomes and contributes to building a more equitable and thriving Kalamazoo community.

Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer

Responsibilities and Duties

• Identifies, cultivates, and secures relationships with new business partners interested in hiring Higher Promise interns, job training graduates, apprentices, and early career talent.

• Creates and implements strategies that ensure partnerships are mutually beneficial and aligned with The Promise’s mission.

• Travels throughout Kalamazoo to meet with employers, deepen relationships, and expand engagement opportunities.

• Maintains strong, ongoing relationships with existing business partners through consistent communication, updates, and relationship
  building activities.

• Develops and delivers presentations to employers, industry groups, and community stakeholders to promote Promise talent and partnership opportunities.

• Serves as a responsive liaison to business partners, ensuring high-quality engagement and support.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Partners internally to connect students, scholars, and alumni with career related activities.

• Supports the integration of employer engagement into relevant Promise programs and initiatives.

• Prepares reports on partnership activities and outcomes for the leadership team.

• Uses data to inform strategy, identify opportunities, and strengthen employer engagement.

• Maintains accurate partnership records and documentation in The Promise’s database.

Strategy and Continuous Improvement

• Contributes to the development of team strategies, goals, and performance metrics; responsible for meeting assigned quantifiable goals.

• Investigates best practices and emerging models of business-education collaboration for potential adoption.

• Plays an active role in team initiatives, contributing to the success of special projects and cross-functional efforts.

• Other duties as assigned.
  

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in partnership management, account management, business development, or similar role.

• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships.

• Familiarity with partnership activation and engagement strategies.

• Prior success executing projects in a timely manner and achieving results on schedule.

• Strong organizational and oral/written communication skills.

• Ability to speak with tact and persuasiveness in person, when making phone calls and when giving presentations.

• Careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Persistent in the face of obstacles and able to adapt to a variety of workplace situations and personnel.

• Effective time management skills.

• Commitment to The Kalamazoo Promise mission and values.

Education

BA or BS degree in Business, Non-profit Management, or Communications or a bachelor's degree in any field with partnership development experience

Physical Requirements

Normal office environment of sitting, speaking, listening, seeing, keyboarding; occasional lifting and pulling of 35 pounds; standing/walking for two plus hours at a time. Occasional local travel.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Kalamazoo Promise is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We grow and learn better together with a diverse team. The individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our team invests in their work represents not only part of our culture, but our greater commitment to the Promise community. In hiring for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring, including but not limited to: education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, marital/family status, national origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.

Salary range: $50,000-$70,000