Director, First-Year Experience Partnerships

CEA CAPA Education Abroad; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

CEA CAPA Education Abroad is seeking a National Director, First Year Experience Partnerships to accelerate student enrollment and revenue growth by forging strong university relationships and guiding students through the enrollment journey. The role blends relationship management, consultative sales, and institutional collaboration to deliver sustained expansion.

Responsibilities include planning, pipeline growth, stakeholder engagement, and cross‑functional collaboration to drive enrollment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree a plus.
• 5+ years of professional sales experience, with exposure to higher education preferred.
• 3+ years in a consultative, relationship‑driven sales or business development role.
• Proven experience in admissions, enrollment management, recruitment, or a similarly complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycle.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute a growth plan in collaboration with leadership and targets.
• Develop territory and account plans and maintain a strong pipeline.
• Build visibility and trust with university stakeholders; attend conferences and events.
• Meet with partners to discuss revenue goals, yield, and conversion rates.
• Collaborate across teams to improve sales effectiveness and outcomes.

Skills

Relationship-building

Consultative selling

Executive communication

Account management

Sales forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Job description

Your Role:

As the National Director, First Year Experience Partnerships, you’ll be responsible for driving student enrollment and revenue growth by building strong institutional relationships, guiding students through the enrollment journey, and expanding CEA CAPA’s presence within an assigned territory. This role blends relationship management, consultative sales, and institutional collaboration to deliver sustainable growth.

What You’ll Do:

Territory & Growth Planning

• Own and execute a growth plan in collaboration with the Regional Vice President and CRO
• Own a defined set of University Partners set with clear targets.
• Develop and execute territory and account plans in partnership with the Regional Vice President and/or CRO.
• Identify whitespace, growth opportunities, and priority accounts to consistently build pipeline.

Awareness & Relationship Development

• Build visibility and trust with universities stakeholders specifically with Admissions Enrollment Management, Study Abroad Office or other executives as identified.
• Represent CEA CAPA at conferences, campus events, college fairs, and campus sales calls.
• Leverage social media and field presence to elevate brand awareness.
• Partner with the broader Institutional Relationship sales team, Partner Services team, and Strategic Academic Liaison team to drive University Partner growth in a coordinated FYE pursuit.

Opportunity Qualification

• Meet with University Partners to discuss revenue goals, yield, and conversion rates.
• Understand institutional priorities and enrollment drivers.
• Identify high‑potential opportunities aligned with program offerings. Recommend appropriate programs based on academic, growth, and institutional needs.
• Address questions related to cost, safety, academics, and outcomes.

Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Coordinate and support events such as information sessions, fairs, and orientations.
• Work cross‑functionally with other sales teams, marketing, academics, student engagement, and program teams.
• Share market insights, competitive intelligence, and messaging feedback.
• Contribute ideas and best practices to improve sales effectiveness and FYE outcomes.

Institutional Partnership Growth

• Maintain and expand relationships with university partners.
• Collaborate on initiatives that support long‑term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Meet or exceed enrollment and activity targets.
• Maintain accurate pipeline visibility and forecasts.

Salary: $85,000-$95,000; on-target earnings (OTE) based on performance

What Makes a Great Candidate:

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree a plus
• 5+ years of professional sales experience, with exposure to higher education preferred
• 3+ years in a consultative, relationship‑driven sales or business development role
• Proven experience in admissions, enrollment management, recruitment, or a similarly complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycle

Core Competencies

• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to influence, advise, and drive decisions
• Excellent consultative communication and presentation skills, including comfort engaging with diverse audiences such as executives, students, families, and institutional stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to manage a broad portfolio of accounts, prioritize high-impact opportunities, and consistently work toward targets
• Experience using Salesforce CRM to manage pipeline, track activity, monitor performance, and ensure timely follow-up and conversion
• Self‑directed and results‑oriented, with confidence operating in a remote environment while collaborating effectively across teams to achieve goal‑based outcomes

Additional Requirements

• Willingness and ability to travel 50–75% within an assigned portfolio of university partners

Who We Are:

CEA CAPA is a premier provider of transformative international education experiences, committed to empowering students to become thoughtful and thriving leaders through living and learning abroad. With a presence in 62 cities across 22 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia, we offer comprehensive study abroad and career readiness programs that integrate academic excellence and cultural immersion. Our global footprint includes 11 international study centers, and we proudly support over 10,000 students annually in partnership with more than 375 U.S. universities and over 50 international institutions. CEA CAPA is in a dynamic phase of growth and is powered by a global team of nearly 700 professionals who are deeply mission‑driven and committed to creating inclusive, supportive and enriching environments that help students grow academically, personally and professionally.

Why You’ll Love CEA CAPA:

Wellness & Snacks (In-Office): Fresh Fruit Wednesdays, coffee bar, wellness room, and ergonomic workspaces.

Time Off & Giving Back: 12 paid holidays, generous PTO, and up to 8 hours paid volunteer time—because balance matters.

Support for Your Whole Life: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage, benefits for domestic partners, paid parental leave, and compassionate time off for life events—because caring for your loved ones matters.

Fun & Community: We encourage team connection and celebration, from office events to informal get-togethers and virtual hangouts—exact activities vary by team.

Our commitment to creating a sense of belonging means we welcome individuals of all abilities, ages, citizenships, educations, ethnicities, family statuses, gender identities, genders, genetic information, languages, marital status, military experiences, political views, pregnancy, races, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and work experiences and therefore we encourage applicants from diverse lived experiences to apply.