Director of International Programs & Partnerships

UC Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Santa Barbara’s Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) seeks a Director of International Programs to drive strategic growth and partnerships, align programs with market needs, and lead revenue generation through contracts, grants, and customized training with cross-functional collaboration.

The role requires a Master’s degree and at least five years in business development or strategic planning within higher education or corporate learning, with strong negotiation and

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in business development, sales pipeline management, or strategic partnership cultivation within higher education, corporate learning and development (L&D), or workforce development.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in strategic planning and managing complex, service-driven programs within an academic environment, including direct responsibility for developing or expanding self-supporting, tuition-driven, or continuing education offerings.
• Experience leading the development of business proposals, grant applications, and project plans, including contract negotiation and grant administration or PI-level leadership.
• Knowledge of business culture, strategic thinking, intercultural communication, risk assessment, and program management.
• Proven ability to build relationships and work effectively across divisions;
• Excellent problem-solving, negotiation, and oral/written communication skills.
• Expertise in designing, implementing, and overseeing effective sales processes, including pipeline development, forecasting, and performance metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to define KPIs and utilize data analysis to guide strategic decision-making and reporting.
• Proven track record of proactively generating revenue by researching, identifying, and securing customized training programs and corporate education contracts.
• Experience cultivating strong partnerships and serving as a principal liaison to corporate, government, nonprofit, and industry leaders.

Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, and evaluates a comprehensive business development strategy for PaCE aligned with institutional priorities and market opportunities.
• Provide high-level strategic counsel to PaCE Dean and leadership on growth initiatives and market positioning.
• Informs PaCE Leadership of opportunities and strategic choices for new programs.
• Leads strategic planning processes engaging off-campus stakeholders to drive innovation and alignment.
• Cultivates relationships with Workforce Development Boards, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Organizations, government agencies, industry associations, and other partners to expand PaCE's reach.
• Represents PaCE at professional events to promote partnership opportunities.
• Drives revenue generation via corporate education contracts, customized training programs, grants, and partnerships; leads proposal development and negotiates terms.
• Oversees sales processes, pipeline development, forecasting, and performance metrics.
• Collaborates with Customer Success and Outreach to develop response protocols for interactions with entities.
• Identifies grant-funded opportunities and leads proposal writing, budgeting, submission coordination, and documentation.
• Collaborates across academic, marketing, outreach, and customer success teams to ensure operational effectiveness and program success.
• Defines and monitors KPIs, analyzes data, and prepares leadership reports on revenue, partnerships, and client outcomes.

Skills

Strategic planning

Business development

Sales pipeline management

Partnership cultivation

Negotiation

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in a related field

Job description

UC Santa Barbara’s Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE) seeks a Director of International Programs to drive strategic growth and partnerships, align programs with market needs, and lead revenue generation through contracts, grants, and customized training with cross-functional collaboration.

The role requires a Master’s degree and at least five years in business development or strategic planning within higher education or corporate learning, with strong negotiation and