Manager of Industry Partnerships

Buffalo Niagara Partnership; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 62,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Healthcare benefits

Professional development

Access to events

Job summary

Buffalo Niagara Partnership seeks a Manager of Industry Partnerships to engage semiconductor and high-growth employers, advancing workforce solutions within Western New York. The role focuses on employer relationships, program design, and cross-team collaboration with BNP and NY SMART I-Corridor partners.

Responsibilities include leading engagement, coordinating industry activities, and developing data-driven insights to guide workforce strategies and grant-funded initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of experience in business development, workforce development, or related field.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to build consensus.

Responsibilities

• Engage with individual employers to understand needs and report findings to BNP Strategic Value team.
• Coordinate Industry BNP activities, meetings, and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate data/reporting efforts with STEP-Up team and track program performance.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Relationship building

Public speaking

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Position: Manager of Industry Partnerships

Job Type: Full-Time | Exempt

Location: Buffalo, NY

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ABOUT US

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) is the regional chamber of commerce for Western New York, dedicated to growing our economy by empowering, connecting, and mobilizing employers. Our work strengthens businesses—and the community they help build.

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JOB SUMMARY

The Manager of Industry Partnerships will be responsible for meeting with employers and understanding the issues impacting their competitiveness. This includes one-on-one meetings, convening groups of companies and communicating findings within and among BNP team members. The Manager will work with colleagues within the BNP, as well as strategic partners outside of the BNP, to develop solutions to the employer's expressed needs. Tracking communications and development of solutions/outcomes is essential to the position.

The Manager of Industry Partnerships will lead and oversee the engagement of business leaders in advanced manufacturing and other high-growth industries. This is an employer focused position, in which the Manager serves as primary point of contact and advocate, ensuring employer needs and commitments are adequately and consistently represented in shared workforce strategies, economic development programs and initiatives. This position requires a skilled listener and problem solver who can navigate complex relationships and build consensus with partners.

The Manager will work with employers to understand their business needs including hiring and employee attraction, retention, and advancement strategies, with a particular focus on supporting employers to engage un/underemployed and diverse talent. They will collaborate with fellow BNP staff members to ensure quality program design and implementation between employers and partners. The Manager will also engage with their counterparts across the NY SMART I-Corridor and its STEP-Up component project to share best practices and ensure grant funded activities are achieving goals.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

Individual Employer Engagement & Relationship Management: (70%)

• Build and maintain strong relationships with semi-conductor and high-growth industry employers, serving as the primary point of contact for STEP-Up program activities.
• Regularly meet with employers to understand business needs and challenges, identify opportunities for intervention/BNP, and get feedback on programs and strategies. Report back findings to the BNP Strategic Value team and serve as a liaison and advocate to ensure employer voice is present in strategy and program development and iterations.
• Ensure consistent alignment between the Manager's activities and BNP's Member Services team.
• Work with engaged workforce training entities to design and facilitate employer engagement within workforce training programs (interviews, classroom visits, employer tours, interviewing/hiring on the back end). Hold employers accountable for commitments to programs.
• Facilitate employer-led job quality strategies, programs, and interventions. Learn and share best practices and ideas to enhance workforce training, attraction, retention, and advancement.
• Consult on and help inform programming, ensuring employer voice is adequately and consistently represented in the STEP-Up initiative. Report back to employers and seek feedback as needed.

STEP-Up Industry BNP Management & Coordination: (20%)

• Manage and coordinate Industry BNP activities including stakeholder communications, meeting management and planning, task management and follow up.
• Convene the Industry BNP group regularly to facilitate strategic discussions which may include:
• Identification of industry workforce challenges and development of common solutions
• When new programs are needed, facilitate and capture employer inputs to develop candidate profiles and training standards
• Soliciting feedback from employers on strategies and program development and evaluation, including feedback on current training programs.
• Aligning employers with training providers to validate candidate profiles and learning outcomes
• Aligning with community organizations to improve employee access to support services.

Data, Evaluation and Communication (10%)

• Coordinate with the Step-Up team to generate regular labor market data reports to validate strategies.
• Develop agreements with partner companies that include collecting regular employment demand projections to inform program schedule and design
• Track and analyze the performance of BNPs. Use data to optimize and enhance the value of these relationships. Prepare regular reports on BNP activities, performance, and outcomes for senior management.
• As needed, inform the creation of RFP's and contracts, grants/funding proposals and reports and communication/meeting materials.
• Stay current on best practices and industry trends.

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QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong commitment to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's mission and core values. This includes a desire to work for an organization dedicated to championing employers and the economic contributions they make to our community.
• Deep understanding of the industry landscape and market dynamics in Buffalo Niagara, preferably in manufacturing and high-tech sectors.
• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the field of business development or workforce development, community development, or related field.
• A "team-oriented" approach, in which they are motivated by the success of the organization and accomplishments of colleagues.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate transparently. A consensus builder who can move partners to grow.
• Curiosity, especially as it relates to perspectives of others, industry best practices, innovation in technology and group processes.
• Ability to perform to a high standard while working independently and to communicate effectively back to the team.
• Comfort with public speaking.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Comfort with ambiguity and risk as the team is often working to build something new or within changing conditions.

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COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary: $62,000-$67,000
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Medical, dental, vision, and ancillary benefits
• Access to high-level business events and decision-makers
• Ongoing professional development and career growth

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