Strategic Partnerships Leader in Research & Innovation

Howard University; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 115,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO and paid holidays

403(b) with company match

Professional development

Job summary

Howard University is seeking a Director of Strategic Partnerships to lead development and management of a diverse portfolio of corporate and institutional partnerships. You will identify opportunities, negotiate agreements, and coordinate with academic units to advance research, workforce development, student success, and innovation.

Under Executive oversight, you will manage staff, track performance, and report outcomes while engaging senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic partnerships, corporate relations, business development, external affairs, university relations, workforce development, or a related field.
• Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or management experience leading professional staff, managing performance, and fostering a collaborative, results-oriented work environment.
• Demonstrated success developing, negotiating, implementing, and managing strategic partnerships that result in measurable organizational outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with senior executives, external stakeholders, and cross-functional partners while representing an organization with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop partnership strategies, proposals, presentations, executive briefing materials, and reports that effectively communicate organizational priorities and partnership opportunities.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, faculty, staff, corporate partners, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, lead cross-functional initiatives, solve complex problems, and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience conducting prospect research, evaluating partnership opportunities, and utilizing data to support decision-making and relationship management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience utilizing CRM platforms, such as Salesforce or similar systems, to manage partnership activities, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement partnership strategies that align with Howard University's mission and institutional priorities.
• Manage a portfolio of strategic corporate and institutional partners.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective partners.
• Identify and cultivate new partnership opportunities that support research, workforce development, student success, and innovation.
• Develop partnership proposals, engagement plans, and collaborative initiatives.
• Lead partnership discussions and facilitate mutually beneficial agreements.
• Coordinate executive meetings, campus visits, and partner engagement opportunities.
• Prepare executive briefings, presentations, and partnership recommendations.
• Represent the Office of Corporate Relations at meetings, conferences, and events.
• Maintain productive relationships with senior corporate and institutional stakeholders.
• Support stewardship activities that strengthen long-term partner engagement.
• Collaborate with academic and administrative units to identify partnership opportunities.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders throughout partnership development and implementation.
• Align partnership activities with institutional priorities.
• Facilitate communication across participating University units.
• Support the development of partnership presentations, reports, marketing materials, and briefing documents.
• Collaborate on partnership success stories and impact communications.
• Ensure partnership information on departmental communication channels remains current.
• Prepare reports and updates on partnership activities and outcomes.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate assigned staff.
• Assign responsibilities and monitor progress toward departmental objectives.
• Promote collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support staff professional development.
• Monitor industry trends and identify prospective partnership opportunities.
• Maintain partnership records and CRM data.Track key performance indicators and recommend process improvements.

Skills

Strategic Partnership Development

Relationship Management

Business Development

Communication & Presentation Skills

Leadership & Team Management

Project Management

Negotiation & Influence

Strategic Thinking

Collaboration & Relationship Building

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Job description

Howard University is seeking a Director of Strategic Partnerships to lead development and management of a diverse portfolio of corporate and institutional partnerships. You will identify opportunities, negotiate agreements, and coordinate with academic units to advance research, workforce development, student success, and innovation.

Under Executive oversight, you will manage staff, track performance, and report outcomes while engaging senior stakeholders.