Position Summary:

The Relationship Manager serves as the primary liaison between the university and its corporate and union partners. This role is responsible for cultivating, managing, and strengthening strategic partnerships that advance the university’s mission, academic goals, workforce development, and community engagement. This role will be split to support national EBS expansion initiatives and FranklinWORKS growth initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Attend regional and national events for Employee Benefit Systems (EBS) union member and family recruitment including conferences lobby tables, and special events.
• Foster the growth of our School of Education initiatives as we expand reciprocity in new states.
• Serve as an additional point of contact for assigned external partners, ensuring consistent communication and relationship stewardship.
• Provide event coverage for FranklinWORKS account managers as scheduling conflicts arise and assist in planning and executing partnership events, site visits, campus engagements, and recognition activities.
• Identify suggested strategies for external partnerships that align with the university’s academic and institutional initiatives.
• Translate partner needs into actionable opportunities for university stakeholders and vice versa.
• Facilitate introductions and collaborations between partners and senior leaders within the Strategic Alliances department.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, public relations, education, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in business or workforce development, partnerships, external relations, or a related role.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple relationships and initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Qualifications to Enhance Success:

• Master’s degree in higher education, business, public administration, or related field.
• Experience working in a higher education environment and/or with national union entities.
• Familiarity with CRM systems and partnership tracking tools.

Key Competencies:

• Relationship building and stakeholder engagement
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Professional communication (written and verbal)
• Event and project coordination

Work Environment

• Work Location: Hybrid, with a mix of on-campus and remote responsibilities
• Combination of virtual and external meetings.
• Evening and occasional weekend events.
• National travel is required on a regular basis.

Passport required in the rare instance of international travel, mainly to Canada