How to Apply
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in two pages or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skill set. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file (because of system limitations).
What You'll Do
The Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is seeking a qualified Business Development Specialist. As we expand our engagement with external organizations in search of learning solutions geared toward workforce development, you will play a critical role in helping us build and support a vibrant pipeline of strategic partnerships. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and reporting to CAI's Chief Education Solutions Officer (CESO), you will join a lean team charged with proactively contributing to our growth and working collaboratively with internal teams to align initiatives with CAI's mission and long-term vision.
Who We Are
Through curricular innovation, tools for student success and equity, and educational research and analytics, the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is building the future of education. Our vision is a future in which education connects and empowers learners everywhere to reach their full potential throughout their lives. To realize our vision, we make it our mission to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere.
About the Education Solutions Team Education Solutions is a new team within the Center for Academic Innovation, charged with bringing strategic focus and forward momentum to our partnerships with external organizations, both private and public, seeking an innovative educational provider for workforce development. A growing and robust set of high-value strategic partnerships is an essential component of CAI's growth strategy in the decade ahead. We are responsible for engaging prospective partners, identifying opportunities and crafting relevant educational solutions in collaboration with other CAI teams, and ensuring a high-quality partner experience. We also provide thought leadership around the shifting workforce development landscape.
For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation.
Responsibilities*
Drive New Partnership Pipeline Development
- Research and identify high-potential organizations and key decision-makers who align with our strategic partnership personas and focus areas. Build an understanding of priority sectors and research trends in workforce development, education innovation, and emerging technologies to inform partnership strategy.
- Support plans to assess new markets and analyze business opportunities for prospective partners' workforce learning needs and challenges.
- Facilitate partnership outreach efforts by preparing customized partner-facing materials (e.g., presentation decks, case studies, storytelling content) that resonate with potential partners, creating templates that streamline our partnership engagement efforts, and tracking prospect communications to ensure we achieve intended volume and cadence.
Relationship Management
- Support the development of strong partner relationships across the full relationship lifecycle with external partners (industry, nonprofit, and government), identifying key moments to intentionally engage and steward toward long-term collaboration.
- Provide outstanding project management support during discovery, scoping, and solution presentations, ensuring smooth scheduling, detailed documentation and proactive identification of opportunities, and timely follow-up actions to build momentum.
- Organize and manage all technology and logistics for monthly partnership engagement events, such as introductory webinars, workshops, or high-level meetings, ensuring a seamless and professional experience.
- Nurture early-stage relationships with prospective and pilot partners, acting as a reliable point of contact for administrative and logistical inquiries and using sound professional judgment in bringing in other team members.
Support Data Analysis
- Coordinate collection and preliminary analysis of data from pilot programs, collaborating with individuals in Operations and Online Learning to track key metrics for evaluating program effectiveness and user engagement.
- Contribute to internal reports and presentations that clearly demonstrate the measurable impact and ROI of our educational solutions, helping to validate product-market fit. Contribute to
Process Improvement & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Suggest and support opportunities to refine and streamline our partner discovery and engagement processes, contributing to the development of a light, repeatable, and scalable sales process
- Track key Ed Solutions objectives and success metrics, helping us report on achievement of program milestones.
- Collaborate closely with peers in Marketing, Online Learning and other internal teams to ensure alignment, share insights, and deliver a cohesive partner experience, including refining and implementing a service model that supports positive, repeatable engagement with external partners and internal design teams.
- Bring forward solutions and recommendations for any issues or challenges identified during the partnership development cycle.
- Engage AI tools in day-to-day work to support partnership development and internal operations, using a core set of approved systems and a structured framework for piloting and evaluating use.
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Education, Communications, or a related field, along with 3-5 years of experience and progressive responsibility in business development, management consulting, sales operations, account management or client success roles.
- Partnership & Relationship Acumen: Proven ability to support and contribute to client or partner relationship development, including initial outreach, managing and advancing conversations, and fostering positive engagements.
- Project Management & Organizational Skills: Demonstrated capability to independently manage projects from start to finish, handle multiple tasks, and oversee logistical details (e.g., event coordination). Experience working with enterprise technology tools to streamline collaboration.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving Aptitude: Strong analytical skills with the ability to assist in data collection and derive actionable insights; proactive in identifying issues and suggesting solutions. CRM experience preferred.
- Communication & Collaboration: Proven ability to build rapport and collaborate effectively with internal teams as well as external stakeholders.
- Industry Interest: Familiarity with trends in workforce learning and talent development coupled with a proactive, results-oriented mindset and eagerness to learn.
- Must have own transportation and be willing to travel to events up to 25% of time on the job, mostly within 4-hour drive of the office but also willing to do some air travel. Be able to make multi-night trips, both domestic and possibly international.
- Availability to staff occasional evening events.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
The mode of work for this position is Hybrid. The work requirements for this position allow both onsite and offsite work and you will have an expected regular and recurring onsite presence. On occasion, you may be required and must be available to work onsite more frequently if necessitated by our center's policy and domain leadership or by your job requirements.
Additional Information
Please Note: This is a 5 year term limited position with the possibility of renewal depending on funding.
Must have legal authorization to work in the United States.
Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/
Salary Information
The general salary range for this position is $68,000 - $72,000. Candidates can expect to be paid a competitive and equitable salary. Factors used to determine salary include education level, experience, knowledge and skills for the position and salaries that are currently established within the unit. All candidates are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor alignment and transparency throughout the recruiting process.
The salary for this position will be based upon the selected candidate's education and experience.
Organizational Statement on Harassment
We believe all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and a safe space for collaboration. Any concerns shared with Individuals with Reporting Obligations in the Center for Academic Innovation will be reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office to be reviewed and addressed, and the Center for Academic Innovation encourages reporting of any forms of harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
Decision Making Process
Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.