Community Engagement Manager, Western & Southwest Regions

Job Summary

Please Note: This is a fully remote position with a primary focus on serving the 

Western and Southwest regions of Michigan. Regular travel within this region will be required.

At Merit Network, we believe technology has the power to connect people, strengthen communities, and expand opportunity. For 60 years, our nonprofit organization has supported education, research, healthcare, government, libraries, tribal organizations, and nonprofits through innovative technology and connectivity solutions. Join a team of passionate professionals who are committed to making an impact and helping create a future where communities have the tools and connections they need to thrive.

To learn more about Merit Network, please visit our website: https://www.merit.edu/ 

Reporting to the Executive Director of Member Services and Community Engagement, you will identify, organize and execute efforts to support the needs and strategies required of our Western and Southwest Region members. You will also be part of Merit's Moonshot initiative, an effort to assess and address the digital divide for Michigan communities. This regional role includes coordinating regional Member needs, broadband expansion, business development, and strategic engagement.  You will develop and implement strategic plans to include analysis of member needs and service requirements, including ongoing outreach and support.

You will be the primary account manager for key accounts also supporting strategy and business development, service sales, and recruitment to support the following:

• Member Engagement - Sales & Account Management Outreach Activities
• Merit Services Sales
• Member Recruitment
• Community engagement and business development activities related to broadband expansion

You will work both independently and within a team environment as well as across the organization with other Merit departments. You should be able to manage multiple projects and opportunities, and be able to prioritize and manage your work schedule in a fast-past environment.

You will become a subject matter expert related to local and regional strategic ecosystem building as it relates to network and security technology services, community building and broadband infrastructure. In addition to care and maintenance of existing Member organizations in the assigned region, this position will focus on the development of community ecosystems and strategic relationships throughout the state.

As an effective team member, you will be a highly organized self-starter, able to work under deadlines, juggle multiple assignments simultaneously, be proactive and be willing to continually learn.

Have questions about the role or want to learn more before applying? 

Join our informal, open-forum Zoom sessions to connect with the hiring team! Drop in at any time during the hour and stay as long as you'd like - whether you have specific questions or just want to listen in. 

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 12 PM - 1 PM EST | Click Here to Join Wednesday's Zoom Meeting

Responsibilities*

Essential Functions for this position are followed by an (E).

As the Community Engagement Manager, your key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Be the primary contact for assigned Member accounts and related strategic stakeholders (primarily in Western and Southwest Michigan, or as assigned)  (E)
• Provide customer focused engagement with key stakeholders within member and prospective member organizations (E)
• Responsible for revenue generation and Membership growth through account management, outreach and business development activities (E)
• Develop and implement a business plan to grow Membership for strategic market verticals and organizations, and expand adoption of Merit services with a focus on key members (E)
• Engage with decision-makers and technical staff to provide consultation on current and future needs of Merit services and network connections utilizing both direct knowledge and organization-wide subject matter expertise (E)
• Manage with self-sufficiency through the sales process of inquiry, discovery, quoting, presentation, and closing by providing pre and post-sales outreach (This includes RFP responses and quotes) (E)
• Develop, qualify and close service sales leads, achieving sale and account management objectives set forth by management (E)
• Accurately document all sales and engagement related activities, support documents, and progress in CRM with accurate judgment of projected close dates and contract amounts.  
• Sufficient and accurate administrative use of all Merit systems will also be required. (E)
• Partner with the Member Success Associate team to coordinate quoting, installation and support activities ensuring Member Success and a positive Member experience. (E)
• Be a resource to Merit's Members in other regions as requested by management
• Attend and conduct lead generation activities at conferences and events in Michigan and nationally, as required
• Prepare and/or present relevant content at meetings, training sessions, and events
• Work to connect uncoordinated intra-state activities in a strategic and cohesive manner within your peer Engagement Manager team, escalating opportunities to Merit leadership where appropriate

• Conduct and/or determine scope definition, analysis of Member requirements, WAN designs, performance projections, Member satisfaction measures, and project management (E)
• Acquire and maintain understanding of Network and Security technologies and services (E)
• Facilitate technical sales support discussion with Merit engineers as required
• Conduct capacity planning exercise with assigned Governing Member institutions in coordination with Merit's strategic engineering staff

• Develop Subject Matter Expertise in the focus area of Merit's services portfolio, as assigned
• Maintain knowledge about growing technology trends and emerging technologies
• Identify diversification and growth opportunities for Merit's service portfolio and collaboration ecosystem
• Serve as Merit's physical presence in an assigned geographical region. When necessary, assist Merit Network Operations, Merit Support Center, and Network Engineering within geographical region.
• Provide useful product enhancement insight to Merit staff as identified

Please note that this job description is not intended to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of you for this job. Responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, cloud-based systems, and AV/teleconferencing software & equipment.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by you (with or without accommodations) to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

You must frequently work at a computer station, answer telephone calls, emails, and other forms of customer/client communication. You may, on occasion, be required to move items of various sizes and weights throughout the office or building.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, business, telecommunications, higher education, research administration, public policy, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in consultative sales of technology products
• Minimum of four (4) years of experience in account management, customer service, out-bound sales or equivalent hands-on, in-person consulting experience
• Demonstrated experience strengthening ties with existing clients as well as cultivating customers in multiple sectors of the market
• Demonstrated experience in a technical outreach role including writing, preparing, and responding to proposals, and coordinating meetings with various IT and technical departments to manage and finalize projects
• Ability to interact professionally and proficiently with individuals at all levels of an organization on technical and strategic discussion topics, involving Merit's Executive Leadership Team as needed
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (particularly related to technical subjects)
• Demonstrated excellence in presentation skills
• Must be self-motivated, work well independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work in a collaborative process to respond, track, and manage Member requests and communications, in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated performance in revenue generation, retention and recruiting
• Fluency with MS Office applications, email, shared calendaring, CRM, and other collaborative applications
• Strong willingness to understand and to continuously strive to improve knowledge of Merit's services portfolio and technologies in order to be able to communicate confidently about them to the Merit Community
• Business development and consulting experience related to community building, business initiatives, product launches and expansions, public and private partnership relations and technology related projects

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience working with state and national agencies and associations
• Experience working with higher education, K-12 educational institutions, libraries, government, healthcare, research institutions and other public sector non-profit organizations and experience developing public private partnerships within these market verticals
• Experience in marketing and/or sales of technology products and/or services to public sector, non-profit or educational markets
• Experience in the USAC Federal Programs that fund K-12, libraries, and healthcare telecommunications services
• Knowledge on federal funding programs for broadband infrastructure investment such as those outlined in the Federal Infrastructure Bill and the American Rescue Plan Act

Modes of Work

This is a full-time, remote position requiring you to live within or close to the assigned region. Though the typical work schedule is 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday for most staff, your work schedule will be determined with your supervisor and may change if necessary.

Working on-site will be required on a regular rotation that will be determined in partnership with your supervisor. In addition, ad-hoc on-site meetings and events may be needed with adequate notice provided. Our main office is located at:

There may be some occasional work required outside of the established schedule, which may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

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.

This position requires travel within the Western and Southwest Region of Michigan.

Local and statewide travel is occasionally required, which may be outside of normal business hours.

Additional Information

Starting salary range is $77,000-$82,000, depending on experience and credentials. 

Enjoy comprehensive benefits that support your health, well-being, and future, including:

• Full access to medical and dental insurance for you and your eligible dependents
• Generous 2:1 retirement matching to help you plan for your long-term goals
• Paid vacation, sick time, holidays, and additional paid time off to support work-life balance
• Access to a variety of well-being programs, resources, and campus perks
• Professional development opportunities and educational assistance to further your career
• And more - discover the complete benefits package at careers.umich.edu/benefits 

If you have any other questions regarding this role, please contact [email protected].

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.