"Executive Director, Corporate Relations"

Job Details

The Director of Corporate Relations at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a senior leader responsible for creating, strengthening, and managing strategic partnerships with corporations and key industry stakeholders for the Division of Academic Affairs. Reporting to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, this role is a vital part of UCM's strategic community engagement efforts in the Kansas City region. The Director will proactively identify, cultivate, and solicit partnerships that provide significant value to UCM by enhancing student success, supporting research excellence, and driving regional economic development. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic, results-oriented professional with a proven track record of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships within a complex institutional environment.

Examples of Duties

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Partnership Development - 40%
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategy for corporate and non-profit engagement that aligns with UCM’s academic strengths, academic program inventory, and regional industries' needs.
• Relationship Management - 15%
  • Manage a portfolio of active regional corporate and non-profit partners that help UCM achieve its mission and vision. Serve as the primary point of contact, ensuring continuous and meaningful engagement that fosters long-term relationships.
• Prospect Identification and Cultivation - 10%
  • Proactively identify, research, and qualify new corporate prospects, focusing on those whose activities, interests, and goals align with UCM's mission.
• Solicitation and Negotiation - 10%
  • Lead the discovery, cultivation, and solicitation of institution-level strategic corporate partners. This includes working closely with General Counsel's office regarding the writing and submitting compelling proposals and negotiating mutually beneficial memoranda of agreements.
• Internal Collaboration - 5%
  • Work closely with UCM’s senior administration, deans, department chairs, and faculty to identify opportunities for collaboration and to articulate program concepts and research needs that are attractive to external partners. Partner with Career and Life Design Center and other academic departments to facilitate experiential learning, internships, and career placement opportunities for UCM students.
• Stewardship and Reporting - 5%
  • Ensure timely and effective stewardship of all corporate partners. This includes managing grant reporting, providing impact updates, and ensuring that all commitments are fulfilled to a high standard.
• Cross-Departmental Leadership - 5%
  • Facilitate communication and collaboration across campus to ensure a coordinated approach to corporate relations and avoid duplicated efforts. Serve as a campus-wide resource on best practices for corporate engagement (e.g., advisory boards, etc.)
• Market Analysis - 5%
  • Stay abreast of industry trends and economic shifts to identify emerging opportunities for UCM.
• Administrative Functions - 5%
  • Maintain accurate and detailed records of all interactions, proposals, and agreements within the Academic Affairs corporate relations database. Develop and manage the annual budget and strategic plan for corporate relations.

Typical Qualifications

• A master’s degree in any field of study from an accredited institution is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in corporate relations, fundraising, business development, or a related field, preferably within a higher education or non-profit setting required.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking and proposal writing.
• Demonstrated ability to build, nurture, and maintain relationships with diverse constituencies, from C-level executives to faculty, staff, and students.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously.
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team, demonstrating flexibility and a proactive, customer-service-oriented approach.
• Willingness to travel locally and nationally and work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends. Frequent travel within the Kansas City region to meet with partners is expected.

Supplemental Information

This is a hybrid position that will require one day per week in the UCM Lee’s Summit office.

Full-time benefits-eligible position: Benefits include competitive salary; health, dental, vision, life insurance, AD & D, long-term disability; 3 weeks paid vacation per year; 3 weeks of accrued sick leave per year; 13 paid holidays; retirement; and generous education assistance for an employee, spouse and dependent children taking classes at UCM.

Part-time benefits-eligible positions: Benefits include generous education assistance for the employee.

Temporary, adjunct, student employment, or graduate assistant positions: Benefits are not included.

Completed UCM online application for employment required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

A review will begin immediately and continue until filled unless indicated otherwise.

NOTE: A background check is required for the selected candidate of all staff, faculty, adjunct, and temporary positions and any job offer is contingent on the results of this check. Student employees and graduate assistants do not require a background check to be conducted prior to employment.

The University of Central Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.