Military & Veteran Partnership Specialist

The Strategic Partnerships & Alliances Team at Excelsior University is dedicated to cultivating purposeful collaborations through partnerships and strategic alliances with corporations, associations, government entities, military installations, veteran organizations, other academic institutions, and likeminded organizations serving those seeking to complete a post-secondary degree or certificate. Excelsior University is an accredited, not-for-profit distance learning institution founded in 1971 focused on providing educational opportunity to adult learners, with an emphasis on those underrepresented in higher education.

The primary function of the Military and Veteran Partnership Specialist position is to ensure a robust pipeline of prospective students by enhancing awareness of Excelsior University among local military installations, surrounding communities and veteran partners. Staff members in this role will engage with potential students at military installations in their area, as well as with veterans, military spouses, and other interested individuals in neighboring communities, through both in-person and virtual sessions to support them in the admissions and degree selection process. Additionally, staff members will proactively engage with various veteran and community-based partners to promote the university to potential students. This position requires a commitment to delivering high-quality service by mastering a wealth of information about the university and effectively communicating it to prospective students in a streamlined and consistent manner. The representative must possess the ability to professionally represent Excelsior University across diverse academic, military, veteran, and general community settings.
 
The successful candidate will report to the Director of Military Outreach and Veteran Partnerships, work closely with other members of the Strategic Partnerships and Alliances team, interact with other Excelsior University departments and staff members, and be able to work independently and as part of a team to help successfully achieve inquiry, enrollment, credit taking, and revenue goals and objectives. This position requires regional and national travel, including weekends and overnight

Depending on location, this position may require the ability to work from a home office. This position requires regional and national travel (including weekend and overnight travel).

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist in coordinating, executing, and supporting the team and university strategic plan, under the oversight of the Director of Military Outreach and Veteran Partnerships.
• Collaborate with other Strategic Partnerships and Alliances team members to ensure best use of resources and best practices.
•  Build and manage relationships with various military and veteran stakeholders in the designated area and act as a point of contact and advocate.
•  Actively seek opportunities to promote Excelsior and engage existing military installations and veteran partners through relationship building, site visits, webinars, presentations, and other forms of outreach, engagement, and marketing with the focus on generating inquiries, enrollments, credit taking, and revenue.
•  Identify process refinements and strategies to improve the student experience for the military and veteran market and heighten the level of customer service being delivered to students and/or military installations and veteran partners. Identify specific needs of prospective students and triage student issues to appropriate parties.
• Engage with military installation and veteran partner contacts to identify and organize recruiting and engagement events, both face-to-face and virtual, such as education fairs, benefits fairs, transfer fairs, webinars, direct enrollment events, and other prospective student facing engagements.
• Generate inquiries that are a good fit for Excelsior and provide general intake for prospective students via personal virtual or in-person interviews.
• Provide support to students and work collaboratively with Strategic Partnerships and Alliances team members and Excelsior staff, as necessary, to assist students through the admissions and advising pipeline.
• Upon qualifying the student inquiry, provide unofficial evaluations to students to assist in making an informed enrollment decision.
• Track all military installation and veteran partner and student activities via Salesforce and ensure all final documents are posted in SharePoint.
• Generate and provide reports and updates to military installations and veteran partners as needed.
• Prepare and deliver information via presentations, webinars, and one on one interactions to military installations and veteran partner contacts and students on Excelsior University programs, products, services, military tuition assistance, and veteran benefits.
• Engage with military installation and veteran partners and students via social media, newsletters, direct mail, email campaigns and/or other communication vehicles as per Excelsior guidelines and best practices.
• Proactively reach out to interested military installations and veteran partners in the area to provide information about Excelsior University and create new pipelines of prospective students.
•  Work toward fulfilling specified KPI’s/Metrics for inquiries, enrollments, and relationship management. 
• Provide follow up call campaigns and email campaigns to prospects from engagement events, webinars, as necessary.
• Ensure consistency with Excelsior’s brand with military installations, veteran partners, students, and team members to ensure delivery of a consistent, branded, and accurate message.
• Assist other Strategic Partnerships and Alliances team members with portfolios, as necessary.
• Other duties as assigned.

The focus of this position is on growing Excelsior’s inquiries, enrollments, credit taking, revenue, and growth opportunities for a portfolio of military installations and veteran partners. Success will be measured by individual and military installation and veteran partner success as defined by engagements, activities, initiatives, growth, inquiries, enrollments, credit taking, and revenue. 

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution required.
• At least one year of work experience in a related role, such as sales, account management, marketing, admissions, recruiting, or business development required. Experience working in Higher Education, or with military and veteran communities, or other learning-related field with adult learners a plus, as is additional professional work experience.
• Prior military service or military affiliation is required.
• Willingness to work with multiple, diverse stakeholders across complex organizations and different populations and recognize opportunities for growth.
• The drive for success in inquiry, enrollment, credit taking, and revenue generation and building successful partnership programs.
• Willingness to establish and maintain relationships with key decision makers and develop a high level of understanding for professional development and workforce needs within key organizations and verticals.
•  Project management skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively.
• Demonstrate creativity, enthusiasm, and openness to innovation.
• Ability to master a wide body of knowledge and information.
• Interpersonal, oral, written communication, and presentation skills.
• Organizational, analytical, decision making, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to excel working fully remote or hybrid in a professional, private, and quiet workspace managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines and goals.
• Ability to review/prepare accurate detailed documents.
• Proficient computer literacy and willingness to learn new applications, Knowledge of Microsoft Office products required. Knowledge of Salesforce and SharePoint a plus.
•  Self-discipline with proven ability to work independently and with initiative to successfully achieve goals and objectives.
•  Ability to travel. Conference attendance, partner/student engagements, and off-site meetings will be required. Occasional weekend/evening hours and overnight travel.
• A valid U.S. driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
• U.S. Military Veteran’s status or Military connected family member.

The hiring salary range for this position is $58,500.00 - $60,000.00. The hiring salary range above represents the University's good faith estimate at the time of posting.