Director of Strategic Partnerships (HR Title: Program Director) presso Southern Methodist University

Salary Range: 

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU’s more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University’s small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dedman School of Law, Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem – paired with entrepreneurial drive – creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU’s relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, the Director plays a pivotal role in positioning SMU Cox as a leading institution for corporate collaborations and alliances. This individual will provide advanced business development support, project management to strengthen the pipeline for Executive Education and Graduate Programs. The Director will serve as a connector across key departments (marketing, graduate admissions, career management center), manage strategic partnership initiatives, and ensure seamless execution of partnership-related activities. The ideal candidate is a seasoned professional with experience working with executive external clients.

Essential Functions:

• Strategic Partnership Support: Support strategies that elevate Cox's reputation as a premier partner for corporations and organizations. Serve as the primary liaison between the Strategic Partnerships team, Executive Education, Business Development, Career Management Center, and Graduate Admissions on corporate opportunities. Develop pitch decks, proposals, and client-facing materials to support prospecting efforts. Capture and track all prospecting activities in the CRM system to ensure accuracy and visibility across teams. Manage logistics for partnership-related events, projects, and executive engagements.

• Salesforce Admin: Serve as one of three Salesforce administrators, supporting system configuration, data integrity, and user adoption. Create, manage and analyze Salesforce reports, dashboards, and campaigns to inform business development strategies. Oversee Salesforce related contract management processes, ensuring compliance and accuracy. Assist with Salesforce user training and serve as a subject-matter expert for cross-campus teams.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Project Management: Coordinate with internal stakeholders to align strategic partnerships with SMU Cox goals. Provide project management support for strategic initiatives and special events tied to partnerships. Identify opportunities for process improvements and implement best practices in business development/prospecting support and CRM utilization.

• Events may require occasional early morning, evening or weekend work

• Occasional travel to visit corporate clients or attend conferences.

   

Education and Experience:

A Bachelor’s degree is required.

A minimum of seven (7) years of experience is required. Experience supporting executive-level external clients and corporate partners is required. Experience working in higher education executive education, development, external affairs is preferred. Salesforce Certified Administrator certification is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills. Strong customer service experience with external and internal stakeholders is required. 

Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.   

Candidate with strong skills in presentation development (PowerPoint, Canva, etc.) and CRM reporting/analytics is preferred. 

Candidate must be proficient in CRM systems with Salesforce Administrator experience strongly preferred. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word), and Adobe is required. Familiarity with Canva is preferred. 

Physical and Environmental Demands:

• Sit for long periods of time
• Carry/lift 25 lbs. 

Deadline to Apply:

Priority consideration may be given to submissions received by October 8, 2025.

Application deadline is October 15, 2025.

EEO Statement

SMU is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.

Benefits:

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.

SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.

The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.