Work from Home (WFH) - Remote work must be performed while residing in California, New Mexico or Florida

CIAT Campus Locations: San Diego, CA and Albuquerque, NM

Reports to: VP of Compliance

Status: Exempt

Employment Type: Full-time

Overview:

The Director of Industry & Employer Partnerships provides strategic leadership and oversight of institutional employer partnerships, workforce development initiatives, and industry engagement activities that support student employment outcomes, academic program relevance, and institutional growth. This role is responsible for building and sustaining relationships with local, regional, and national employers; aligning industry needs with academic programs; expanding internship and externship pipelines; and ensuring employer participation in advisory committees and surveys that inform curriculum improvement and accreditation requirements.

The Director works cross-functionally with Career Services, Education/Academic Affairs, Compliance, Marketing, and Executive Leadership to strengthen employment pathways, community presence, and workforce alignment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Employer & Industry Partnership Strategy & Outreach

• Develop and execute a comprehensive employer relations strategy aligned with institutional growth goals and student outcome targets
• Establish and maintain long-term partnerships with employers, industry associations, and workforce agencies
• Build, organize, and maintain a dedicated lead database of employer partnership prospects, ensuring accurate segmentation, prioritization, and ongoing engagement
• Develop personalized outreach plans for high-value targets within the database
• Manage, monitor, and customize CRM reports to ensure performance targets are achieved and reported on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis
• Identify emerging industry trends and labor market needs to inform strategic and academic planning
• Represent the institution at industry events, community meetings, and workforce forums
• Oversee employer account portfolio management and partnership lifecycle strategies

Advisory Committees & Academic Alignment

• Collaborate closely with the Education/Academic Department to identify and recruit employers for Program Advisory Committees
• Coordinate employer participation in curriculum review, program development, and classroom engagement activities
• Oversee administration of employer surveys and feedback mechanisms to support continuous academic improvement and accreditation standards

Internship, Externship & Workforce Development

• Lead the development and expansion of internship, externship, apprenticeship, and work-based learning opportunities aligned with program learning outcomes
• Partner with academic leadership to ensure experiential learning opportunities reflect current industry practices
• Pursue workforce development grants, community initiatives, and strategic partnerships to enhance institutional visibility, funding opportunities, and program relevance
• Stay informed about trends in the employer partnerships field

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Work in partnership with Career Services to ensure alignment between employer pipelines and student placement readiness
• Coordinate with Compliance and Accreditation teams to ensure employer engagement activities support regulatory and reporting requirements
• Collaborate with Marketing to promote employer success stories, partnership announcements, and brand presence
• Lead team efforts and foster collaboration across departments
• Collaborate with leadership to establish strategic goals by gathering and analyzing business, financial, service, and operational information

Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Establish KPIs and performance dashboards for employer engagement, internship pipelines, advisory participation, and placement outcomes
• Analyze placement data, employer feedback, and labor market trends to inform decision-making
• Generate reports for accreditation reviews, audits, and executive leadership
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives tied to student outcomes and employer satisfaction

Budget Ownership & Resource Management

• Own and manage the departmental budget, including forecasting, allocation, and expense oversight
• Evaluate ROI of employer initiatives, events, and partnership programs
• Recommend investments, cost controls, and resource prioritization to support institutional objectives
• Collaborate with Accounting department on budget planning cycles and reporting
• Define objectives, identify and evaluate trends and options, select courses of action, and assess outcomes
• Maintain quality service by implementing customer service standards, resolving issues, and recommending system improvements

Leadership

• Establish standardized processes for employer engagement, reporting, and compliance documentation
• Ensure adherence to institutional, accreditation, state, and federal requirements
• Provide strategic updates and recommendations to executive leadership regarding employer engagement, workforce alignment, and partnership ROI
• Accomplish departmental objectives by managing staff and planning, directing, and evaluating departmental activities
• Build and maintain a motivated, professional team by recruiting, selecting, onboarding, coaching, and training employees
• Partner with HR to coach and counsel employees as needed
• Conduct timely, accurate, and fair performance reviews, free from bias
• Achieve results by clearly communicating job expectations, planning monitoring, and appraising performance
• Develop, coordinate, and enforce systems, policies, procedures, and productivity standards
• Support employees through organizational change by communicating clearly, addressing concerns, and modeling adaptability
• Ensure team compliance with all Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional requirements, including workplace policies and standards
• Monitor and improve internal processes
• Provide positive motivation and ongoing training for team members on policy and process changes. Communicate policy updates to staff as needed
• Provide professional growth opportunities for employees
• Manage and enforce timekeeping policies to ensure accuracy and timely process of employee’s timecards
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing results as needed
• Embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values
• Ensure a safe, secure, and ethical work environment

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred in Business, Education, Public Administration, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in employer engagement, workforce development, recruiting, higher education partnerships, or industry relationship management
• Minimum of 5 years of previous experience in management
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain long-term partnerships and manage multiple external relationships
• Experience working with nontraditional, adult, veteran, or career-technical student populations strongly preferred
• Understanding of industry certification pathways and skills-based hiring models (e.g., CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, Microsoft)
• Ability to communicate the value of hands-on, applied technical training to employers unfamiliar with non-degree pathways
• Ability to analyze workforce data, identify trends, and prepare reports that inform program improvements and strategic decision-making
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively convey information and interact with students, colleagues and others
• Strong organizational skills with the proven ability to prioritize
• Proficiency with CRM systems (Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, or HubSpot) and strong data management, reporting, and documentation skills
• Proficient skills in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project) with the ability to learn additional software products
• Demonstrated professionalism, sound judgment, problem-solving skills, and the ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality
• Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic; dedicated to quality, quantity, results and timeliness
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture
• Willingness to travel up to 25% for employer meetings, events, and partnership development, with occasional work outside standard business hours as needed
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to including diversity, equity, inclusion, and student success
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
• Excellent analytical skills, problem resolution skills and general business acumen
• Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
• Position may require work responsibilities outside of normal business hours to accommodate business needs and deadlines
• Flexible to work longer hours to meet deadlines, if needed
• Reliable transportation to go on campus, attend seminars/trainings, if required
• Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
• Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
• Must be able to embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required. Some travel is required for employer site visits, events, conferences, and regional partnership development.

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervises team of Employer and Industry Specialists and related positions.

Values

Values such as integrity, excellence, customer service, teamwork and mutual respect are some of those that remain constant, regardless of changes in our company. When identifying company values, it is important that those values are being demonstrated in the course of business each day. Our values set expectations for how employees and managers interact with every person while representing the company.

• We are passionate about education and student success
• We value integrity and excellence in our employees and students
• We treat ourselves and our students with dignity and respect
• We believe in and encourage innovation at our school to better help our students succeed
• We have a customer centric focus and we want people highly committed to achieving goals, where our success equals student’s success
• We are accountable for our actions, and if errors occur, we focus on preventing future errors and moving forward
• We have a growth mindset, always looking for ways to improve, with a sincere belief that every student can do better and achieve their goals
• We expect every employee to be an example of conduct and professionalism, being a role model to students and colleagues
• We commit to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment that respects the diversity of students' backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives
• We foster lifelong learning and professional development

Physical Demands

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions.

• Essential functions of this role require sitting for extended periods of time. 
• Ability to type, use a computer to search for information and input information while speaking on the phone is required. 
• The employee will frequently be required to use the computer, mouse and telephone to conduct the regular tasks of this role.
• The employee will be required to compute simple to simple mathematical calculations as a normal part of this role.
• Requires travel to conduct CIAT business, as needed.
• Lifting up to 30 lbs. while supporting logistics for event participation.

Work Environment

While performing the responsibilities of this remote position, the job holder will work in a home office environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. This role routinely involves using standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and virtual communication tools. Employees are expected to ensure that their home office is a safe and ergonomic working environment.

Employees must maintain data security and confidentiality in accordance with company policies and use secure connections for all work-related activities. Expectations regarding work hours, availability, and time tracking will be clearly communicated and must be adhered to.

The company is not responsible for maintaining home office environments beyond the provision of reasonable accommodations and necessary work-related equipment. Workers' compensation and liability for injuries that occur in the home office will be covered as per company policy and applicable laws.

This remote work policy is designed to comply with all relevant local, state, and federal laws.

When in the office:

When in the office, employees are expected to follow all workplace safety rules, security protocols, and professional conduct guidelines. They should maintain a clean and organized work area, be punctual, and actively engage in in-person meetings, collaboration, and training as scheduled. The in-office environment may involve occasional noise, shared workspaces, and use of common areas, and employees are expected to be respectful of others working nearby.

AAP/EEO Statement

California Institute of Applied Technology provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, California Institute of Applied Technology complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

California Institute of Applied Technology expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of California Institute of Applied Technology’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

Other Duties

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

Salary Range

The salary range for the Director of Industry & Employer Partnerships is $100,000- $150,000 yearly/DOE. However, the expected starting salary for this position is $100,000- $112,000 yearly/DOE. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, experience, equity and other business and organizational needs.

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