Guild is hiring an Senior Director, Academic Partner Success on the Academic Partnerships team to lead an account management team, made up of individuals responsible for a set of strategic partnerships that Guild has with its academic partners (universities and other academic learning providers).
This is a unique opportunity to have a tangible impact on a business-critical team at Guild. We are looking for a leader who is highly skilled at leading teams and coaching, mentoring, and motivating individuals to deliver on audacious goals and business results. This individual will serve in a “player/coach” capacity, personally owning a small portfolio of 1-2 strategic partner relationships, while also managing and leading a team of account managers, and serving on the core leadership team of the Academic Partnerships function. There will likely be at least one other person in this role leading a parallel team of account managers, so your ability to effectively collaborate with others will be critical to your success in this position.
In this role, you will:
- Personally lead the management of a small portfolio (likely 1-2) of academic partnerships as an account owner
- Serve as direct people manager, coach, and mentor to a team of account managers (likely 5-7 individuals)
- Define key competencies and expectations for individuals on the team, including conducting effective performance-based management and job coaching
- Lead individuals on the team to meet and exceed their individual business results, as defined through our company, team, and account-based OKR processes
- Ensure all academic partners managed by your team have a strong account strategy, outlining a clear roadmap for mutual success with the partner
- Implement frameworks, processes, and techniques that establish a consistent approach to excellence in account management, leading the team to execute against those frameworks over time
- Lead the execution of key projects and initiatives critical to the team’s success, as defined by the team’s leadership group and based on our team’s objectives
- Contribute as a key member of the Academic Partnerships leadership team, serving as a thought partner and collaborator with the VP on strategic planning and execution related to the team’s work
- Represent the account management team as a cross-functional leader, working collaboratively with other leaders and stakeholders across Guild
You are a strong fit for this role if you have:
- 8-10 years of experience in client services and management, partner management, and/or program management, with particular emphasis on managing clients in a consulting capacity or managing programs in a high growth enterprise company.
- 5+ years of experience leading account management or client management teams in an enterprise, technology-enabled environment
- Great people management and leadership abilities, including the ability to mentor, coach, and motivate individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds and experience levels
- Experience leading the development of processes and frameworks that create consistency and enable scale for your team
- Strong interpersonal skills: Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders internally and externally, and communicate effectively while under pressure - balancing confidence, humility and diplomacy.
- Demonstrated ability to lead others on strategic projects and significant cross-functional initiatives, directly and indirectly through influence, to drive to measurable business outcomes
- Experience having built teams and/or initiatives from the ground up
- Ability to thrive in highly ambiguous, dynamic environments, and comfort in operating in environments like this on a regular basis
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills: Ability to synthesize information into a coherent and data-driven narrative and present that narrative in a compelling way.
- Learner’s mindset: Desire to learn, grow, and evolve within a fast-paced environment
