Director, School Relations

ECMC Group is a nonprofit corporation focused on helping students succeed. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ECMC Group and its family of companies provide financial tools and services, as well as funding for innovative programs to help students achieve their academic and professional goals.

Job Summary
The Director of School Relations leads ECMC Group's national strategy to develop and strengthen partnerships with colleges and universities to positively impact student success. This role guides a multidisciplinary team in outreach, engagement and marketing efforts that support organizational goals and student success. Key responsibilities include overseeing sales and marketing (traditional and digital), managing a client portfolio, implementing grant and financial literacy programs, and driving innovation in school engagement. The director builds long-term relationships, identifies growth opportunities and ensures exceptional service delivery while collaborating with internal and external partners and representing ECMC Group at industry events.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develops and executes a comprehensive school relations strategy to develop and strengthen partnerships with colleges and universities.
• Aligns outreach and engagement initiatives with ECMC Group's mission and business objectives.
• Provides strategic leadership, work direction, performance management and development to a multidisciplinary team, fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on measurable outcomes.
• Establishes a sales strategy and annual organization sales goals that drive market share and revenue growth and maintain the client portfolio.
• Provides the overall direction and implementation for the Elevate grant program.
• Develops and manages department budget and oversees pricing models to ensure effective financial management and goal attainment.
• Promotes ECMC solutions and represents the company in key relationships, business meetings, industry events, social media and other growth platforms.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with school partners, identifying opportunities for growth and expansion within existing and new networks.
• Oversees management of high-priority client portfolios, ensuring service excellence and proactive relationship management.
• Oversees initiatives that enhance student success and institutional effectiveness, including financial literacy programs and outreach efforts.
• Drives innovation by implementing process improvements and new school engagement strategies.
• Oversees digital marketing efforts to enhance brand visibility and engagement with schools, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders-including PR, Legal, and Communications-to deliver impactful educational resources.
• Represents ECMC Group at conferences, meetings and other industry events, promoting its mission and services.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field; or an additional 2 years of experience in lieu of degree
• 10+ years of relevant experience, with at least 7+ years of experience in partnership development, relationship management or progressive job-related experience within education or related sectors
• 5+ years of leadership experience
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office and CRM systems

The pay range for this position is $147,000 - $168,000. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as relevant experience, peer and market benchmarks, and geographic location. Additionally, this position qualifies for an annual incentive of up to 20% of base salary, contingent upon individual and company performance.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above 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.

ECMC Group also provides a comprehensive benefits package:

• Health & wellness benefits:Medical, dental, and vision insurance plan options, with a generous employer subsidy. Company paid life & disability insurance, pre-tax flexible spending accounts and robust wellness programs.
• Financial benefits:Generous 401(k) plan with a company match up to 6% and additional discretionary contribution potential, holiday time off, paid time off accrual starting at 20 days/year and commuter subsidy.
• Education benefits:Tuition reimbursement up to $10,500/year for approved programs and student loan payment reimbursement up to $4,800/year.Up to $5,250 of qualifying education benefits can be reimbursed pre-tax.