Project Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement

Western Washington University with over 15000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school is nationally recognized for its educational programs students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham Washington a coastal community of 90000 overlooking Bellingham Bay the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes Bremerton Everett Port Angeles and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes such as being named one of the top public masters-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success increasing our Washington impact and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship research and creative activity. Westerns greatest strength is the outstanding students faculty staff and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can pursuit of this excellence individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff faculty administration student and external constituents. Further individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic societal environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

Hybrid work arrangement with regular oncampus presence and travel to partner sites or events.

This is a part-time (50%) project employment position anticipated to end June 30 2026.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Community College Partnership & Recruitment Outcomes (40%)

• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategic partnership strategy that directly increase program enrollment by at least 10% annually.
• Cultivate and manage partnerships with community colleges to build robust student pipelines.
• Identify strategic community college partners and create clear transfer pathways through articulation agreements advising collaboration and early admission opportunities.
• Assess partnership effectiveness on recruitment outcomes and make informed strategic decisions that advance enrollment goals.

Industry Partnerships & Resource Development (40%)

• Lead the development of long-term mission-aligned partnerships with industry organizations to advance MSCM program strategic goals with a primary focus on securing 5 to 10 new additional internship opportunities annually.
• Align partnership strategy and curriculum with emerging industry trends including advanced manufacturing supply chain innovation AI and sustainability to ensure program relevance and prepare students for the future of work.
• Work closely with advancement and corporate relations teams to explore industry investments through partnership agreements endowed funds case study team awards and other sponsorship packages.

Program Engagement & Community Outreach (20%)

• Oversee with MSCM faculty signature student-facing program activities such as case competitions showcases and applied learning events to drive engagement promote experiential learning and highlight industry collaboration.
• Provide leadership in the planning and execution of high-impact community engagement events that promote the MSCM program and strengthen stakeholder relationships.
• Manage all aspects of event execution including planning logistics partner coordination and post-event evaluation ensuring a consistent and professional representation of the program.
• Supervise two student program assistants and collaborate with faculty and staff on a regular basis.

• Masters degree in Business Administration or a related field.
• Minimum 5-10 years of professional experience working in relevant industry sectors demonstrating strong business acumen and leadership capability to function at an executive level.
• Minimum 510 years of progressive experience in partnership development recruitment external relations or strategic initiatives in higher education or related fields.
• Proven track record of building partnerships that result in increased program enrollment or student engagement.
• Strong data literacy and experience using enrollment metrics to track and improve recruitment outcomes.
• Excellent communication negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Experience in student recruitment admissions or enrollment management especially for transfer student populations.
• Grant writing or experience securing external funding to support outreach and recruitment.
• Familiarity with academic program development curriculum alignment and transfer credit evaluation.
• PMP certification or relevant project/partnership management credentials.

Valid Drivers license ability to travel ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

Applicants should submit cover letter and resume that details how their education and experience meets the required and preferred qualifications.

Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary with notice provided beforehand.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity compliance with applicable laws WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race ethnicity color national origin age citizenship or immigration status pregnancy use of protective leave genetic status sex sexual orientation gender identity gender expression marital status creed religion veteran or military status disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law in its programs or activities including employment admissions and educational programs. See WWUs Policies onProhibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance Title IX and ADA Coordinator Western Washington University Old Main 126 (MS 9021) 516 High Street Bellingham WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay);

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation please contactHuman Resources Disability Services 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (The Clery Act). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Westerns campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use crime prevention the reporting of crimes sexual assault and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at . The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.