Director Educational Partnerships

The Director of Educational Partnerships will design and lead Sonic Automotives enterprise strategy for building long-term talent pipelines through partnerships with colleges universities and technical schools. This role will be instrumental in developing future sales F&I and operations leaders by creating structured early-career pathways aligned to Sonics high-performance culture and guest-first philosophy.

This leader will serve as a strategic connector between educational institutions and retail operations ensuring Sonic is consistently attracting developing and converting top emerging talent into dealership roles.

Key Responsibilities

Educational Partnership Strategy

• Develop a national partnership strategy targeting community colleges universities HBCUs and technical trade programs aligned to Sonics footprint and growth markets.
• Build strong relationships with academic leadership career services and faculty to embed Sonic into curriculum programs and career pathways.
• Position Sonic Automotive and EchoPark as leading destinations for business sales and automotive career growth.

Campus & Early Career Recruitment

• Work with Talent Acquisition to develop campus recruiting strategies across priority markets including hiring events classroom engagement and branded activities.
• Equip Talent Acquisition teams and store leaders with tools and messaging to effectively attract and convert early-career talent.
• Work with Talent Acquisition to build innovative recruitment approaches that resonate with Gen Z talent highlighting earnings potential career pathing and entrepreneurial opportunities within Sonic.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate with brand and dealership leadership to participate in campus events
• Coordinate with talent acquisition team in recruiting efforts to fill Internships and Leadership Development Programs.

Performance Measurement & Optimization

• Define and track key success metrics including pipeline volume conversion rates retention and time-to-productivity.
• Analyze program effectiveness and continuously optimize partnership ROI.

Deliver regular insights and recommendations to executive leadership.

Qualifications :

Required

• 3 years of experience in either talent acquisition workforce strategy campus recruiting or external partnerships.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate talent strategy into operational impact.
• Experience influencing senior leaders in a multi-location or decentralized environment.
• Willingness to travel (4050%) to campuses and dealership locations.

Preferred

• Experience in automotive retail operations hospitality or multi-unit service environments.
• Familiarity with technical vocational or dealership training pathways.

Core Competencies

• External partnership development and influence
• Data-driven execution and continuous improvement
• Strong storytelling and employer branding
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced performance-driven culture

Why This Role Matters at Sonic

Sonic Automotives continued growth depends on a strong ready-now bench of leaders who can drive sales performance deliver exceptional guest experiences and lead high-performing teams. This role directly fuels that future by creating predictable scalable pathways for early-career talent to enter and grow within the organization.

Additional Information :

Experience the best the automotive industry has to offer and apply today.  We look forward to sharing our success with the brightest talent out there!

Remote Work :

Yes

Employment Type :

Full-time