Managing Director, Research Partner Success - EAB

About EAB:

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Managing Director, Research Partner Success, Large Public & Private Comprehensives

The Research Partner Success organization represents EAB’s Research division with colleges and universities. The Managing Director is the partner-facing leader for roughly 40 high-profile and high-risk accounts, responsible for maximizing the value partners derive from EAB’s Research portfolio by advising on critical institutional priorities and driving partner outcomes. This role will manage a Strategic Leader who supports the Managing Director in serving the broader territory.

This role will direct partner executive relationships and promote utilization and engagement aligned with institutional and individual persona priorities. This role will go beyond a traditional Strategic Leader position with a focus on product knowledge, content and market expertise, providing consultative support and expert advice to our partners.

This position may be based in Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; or remotely within the continental United States.

Who We Want:

• Do you have a background in or passion for the EAB Research product and know or have a willingness to learn our content and services across higher education Research terrains in order to personally advise partners and deliver expertise?
• Do you advise and challenge customers to make the right decisions, and hold them accountable to help them achieve strategic goals?
• Are you a persuasive leader with a knack for teaching and explaining concepts?
• Do you build great customer relationships that inspire loyalty and drive growth?
• Are you a problem solver with a gift for finding solutions that meet customer needs?

Primary Responsibilities:

Product Expertise and Advisory Services

• Deploy an existing and ever-growing understanding of key industry issues and how EAB helps partners set and execute strategy in areas like institutional strategy, finance and admin, academic innovation, student success and experience, enrollment growth, research enterprise, and talent strategy; communicate EAB points of view and add value in every partner conversation
• Leverage EAB’s insights, best practices, tools, and data to help partners make decisions and implement best practices, bringing clarity and context to their understanding of their challenges
• Present partners with new ideas and potential solutions to those challenges aligned to EAB offerings, and advocate for adoption
• Act as an expert outside voice, building consensus among senior executives to help drive priorities forward
• Adjust, supplement, and/or reframe research content as needed to drive adoption of offerings for different audiences
• Share partner and market intelligence to foster a more collaborative and connected service approach and inform research and product roadmaps, services, engagement opportunities and execution; identify opportunities for sub-segment convenings to tackle urgent and important partner challenges
• Develop and maintain a strong knowledge of broader EAB offerings (e.g., Technology and Enroll360 products)

Partner Expertise - Build & Manage Relationships

• Through exceptional discovery and scoping, understand partner challenges, assess progress, identify decisions, timelines, and key decision makers to drive accountability and impact
• Understand partner internal politics and key influencers; use to further service and drive commercial outcomes
• Develop deep relationships with and serve as a trusted advisor to senior partner executives, specifically the President, Provost, Chief Business Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer
• Leverage in-person activities to further relationships and partner outcomes, prioritizing cabinet convenings, workshops/partner intensives with senior partner executives
• Manage partner escalations within the team’s territory as well as situations that cross EAB products (working across Research, Technology, and Marketing and Enrollment Services); lead turnaround strategies for high-risk partner relationships, playing the pan-EAB lead role as needed

Strategic Partner Improvement & Optimization Planning

• Manage self and Strategic Leader against prescriptive delivery and meaningful partner utilization focused on driving outcomes; hold partners accountable to success plans, ensuring progress is made and identifying and addressing risk when off track
• Set timelines and deliverables with partners, aligned to EAB services and capacity; manage self, colleagues, and partners against the project plan
• Develop and use a strategic pool management tool to conduct semi-annual territory planning for self and team
• Consistently communicate the value narrative of EAB Research in all partner interactions, taking the opportunity to re-sell and re-educate; provide partners with a unique perspective on improving their business including challenging partner assumptions
• Develop best practices, scripting, and collateral to improve overall service delivery for self, team and the larger department
• Collaborate with colleagues across the research, renewal, sales, and other EAB product teams to serve our partners in a coordinated, holistic manner

Commercial/Growth Management

• “Sell” our services to drive adoption and embeddedness aligned to partner priorities, with a focus on outcomes
• Leverage partner knowledge to identify best growth opportunities; pass leads and facilitate warm introductions of sales colleagues, including conducting warming sales visits and partnering with sales across the evaluation for research and pan-EAB sales opportunities
• Regularly diagnose risk in partnerships, using diagnostic tools and partner health reporting and segmentation; escalate potential risk to renewal colleagues and leadership
• Collaborate with the renewal team to develop and execute save strategies for at-risk partners
• Hit annual and semi-annual personal and team revenue targets
• Maintain Salesforce data integrity

Leadership & Management

• Manage a Strategic Leader (SL), driving excellence in service delivery to achieve revenue targets, including coaching on key skills
• Lead critical intervention moments in a partnership: 1) annual partnership reviews, 2) in-person visits,  3) partnership onboarding, 4) executive transitions/onboarding, 5) SL transitions, 6) interactions with President and other senior executives based on priority workstreams
• Lead initiatives for the Research division aligned to partner success efforts, for example, leading strategy and execution for engagement with a key persona or spearheading a key EAB Research event for senior executives

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited College/University
• Proven record of professional success
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior executives, both spoken and written
• Willingness to travel up to 20%
• Valid Driver’s License
• Demonstrated knowledge of higher education subject matter
• Excellent relationship building and collaboration skills; ability to build relationships with and engage and challenge senior-level executives
• Must possess a minimum of 10-15 years of professional experience encompassing at least three of the following:
  • Consulting or service delivery experience
  • Superior verbal, written, facilitation, and consultative presentation skills
  • MBA or other relevant master’s or doctorate degree
  • Experience presenting to/facilitating senior executives
  • Leadership experience
  • Commercial experience
  • Client or account management experience

Ideal Qualifications:

• Experience working with client executives, either at a college, university, or as a consultant or advisor
• Analytical thinking skills and ability to manage processes, projects, and operations
• Strong demonstrated listening skills
• Proven ability to deliver results, meet goals and deadlines, and hold accountability for business outcomes
• Proven experience managing multiple, competing priorities to deliver strategic impact
• Experience finding multiple solutions to complex problems and ability to comfortably manage complexity
• Ability to successfully overcome challenges or obstacles
• Ability to lead change and advocate for partners and staff
• Commitment to valuing diversity, practicing inclusive behaviors, and contributing to an equitable working and continual learning environment in support of EAB’s DE&I Promise

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome diversity of background and experience. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary (base) range for this role is $110,000 - $160,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, such as individual and organizational performance. 

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Gender affirming care coverage
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits.

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.