Director of Partnership Success

Who We Are

Our mission is simple but critical : to build pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality, workforce-aligned degrees and credentials from North Carolina's public universities.

At Project Kitty Hawk, our work reflects our company values :

Collaboration – We prioritize our partners' success and reputation, aligning every initiative with their goals, reflecting their values, and enhancing their impact.

Innovation – We innovate, not replicate. As creative problem solvers, we use data-driven insights to push boundaries, continuously improve our services, develop solutions, and redefine what it means to serve nontraditional learners.

Empathy – We understand the unique challenges of nontraditional learners, and are committed to supporting them with empathy, respect, and solutions that fit their needs.

Integrity – We operate with transparency and accountability in everything we do. We uphold honesty, take ownership of our work, and maintain the highest standards.

Teamwork – We embody the collaboration we seek. We always strive to be dependable, supportive, and solutions-oriented teammates.

Together, we partner with universities in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System to produce innovative, flexible degree and credential programs in high-demand fields. Each PKH team member plays a vital role in advancing this mission and shaping the future of education for adult learners.

These values will enable us to realize PKH's vision : to make North Carolina's public universities the top choice for adult learners and to amplify the UNC System's role as a national leader in higher education innovation, access, and student success. By joining our team, you have an opportunity to contribute to our achievement of that vision, in the process helping to create opportunities for thousands of learners to earn their success and move up the economic ladder.

At Project Kitty Hawk we hire talented people who are not only dedicated to our mission but share our belief that working together makes us stronger and more effective. In this organization you'll find individuals with a range of interesting backgrounds and life stories; the true magic happens when those individuals come together to solve problems in service of a common goal. We encourage you to bring your unique perspective, talents, and ideas to the table as we strive to make a meaningful impact.

The Role

The Director of Partnership Success leads PKH efforts in building, strengthening, and sustaining strategic relationships with our university and industry partners. This individual will be responsible for driving partner engagement, ensuring seamless collaboration, and maximizing the value of our partnerships to further our mission of expanding access to public higher education across North Carolina. The Director has a strong business acumen, the ability to engage at the C-Suite level, and a track record of successfully managing strategic accounts. This role requires a blend of relationship management, strategic thinking, and process management to ensure that partnerships thrive and deliver long-term value.

We are hiring for two Directors of Partnership Success from this posting.

Appalachian State University (ASU)

Appalachian State University was the third PKH Partner Institution and launched their first two Flight Path Programs in August of 2024 and an additional 3 Flight Path Programs in January of 2025. The ASU partnership has been able to capitalize on learnings from the first two Institutional Partnerships and as a result has nicely embedded Flight Path Programs throughout the University Central Operations Teams (Admissions, Transfer Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Student Accounts / Billing, IT) as well as the relevant Academic Programs. The top three skills needed to excel in this particular role are : 1) excellent communication skills with an ability to communicate, present, and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of an organization, including executive and C-level, 2) natural relationship builder with integrity, reliability, and maturity, and 3) driven to care for the partnership and its stakeholders, ensuring their needs are met and finding opportunities to make the partnership successful.

North Carolina Central University (NCCU)

North Carolina Central University was the first PKH Partner Institution and is currently our only Historical Black College and University partner. They celebrated their first Flight Path graduate this past December. As the inaugural PKH partner, NCCU has often been the pioneer learning the first lessons about what works and what does not work in the market. The Flight Path Program execution at NCCU remains mostly centralized and the team is working hard to embed Flight Path more deeply throughout the institution. The top three skills needed to excel in this particular role are : 1) has a knack for navigating change and a willingness to think creatively to solve a problem, 2) can effectively manage ambiguity, and 3) intuitively knows (or knows how to discover) what the partnership's stakeholders care about and how to support their goals, strategic plans, values, and mission.

Please indicate which of these Director roles is most appealing to you in terms of your skill set. If you do not have a preference, please feel free to also indicate that.

What you'll do :

• Establish, develop, and maintain strong relationships with university partners, corporate stakeholders, and internal teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor to partners, understanding their goals, challenges, and needs, and aligning them with Project Kitty Hawk's mission and capabilities.
• Facilitate regular check-ins and engagement strategies to ensure active and mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Identify new partnership opportunities and collaborate with internal teams to expand Project Kitty Hawk's impact.
• Lead contract negotiations, partnership agreements, and renewals in collaboration with legal and executive teams.
• Develop and execute strategic plans to maximize the success of partnerships, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Represent Project Kitty Hawk at partner meetings, industry events, and conferences to build brand awareness and strengthen relationships.
• Serve as the primary liaison between partners and internal departments to ensure seamless communication and execution.
• Advocate for partner needs within Project Kitty Hawk to enhance collaboration and drive innovation.
• Implement and refine processes for tracking partner engagement, satisfaction, and success metrics.
• Utilize data and feedback to optimize partnership strategies and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure that all partnership activities are documented, reported, and analyzed to measure impact and effectiveness.

What you bring :

Working Conditions and Travel

What We Offer

Project Kitty Hawk offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes full medical / dental / vision coverage, a 401K with match, and a generous time-off policy with paid volunteer time. In addition, we are committed to providing competitive salaries with the potential for performance bonus and remote working flexibility.

Project Kitty Hawk is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Project Kitty Hawk is dedicated to this policy concerning recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please contact Kelly Snow at klsnow@projectkittyhawk.com.

PI261987887