Director of Business Development & Partnerships

About this role

About Campus

Campus https://campus.edu/ is on a mission to accelerate the talent of tomorrow and reimagine what college can (and should) be. The problem is clear: college costs have skyrocketed, but outcomes haven’t. Traditional college hasn’t kept up with the aspirations of today’s students—and they can’t afford to wait.

At Campus, we’ve built a two-year, accredited college where students learn from top professors at universities like Princeton, Stanford, and Howard, in live, online classes. Our students graduate with in-demand business and AI skills—ready to launch their careers or transfer to top four-year universities. Our unique approach is grounded in a pioneering technology platform and a heavily-researched student success model that offers students dedicated advisors and on-demand tutoring and coaching. We were also named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2024 https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4289374-1&h=905796532&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D4174213-1%26h%3D410953500%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.fastcompany.com%252F91036638%252Fcampus-most-innovative-companies-2024%26a%3DMost%2BInnovative%2BCompanies%2Bof%2B2024&a=Most+Innovative+Companies+of+2024.

We’re backed by an exceptional investor team that believes deeply in our vision for the future of education, including General Catalyst, Founders Fund, Bloomberg Beta, 8VC, Rethink Education, Sam Altman, Jason Citron, Shaquille O’Neal, and others.

The world has changed. Higher ed needs to catch up, and we’re leading the way - come join us!

About the Role

Campus is hiring a Director of Business Development & Partnerships to source, sign, and help launch partnerships that bring prospective students to Campus.

We’re looking for someone to build Campus’s business development function, identifying opportunities that fit our programs and business model while building on existing relationships. We’re looking for someone who can build on that foundation by turning existing organizational relationships into opportunities while developing an outbound pipeline of their own.

You will focus on workforce and employment platforms, community organizations, education organizations, and other partners with access to prospective Campus students. Employers are also part of the opportunity, particularly where existing relationships provide a path to the right decision-makers.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role. You will personally source opportunities, build relationships, structure proposals, negotiate agreements, and close deals. You will remain the relationship owner through launch, working closely with Marketing and Business Operations, which will lead much of the launch execution.

The initial mandate is to prove a repeatable, commercially sound approach. Success creates the opportunity to grow the function and build a team.

You’re excited about this opportunity because you will…

- Source and qualify opportunities. Build a pipeline through targeted outbound outreach, your own network, and introductions from Campus leadership, investors, and existing partners.

- Help shape the business development strategy. Work with leadership to identify and prioritize opportunities that fit Campus’s programs and business model. Define which markets and organizations to pursue, why, and how to turn those opportunities into business.

- Identify partners that can drive enrollment. Assess audience fit, reach, engagement, distribution capabilities, and willingness to commit resources to a successful partnership.

- Own the deal from first conversation to signature. Develop the business case, build relationships with decision-makers, structure proposals, negotiate terms, and secure agreements.

- Develop the right partnership structure. Work across referral agreements, co-marketing arrangements, employer education benefits, and other models that create value for Campus, partners, and prospective students.

- Turn agreements into launches. Establish clear commitments, responsibilities, and timelines. Partner with Marketing and Business Operations to prepare launches, resolve issues, and keep the partner engaged.

- Own the partner relationship. Maintain executive and working relationships after signature, address barriers to performance, and identify opportunities to expand successful partnerships.

- Manage the economics. Evaluate expected enrollment contribution, acquisition costs, resource requirements, and return. Prioritize partnerships with a credible path to positive ROI in the first year.

- Build a disciplined process. Keep pipeline and forecasts current, document what works, and develop a repeatable approach to sourcing, qualification, negotiation, and partner handoff.

What we’re looking for:

- Approximately 7 - 10 years of relevant experience in business development, partnerships, or sales, including meaningful experience in higher education, edtech, workforce development, or employment platforms.

- A demonstrated record of personally sourcing and closing partnerships, with clear examples of your role in originating opportunities, negotiating agreements, and getting partners to launch.

- Experience building pipeline through both outbound prospecting and relationship-driven introductions.

- Strong commercial judgment: you can distinguish an interesting conversation from an opportunity with a credible audience, committed partner, and sound economics.

- Experience structuring referral, co-marketing, employer education benefit, or comparable distribution partnerships.

- The ability to work across senior decision-makers and operating teams, and to keep deals moving through competing priorities.

- A practical, accountable approach to collaboration. You can coordinate internal resources while staying responsible for progress and the partner relationship.

- Comfort operating independently, building processes as you go, and balancing relationship development with…