Director, Strategic Partnerships & Operations, Fuqua School of Business

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America's leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

DUKE EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

THE FUQUA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Director of Strategic Partnerships & Operations

Executive Education

Position Summary: The Director of Strategic Partnerships & Operations (level 14) is a senior operations and partnership leadership role responsible for the day-to-day ownership, execution, and sustainable growth of Duke Executive Education's multi-million dollar partnership portfolio.

The role ensures high-quality, scalable development and delivery of partnership open-enrollment programs while ensuring the productive and positive experience of partners, faculty, and participants. This role serves as the operational owner of assigned internal and external partnerships - accountable for execution, financial performance, faculty engagement/management, partner engagement/management, and continuous improvement.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Executive Education, this role translates strategy into operational reality - building repeatable systems, strengthening partnerships, managing financial performance, and enabling responsible growth, including strategic initiatives such as global expansion.

Job Responsibilities:

Partnership Portfolio Ownership & Management

• Serve as the primary operational owner for a defined portfolio of partnership open-enrollment programs.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with external partners, serving as the lead contact and escalation point.
• Oversee partnership health, contract adherence, renewal readiness, and long-term growth opportunities.
• Review and approve partner-facing materials (including marketing collateral and program communications) to ensure brand alignment and strategic consistency.
• Identify opportunities to refine offerings, improve participant experience, and increase financial performance.

Operational Execution & Program Delivery

• Own the operational development and execution of programs outside of direct program management responsibilities.
• Work closely with Program Managers to ensure seamless delivery, clear roles, and operational excellence.
• Coordinate across faculty, program teams, finance, marketing, and Duke stakeholders to ensure alignment.
• Anticipate and mitigate operational risks before they affect partners, faculty, or participants.
• Build and refine repeatable processes that reduce complexity and reliance on senior leadership intervention.

Faculty Engagement & Curriculum Oversight

• Manage faculty engagement across assigned programs, ensuring clarity of expectations, strong communication, and positive faculty experience.

• Support curriculum refinement and iteration in partnership with faculty and partners to ensure relevance and quality.
• Oversee faculty contracting logistics, compensation processes, and alignment with program financial models.
• Identify opportunities to deepen faculty engagement and strengthen cross-Duke relationships.

Financial Management & Performance Oversight

• Own financial oversight for assigned programs and partnerships.
• Monitor revenue share agreements, partner financial performance, and program margins.
• Oversee faculty payments and ensure alignment with financial projections.
• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial sustainability and scalability.

Strategic Initiatives & Growth Enablement

• Translate the Associate Dean's strategic priorities related to partnerships into operational plans and execution roadmaps.
• Support the development and launch of new partnerships and strategic growth initiatives that require partnerships (e.g., global expansion strategy).
• Evaluate operational implications of new opportunities and build scalable execution models.
• Serve as a thought partner on partnership portfolio strategy, partnership structure, and growth tradeoffs.

Organizational Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration across program management, partner marketing, finance, and faculty teams.
• Develop systems and reporting structures to improve transparency and decision-making.

Other Duties/Projects as Assigned

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 5-7+ years of experience in operations, partnership management, or a similar role.

• Strong operational leader with proven ability to own execution end-to-end.
• Exceptional partnership and relationship management skills.
• Financial fluency and comfort managing margins, contracts, and compensation structures.
• Ability to translate strategy into systems, processes, and disciplined execution.
• High accountability, proactive problem-solving mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational ownership.
• Experience working with faculty and academic stakeholders is a plus.

The intent of this job description is to provide an overview of the types of responsibilities required of this position and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Support curriculum refinement and iteration in partnership with faculty and partners to ensure relevance and quality.

• Oversee faculty contracting logistics, compensation processes, and alignment with program financial models.
• Identify opportunities to deepen faculty engagement and strengthen cross-Duke relationships.

Financial Management & Performance Oversight

• Own financial oversight for assigned programs and partnerships.
• Monitor revenue share agreements, partner financial performance, and program margins.
• Oversee faculty payments and ensure alignment with financial projections.
• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial sustainability and scalability.

Strategic Initiatives & Growth Enablement

• Translate the Associate Dean's strategic priorities related to partnerships into operational plans and execution roadmaps.
• Support the development and launch of new partnerships and strategic growth initiatives that require partnerships (e.g., global expansion strategy).
• Evaluate operational implications of new opportunities and build scalable execution models.
• Serve as a thought partner on partnership portfolio strategy, partnership structure, and growth tradeoffs.

Organizational Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration across program management, partner marketing, finance, and faculty teams.
• Develop systems and reporting structures to improve transparency and decision-making.

Other Duties/Projects as Assigned

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 5-7+ years of experience in operations, partnership management, or a similar role.

• Strong operational leader with proven ability to own execution end-to-end.
• Exceptional partnership and relationship management skills.
• Financial fluency and comfort managing margins, contracts, and compensation structures.
• Ability to translate strategy into systems, processes, and disciplined execution.
• High accountability, proactive problem-solving mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational ownership.
• Experience working with faculty and academic stakeholders is a plus.

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