University Partnerships Manager

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 142 million registered learners as of December 31, 2023.

Coursera partners with over 325 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

Join us in our mission to create a world where anyone, anywhere can transform their life through access to education. We're seeking talented individuals who share our passion and drive to revolutionize the way the world learns.

We at Coursera are committed to building a globally diverse team and are thrilled to extend employment opportunities to individuals in any country where we have a legal entity. We require candidates to possess eligible working rights and have a compatible timezone overlap with their team to facilitate seamless collaboration. As a remote-first company, our interviews and onboarding are entirely virtual, providing a smooth and efficient experience for our candidates.

Job Overview:

The University partnerships team is responsible for sourcing the best possible content and programs for our learners from the best universities worldwide. This requires us to build strong and long-lasting relationships with our partners and to work closely with them to define and execute their strategy.

As a University Partnerships Manager, you will be responsible for cultivating the growth of Coursera’s degree business through generating new growth opportunities and driving degree program  renewals among leading universities around the world. It will be your responsibility to establish meaningful relationships with globally top-ranked institutions that will deliver transformational degree and certificate programs. 

You will leverage in-depth knowledge of higher education trends and data-driven insights to consult and convince prospective degree decision-makers on the Coursera degree value proposition, and will be expected to achieve and surpass yearly degree sourcing targets.

As a senior-level individual contributor, you will be responsible for sourcing Degrees and Certificates from a defined group of University Partners and prospects and work closely with your colleagues. You will bring experienced leadership to develop executive-level relationships and work across Marketing, Legal, Product, and Services, and will work within a team of University Partnership Managers, marketing managers, content strategy, and other internal stakeholders to drive growth.

Responsibilities:

• Revenue: Grow revenue at a high rate by identifying, prioritizing, and executing on opportunities to create shared value across all of Coursera channels that can transform the lives of learners.
• Renewals:  Expand and renew national and regional strategic university accounts in alignment with Coursera’s strategic priorities and mission 
• Source Online Degrees: Source degrees, Certificates and Open Content  to be delivered on Coursera platform and negotiate business and service terms. Manage the degree sourcing process from beginning through negotiation and close.
• Relationships: Influence and inspire partners by engaging with university stakeholders at all levels including faculty, deans, administrators, and provosts. 
• Leadership: Influence and align cross-functional teams to efficiently close new degree business.
• Growth: Build a pipeline of new degree  & certificate opportunities by proactively identifying and cultivating relationships with aligned departments and partners new to Coursera’s degree business with the support of Content Strategy and Sales Enablement.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5+ years of experience managing  complex relationships into universities and driving revenue-generating upsells  (5 yos for IC4, 7+ for IC5, 10+ for IC6)
• Demonstrated experience building and growing a business by leading cross-functional stakeholders to create value for learners, partners and Coursera. 
• Demonstrated experience in navigating university culture, teaching, and decision-making processes

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to design and execute high-leverage action plans, comfortable taking a hypothesis-driven approach with complex or conflicting data
• Record of achievement in driving large, complex multi-year renewals and managing senior-level external stakeholders strategically to achieve a goal 
• Proven track record of building high trust relationship and driving consensus across internal teams
• Proficiency leading discussions around complex business decisions with executive leadership
• Effective communication and influencing skills with the ability to pitch comprehensive online degree solutions 
• Passion for Coursera’s mission, building trusted relationships, and achieving ambitious goals to bring high-quality content to learners around the world

Compensation:Our job titles may span more than one career level. The starting base pay for this role is between $111,000-$142,000. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, and location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, and benefits. 

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