Partnership Manager

About the role

The Partnership Manager is a key role in Innotech's growth team. You will build and manage a network of partnerships across two fronts: with schools, to drive student recruitment through joint events, career days, and outreach activities; and with employers, corporates, government bodies, and institutions, to support student internships, employability, and career pathways. This role opens new channels for growth and strengthens the university's brand with both future and current students.

This is an opportunity to build the partnerships function from the ground up at a new, dynamic, fast-growing university.

Responsibilities

• Identify, develop, and manage partnerships with schools and educational institutions to drive student recruitment through joint events, open days, career fairs, and outreach activities.
• Identify, develop, and manage strategic partnerships with employers, corporates, government bodies, and institutions to support student internships, employment, and career pathways.
• Develop and execute the annual partnership plan, aligned with marketing and admissions plans, and deliver against targets for active partnerships, school and employer engagement, event participation, and partner-generated leads.
• Plan and coordinate events with school and employer partners, working closely with marketing and student recruitment to ensure strong turnout and lead conversion.
• Negotiate, draft, and manage memoranda of understanding (MOUs), articulation agreements, and corporate and school partnership agreements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with school counselors, teachers, and administrators, as well as with employers and industry partners, to support recruitment, work placements, internships, and graduate employment.
• Collaborate with faculty and academic leadership to align partnerships with curriculum, accreditation, and student needs.
• Maintain a partnership pipeline and contact database, with regular reporting through dashboards.
• Represent InnoTech at school events, partnership events, industry forums, and conferences.
• Support the development of an alumni network as a channel for partnerships and growth.
• Work with the marketing and recruitment team to convert school and employer partnerships into leads and brand-building opportunities.
• Develop and optimize processes, policies, and procedures for a new function.
• Manage and report on the partnerships function's budget and operations.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, event management, or stakeholder relationship management - ideally in education (schools or higher education), corporate, government, or professional services.
• Demonstrated experience organizing events and negotiating and managing formal agreements (MOUs, contracts, articulation agreements).
• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills across diverse stakeholders (schools, corporate, government, academic).
• Strategic, commercially minded, with an ability to identify new partnership and event opportunities.
• Data-driven approach to tracking and reporting on partnership and event performance.
• Experience with school outreach, employer engagement, careers services, or alumni relations is a plus.
• Experience building processes and policies from scratch is a plus.
• Degree in business, communications, or a related field; MBA is an advantage.

Conditions

Work at a fast-growing international education venture, a partner of Arizona State University. Office in Almaty. Compensation discussed following the interview.