Fast Facts

Craft Education is searching for a Senior Technical Partnerships Manager to enhance government collaborations for apprenticeship programs and work-based learning initiatives, driving product adoption and ensuring successful partnerships.

Responsibilities: Engage with government agencies to build partnerships, conduct solution selling, manage relationships, and oversee performance tracking for apprenticeship initiatives.

Skills: Proven success in SaaS sales to government entities, strong relationship building, project management, and excellent communication skills.

Qualifications: 5+ years of government sales experience, with knowledge of registered apprenticeship programs and experience in educational software sales preferred.

Location: Remote position, work from home in the United States.

Compensation: $106700 - $165400 / Annually

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider Craft Education as the next step in your career.

Craft Education is on a mission to solve skilled labor shortages by powering work-based learning pathways for all.  

At Craft, we’re revolutionizing the apprenticeship degree, combining on-the-job learning with accredited instruction to create innovative educational pathways that accommodate working professionals and meet employer needs. Our flagship product - Craft Connect - helps organizations administer apprentice degree programs and address mission-critical data and reporting needs. Through the same platform, Craft is also transforming how on-the-job learning converts into academic credits.

Our team of technology, education and workforce professionals also provides technical assistance to organizations looking to launch and manage apprenticeship degree programs. We are working tirelessly to accelerate the expansion of these programs along with the data infrastructure that underpins them.  

If you’re looking to join the work-based learning revolution, we’d love to talk with you. At Craft, you’ll have the opportunity to solve hard problems in a high-growth startup environment and make a lasting impact on the future of education and workforce development. We couldn’t be more excited to advance this work as a team of innovative, collaborative and mission-oriented professionals - we hope you’ll consider joining us.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Professional 312Pay Range: $106,700.00 - $165,400.00

Job Description

The Senior Technical Partnerships Manager, Government plays a pivotal role in driving Craft’s strategic collaborations by engaging government agencies to support apprenticeship and “work-based learning” workforce initiatives. This role focuses on establishing and nurturing partnerships with government agencies and other key stakeholders by promoting the adoption of Craft’s products and services data utility platform tailored for apprenticeship programs. Through solution selling, relationship management, and strategic proposal development, the manager identifies partner needs, demonstrates platform value for workforce planning and compliance, and secures impactful agreements. This position also oversees performance tracking and reporting to ensure partnerships deliver measurable outcomes, fostering long-term engagement and program success.

Primary Responsibilities

• Partnership Development: Identify and engage new partnership leads by building a pipeline of prospects, leveraging local relationships and strategic analysis
• Partnership Execution: establish strategic partnerships and drive formal engagements with government agencies and other key stakeholders including institutions of higher education (IHEs), Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) sponsors, and nonprofits - by conducting “solution selling” of Craft’s products and services, including our data management platform (public data utility)
• Solution Selling: Discover partner needs, wants and constraints; educate prospective partners on the benefits and applications of the apprenticeship-focused data utility software, emphasizing its value for workforce planning, tracking, data reporting and compliance.
• Handling Requests for Proposal (RFP): Engage with government agencies on RFP and bidding processes, navigating procurement and evaluation processes
• Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across education, workforce development, and public sectors, driving leads for prospective clients and exploring strategic initiatives
• Strategic Proposal and Agreement Development: Create and negotiate partnership proposals, MOUs, and agreements that align with partner objectives and emphasize the mutual benefits of using the data utility.
• Performance Tracking and Reporting: Monitor and report on partner engagement and platform utilization, regularly sharing insights with internal teams and refining strategies to maximize partnership effectiveness.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proven track record of meeting and exceeding quotas when selling software-as-a-service (SaaS) products to sophisticated government agency customers.
• Demonstrated experience building, managing, and converting a pipeline of qualified leads.
• Knowledge and ability to execute on industry standard business-to-business (B2B) sales practices, ie. ‘solution selling’ procedures and ‘working’ accounts to drive signed contractual partnerships and revenue.
• Knowledge and connections in government sales
• Intellectual curiosity and empathy to become an expert in our products and services, spanning solutions for data reporting and compliance, education & workforce initiatives, and corporate Learning & Development (L&D).
• ‘Figure it out’ mentality with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous startup environment; strong business judgment with results orientation.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage and influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders, including marketing and product teams.
• High level of integrity and professionalism

Education          

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Experience

• 5+ Years of Experience in Government Sales:
• Background in engaging with Departments of Education, Higher Education, Workforce Development, or similar
• Proven Relationship-Building Skills
• Demonstrated experience establishing and nurturing relationships with government agencies and related stakeholders such as school districts, higher education, employers, and nonprofits
• Project Management and Organizational Skills:
• Ability to manage multiple partnership initiatives aimed at platform adoption, with attention to detail in coordinating the logistics required to execute on complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Communication and Negotiation Skills:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience developing partnership proposals and negotiating agreements.

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep knowledge and network in Workforce, Education and Apprenticeship:
• Familiarity with the structure and requirements of registered apprenticeship programs, especially data tracking, compliance, and reporting needs.
• Deep network of contacts at governmental agencies including Education, Labor, Workforce Developments, and State Apprenticeship Agencies
• Experience Selling Data Management Platforms and Workflow Software:
• Prior experience with technology including LMS, SIS, HRIS, with the ability to sell novel solutions and encourage adoption
• Experience selling educational or upskilling software, or workforce planning platforms, to school districts, higher education, workforce, employers.
• Advanced Degree or Certifications in Education, Public Policy, or Workforce Development:
• A master’s degree or relevant certifications that demonstrate depth of knowledge in areas critical to partnership success.
• Analytical Skills for Data-Driven Execution:
• Proficiency in analyzing sales operations and platform usage metrics to drive data-informed decisions around partnership engagement and upsells.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.