Community College Relationship Manager

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.  We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

The Community College Relationship Manager (CCRM) plays a critical role in expanding National Louis University’s (NLU) footprint through high-impact partnerships with assigned community colleges and Early Childhood Centers. This results-driven role is accountable for generating qualified leads, increasing transfer student enrollment, and driving measurable growth through strategic outreach via community college and Early Childhood Centers activities.

Working in collaboration with the Executive Director, and Director of Outreach, the CCRM is responsible for designing and executing recruitment strategies that convert interest into action. The successful candidate will be a self-starter who thrives in a goal-oriented environment and can build strong partnerships that translate into enrollment and partnership outcomes.

This position requires travel both throughout the Chicagoland area and Illinois (including periodic trips downstate Illinois)

• Drive Enrollment Growth: Execute data-informed recruitment and outreach strategies that result in increased lead generation, student registrations, and transfer enrollments.

• Partnership Development: Identify, initiate, and manage high-impact partnerships with community colleges and Early Childhood Centers that align with NLU’s enrollment objectives.

• Relationship Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned partner institutions, delivering tailored presentations, facilitating advisor collaborations, and coordinating campus-based or virtual engagement activities.

• Market Representation: Represent NLU at college fairs, transfer events, classroom visits, advisory boards, and professional conferences to promote the university’s undergraduate and portfolio.

• Pipeline Management: Maintain detailed activity logs and student interactions in the CRM system (e.g., Salesforce), ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment with internal recruitment and advising teams.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with admissions, advising, marketing, and academic teams to coordinate campaigns, streamline onboarding processes, and resolve transfer barriers.

• Performance Monitoring: Analyze territory performance, set benchmarks, and provide regular updates on outreach outcomes, lead conversion rates, and partnership engagement metrics.

• Contract & Agreement Facilitation: Draft and help negotiate formal partnership agreements that lead to sustained enrollment pipelines.

• Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred
• At least 3 years of proven experience in higher education recruitment, sales, or relationship management with a record of success in enrollment or revenue growth
• Access to reliable transportation to travel throughout Illinois (including downstate)
• Availability to work on Saturdays, occasionally
• Proficiency with Microsoft, Google and CRM tools (i.e. Salesforce)
• Military/Veteran experience, a plus
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong strategic partnerships
• Experienced in delivering presentations and proposals to diverse audiences
• Results-oriented mindset with experience meeting and achieving performance targets
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Collaborative team player

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued.  We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Opportunities. Additional information regarding full-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $58,202 to $84,393 annually.  Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.  Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity. 

Please Include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form