Director, College and University Relations

General Functions

The Director, College and University Relations, is responsible for the expansion and growth of degree-level programs that result in increasing number of CFP® certificants  coming from degree level registered programs, including those from underrepresented groups. This position will be responsible and accountable for efforts and results to grow degree-level CFP® Registered Programs.

The academic/higher education community is an important partner in ensuring the CFP Board’s mission and key to achieving its strategic priorities. Partners in this community include faculty, Deans of Business Schools, Administration, and Career Centers at accredited colleges/universities. The Director will lead efforts to identify, create and nurture strategic alliances with college/university stakeholders while collaborating with the CFP Board’s Center for Financial Planning and key staff supporting Registered Programs to ensure alignment of goals and deliverables.

He/She will represent CFP Board to this key audience in meetings, conferences, and other networking opportunities. This position has shared responsibility for maintaining senior-level higher education industry relationships across the country and will be visiting and calling on colleges/universities and the identified stakeholders. 

Performance will be based on KPIs that include the number of strategic alliances with colleges/universities, the number of financial planning degree-level programs (particularly in AACSB business schools), and the number of CFP® exam takers from these programs.

Essential Functions

• Regularly monitors and reports on trends and issues facing the academic community, particularly in higher education, and their interaction with professional and organizational enterprises. 
• Understands the prospective higher education institutions’ end customer and proactively identifies future growth opportunities for alignment to the CFP® certification.
• Takes the lead in identifying, pursuing, and cultivating relationships with potential or prospective college/university partners and acts as a strategic point of contact for prospective relationships.
• Helps maintain an organized and shared network of active and potential relationships among colleges and universities key to growth of CFP® professionals.
• Identifies and develops new programs and alliances with new prospect institutions that enable graduates to pursue CFP® certification and register for the CFP® examination.
• Leverages and supports colleagues, volunteers, and thought leaders for calls, proposals, or pitches; brings a team together to work collaboratively to deliver excellent quality of proposal efforts.
• Works closely with other CFP Board staff (i.e., Center for Financial Planning, Education department) and volunteers to identify prospective, mutually beneficial projects with key universities such as including joint events, papers, reports, publications, roundtables, executive and continuing education opportunities, conferences and other that facilitate successful completion of CFP® certification among baccalaureate students.
• Handles, resolves, and negotiates complex issues with potential or prospective college/university partners and liaises with executive leadership when needed.
• Collaborates with Director of Education on designing financial planning programs for colleges/schools; understands and communicates to CFP Board staff the college’s/school’s unique context and challenges and how those challenges relate to, certification, and articulation of CFP® requirements.
• Identifies opportunities for CFP Board and staff to engage with leading professors and researchers through research, training, and publications.
• Enhances CFP Board’s reputation and image among college/university stakeholders.
• Oversees all elements of the day-to-day management of relationships, alliances, commitments, and deliverables to achieve priorities and goals.
• Performs other duties as assigned.