Partnership Success Manager - Higher Ed

Partnership Success Manager US Based (remote) Students’ Union Partners Team Location: Remote across US with regular travel across the US to our university partners native has been building for 10 years, but we're still very much a startup: fast-moving, ambitious, and building with intent. We're creating the infrastructure that connects students, Students’ Unions, universities, and advertisers through a managed marketplace. Our goal is to deliver for students by increasing student engagement while enabling Students’ Unions to secure sustainable funding. For advertisers, we offer meaningful, measurable routes to student audiences. The more aligned these incentives are, the more defensible and scalable our business becomes. The Opportunity We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Partnership Success Manager (PSM) to join our team and lead the strategic management and growth of our strategic partnerships with universities across the United States. The PSM’s primary responsibility is to strengthen and sustain existing partnerships, driving deeper engagement, adoption, and alignment with native’s broader strategic objectives. This role is critical in securing contractual outcomes, while also ensuring partners are fully equipped through highly efficient onboarding to leverage native’s platform to enhance student engagement and experiences. native is a platform purpose-built for students. Our tools empower Students' Unions with rich insights and actionable data to create better, more engaging experiences throughout university life. As the PSM, you will be a key advocate for this vision ensuring that partners not only understand our offerings but also unlock their full value. We’re looking for a self-starter who is confident working independently, takes initiative, and is comfortable with ownership and accountability. You’ll lead with sound judgment, drive outcomes, and confidently engage partners at all levels. You will be responsible for managing, growing, and strategically aligning existing accounts to deliver maximum value for both native and our partners. What you’ll be working on Strategic Relationship Management

• Build, deepen, and sustain long-term, meaningful relationships with key stakeholders in university accounts, acting as a trusted strategic advisor.
• Host quarterly in-person partnership review meetings with each university to assess performance, gather feedback, and proactively explore opportunities for expansion and upsell.
• Ensure continuous alignment on partnership goals, expectations, and long-term success metrics.

Commercial Ownership & Contract Negotiation

• Lead and execute the contract negotiation, masterfully securing new agreements, multi-year renewals, and complex renegotiations to definitive closure
• Manage financial performance across accounts, including multi-year contract planning and renegotiations.
• Align commercial goals with partnership value, ensuring mutual benefit and improved student outcomes.

Efficient & Seamless Partner Onboarding

• Drive efficient, seamless, and high-quality onboarding of new university partners, coordinating cross-functionally with Delivery, Sales and Product teams to ensure rapid time-to-value.
• Lead platform implementation by collaborating with partner teams and executing custom activation roadmaps that maximize efficiency and speed to adoption.
• Serve as the primary post-signing contact, guiding partners through the technical and strategic implementation of native’s platform.

Partnership Development & Expansion

• Proactively identify, pitch, and secure opportunities to expand and enrich existing partnerships, focused on upsell and cross-sell of new services and products.
• Drive partner engagement across the full native product suite, focusing on adoption, usage, and measurable value.

Success Planning

• Develop tailored account success plans for each university, with clear goals, milestones, and KPIs to track progress and impact.

Product Enablement & Advocacy

• Become a subject matter expert on native’s value proposition and product ecosystem.
• Educate partners on tools and insights that empower them to enhance student engagement and improve overall experiences.

Conflict Management & Risk Mitigation

• Anticipate and address partnership challenges promptly and diplomatically to preserve trust and momentum.

Performance Monitoring & Insight Sharing

• Continuously evaluate partner performance using key metrics, sharing actionable insights both internally and externally.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with internal teams (Sales, Delivery, Product, and Marketing) to ensure a seamless and impactful partner experience.

What we’re looking for

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in partnership management or account management, ideally in the US market.
• Exceptional and proven track record in sophisticated contract negotiation, high-value renewals, and consistently exceeding commercial closing targets.
• Demonstrated ability to drive highly efficient, seamless, and successful post-sale implementation and partner onboarding, resulting in accelerated platform adoption.
• Deep experience in strategic relationship management, serving as a trusted advisor, and driving significant account expansion and upsell within a book of business.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a confident, consultative communication style.
• Comfortable leading conversations with senior stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Ability to act decisively and autonomously, while adhering to our strong policies, standards, and framework.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple stakeholders effectively.
• Passion for improving student experiences and engagement through data and digital tools.

Whats in it for you ‍ Employment through EOR partner Remote-first role in the US ⚡ Opportunity to work in a dynamic, fast-growing startup. Play a key role in the US expansion strategy for a mission-driven company. Access to career growth opportunities as the company scales. Equal Opportunity Statement We are actively creating an equitable environment for everyone at native to thrive. Diversity and inclusion are a priority for us and we are making sure we have lots of support for all of our people to grow at native. At native, we embrace diversity in all of its forms and foster an inclusive environment for all people to do the best work of their lives with us. Apply tot his job Apply To this Job