Director of Higher Education Strategy

Who We Are    Our mission is simple but critical: to build pathways for adult learners to earn high-quality, workforce-aligned degrees and credentials from North Carolina’s public universities.    At Project Kitty Hawk, our work reflects our company values:     Collaboration – We prioritize our partners’ success and reputation, aligning every initiative with their goals, reflecting their values, and enhancing their impact.   Innovation – We innovate, not replicate. As creative problem solvers, we use data-driven insights to push boundaries, continuously improve our services, develop solutions, and redefine what it means to serve nontraditional learners.   Empathy – We understand the unique challenges of nontraditional learners, and are committed to supporting them with empathy, respect, and solutions that fit their needs.   Integrity – We operate with transparency and accountability in everything we do. We uphold honesty, take ownership of our work, and maintain the highest standards.   Teamwork – We embody the collaboration we seek. We always strive to be dependable, supportive, and solutions-oriented teammates.     Together, we partner with universities in the University of North Carolina (UNC) System to produce innovative, flexible degree and credential programs in high-demand fields. Each PKH team member plays a vital role in advancing this mission and shaping the future of education for adult learners.     These values will enable us to realize PKH’s vision: to make North Carolina’s public universities the top choice for adult learners and to amplify the UNC System’s role as a national leader in higher education innovation, access, and student success. By joining our team, you have an opportunity to contribute to our achievement of that vision, in the process helping to create opportunities for thousands of learners to earn their success and move up the economic ladder.    At Project Kitty Hawk we hire talented people who are not only dedicated to our mission but share our belief that working together makes us stronger and more effective. In this organization you’ll find individuals with a range of interesting backgrounds and life stories; the true magic happens when those individuals come together to solve problems in service of a common goal.  We encourage you to bring your unique perspective, talents, and ideas to the table as we strive to make a meaningful impact.      The Role   The Director of Higher Education Strategy supports Project Kitty Hawk (PKH) in extending the benefits of public higher education to all North Carolinians. This position is an experienced relationship manager who is familiar with public university operations and the adult learner market, thrives on building lasting relationships with UNC System Office leaders and prospective university partners, and has experience nurturing university and System relationships into formal partnerships that drive university and company growth. The role requires background experience in: Higher education leadership to facilitate strategic and productive engagements at all levels of PKH’s current and prospective partner institutions, including senior university leadership. Continuous improvement in university practice and process, including admissions, enrollment management, and student success. Ability to distill key lessons from work with individual universities to inform University System policy, practice, and procurement. Prospecting and account management to build relationships and nurture new partnerships. Internal project and process management to strengthen relationships through transparent and replicable university engagements. This position requires strong self-motivation, a team-oriented mindset, and the ability to pivot quickly and decisively in a fast-paced environment.