United States onlyManager, Network Development
Role Overview: The Manager of Network Development will expand and strengthen nationwide placement capacity for learners in healthcare and veterinary programs. This position will identify, secure, and grow system-level partnerships and organizations that can support Penn Foster students through externship opportunities. This leader will own the end-to-end partnership lifecycle—prospecting, outreach, negotiation, contracting, onboarding, relationship management, and renewal—working closely with Legal, Enterprise teams, and Externship Operations. The role will help build scalable processes and will manage a small team of Externship Advocates supporting strategic partner placements.
Key Responsibilities:
- Site Partnership Development & Management
◦ Build a national pipeline of healthcare systems, multi-site provider networks, and veterinary organizations focusing on exotic and large animal settings to support Penn Foster externship placements. ◦ Develop and execute a growth strategy for system-level partner contracting aligned to learner demand and program needs. ◦ Partner with Enterprise teams to align outreach, messaging, and relationship strategy across shared accounts. ◦ Maintain and grow partner relationships post-contract while maintaining a centralized partner database: onboarding, issue resolution, capacity planning, and ongoing engagement.
- Contracting & Compliance
◦ Work closely with Legal to draft, negotiate, and execute externship partnership agreements (MSAs, affiliation agreements, site addenda, renewals) in coordination with internal compliance and academic requirements to ensure sites meet externship standards and expectations. ◦ Maintain consistent contract standards, documentation, and renewal tracking.
- Operations & People Leadership
◦ Support general and efficient operations of the externships business—process design, cross-functional workflows, reporting, and continuous improvement. ◦ Develop scalable systems for strategic partner placements (SOPs, SLAs, training, quality assurance). ◦ Collaborate with Externship Operations to forecast demand, prioritize geographies, and address placement constraints. ◦ Manage and coach a small team focused on strategic partner externship placements (site coordination, student onboarding, stakeholder relationship support). ◦ Set team goals, define roles, and establish operating rhythms to deliver placement outcomes.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, network development, account management, or enterprise client management (healthcare or education adjacent a plus).
- Proven ability to build and manage external networks at scale (multi-site or system-level relationships).
- Experience executing agreements and partnering with Legal on contract development.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, including executive-level communication and comfort working cross functionally with enterprise teams including operations and academic/program stakeholders.
- Operational mindset: able to design processes, track metrics, and improve workflows.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with healthcare systems, clinical education, workforce development, or allied health partnerships.
- Experience building partnerships in veterinary settings, especially specialty/exotic/large animal environments.
- Experience using a CRM or partner management system
- People leadership experience.
About Us: At Penn Foster Group, we are transforming online learning to help learners by bringing together Penn Foster, CareerStep, Ashworth College, James Madison High School, the New York Institute of Photography, the New York Institute of Art and Design, and other education platforms. Together, we create an accelerated path to greater economic mobility through real-world skills and knowledge that enable learners to achieve long-term success in the workplaces of the future. Our history dates back to 1890 when our founder, Thomas Foster, pioneered distance education by offering training by mail for coal miners to get the necessary skills for safer jobs. Today, with the partners who use our education and training programs, we continue that mission of providing accessible training and education for in-demand skills and are building a workforce that’s prepared for the future job market. Equal Employment Opportunity: We strive toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn Foster Group by intentionally building diverse teams – in identities, lived experiences, and ideas to create a culture where people feel connected to each other and have a sense of belonging. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion because it is the foundation that enables us to achieve what we set out to do as an organization – from maximizing the number of learners who can reach their goals while giving them the kinds of experiences we want them to have, to becoming the type of company we want to work in. What We Offer: We offer a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, generous paid time off, sponsored volunteer opportunities, a 401K with a company match, and free access to our online programs.
