Workforce & Education Partnerships Manager

You are a motivated, outgoing relationship builder who enjoys connecting with people and bringing new ideas to life. You're naturally curious, comfortable reaching out to new contacts, and know how to build trust through genuine conversations and strong relationships. You enjoy being part of something new and helping shape how it grows.

You understand Michigan's business community and workforce development landscape. Ideally, you've built relationships with employers, Chambers of Commerce, workforce development organizations, or industry associations across the state. You're passionate about connecting education and industry and helping businesses play an active role in preparing Michigan's future workforce.

Working closely with Xello teams and regional partners, you’ll help build and grow Xello’s Michigan work-based learning (WBL) network. Your primary focus will be recruiting and supporting employers who provide meaningful career-connected experiences for K–12 students, while developing relationships across education, workforce development, and postsecondary training that help the network grow.

You're comfortable taking initiative, building partnerships from the ground up, and helping employers understand the value of work-based learning for their businesses, students, and local communities.

This is a remote position based in Michigan, USA, that will require you to attend industry and Chamber events, and support regional partnerships.

Sound exciting to you? Read on! 

What you’ll do…

• Help shape and grow Xello’s new Michigan statewide WBL network, developing regional launch plans, recruiting initial partners, and establishing a repeatable approach to growth across the state.
• Act as Xello’s on-the-ground state representative and ambassador, liaising with state and regional agencies, workforce organizations, and industry associations to align our network with Michigan career and workforce development initiatives.
• Lead employer recruitment and activation, turning outreach and partner introductions into active partnerships, published WBL opportunities, and a sustained system of industry participation in Xello's network.
• Develop partnerships across the education-to-workforce ecosystem, including local and regional Chambers of Commerce, workforce development boards, economic development organizations, and industry associations to expand employer participation.
• Build connections with community colleges, universities, and postsecondary training providers to strengthen connections between K–12 career exploration, further education, and employment.
• Collaborate with Xello’s client-facing teams, Michigan school districts, ISDs, RESAs, and CTE programs to understand school priorities and student needs, identify gaps in available experiences, and connect schools with relevant employers and opportunities.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of Michigan employers across industries and regions, working closely with them to create meaningful WBL experiences for K-12 students while scaling the network and available opportunities year over year. 
• Help employers understand the benefits of WBL, including developing future talent pipelines, strengthening community relationships, and addressing critical workforce shortages.
• Support employers in onboarding, creating opportunities, and actively participating in Xello's work-based learning network.
• Represent Xello at Michigan workforce development events, Chamber meetings, employer roundtables, education conferences, state agency meetings, and community partnership events.
• Track employer recruitment, engagement, and available work-based learning opportunities to measure the growth and impact of the statewide network.

What we’re looking for… 

• 4+ years of relevant experience in employer engagement, workforce development, business development, community partnerships, or education-to-workforce initiatives, with demonstrated success building or expanding a partner network considered a strong asset.
• Deep understanding of Michigan's business community, workforce development ecosystem, and regional economic priorities.
• Demonstrated familiarity with Michigan’s K-12 educational landscape, specifically including Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) and Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs).
• Established professional relationships with Michigan employers, chambers of commerce, workforce development boards, industry associations, or higher education institutions strongly preferred.
• Proven success recruiting businesses, building strategic partnerships, and managing long-term relationships across both the public and private sectors.
• Relationships with, or experience partnering with, community colleges, universities, technical centers, or other postsecondary training providers would be an asset.
• Solid understanding of work-based learning, Career and Technical Education (CTE), career readiness models, and state-level workforce development programs.
• Ability to communicate the value of work-based learning to employers across high-demand sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, technology, skilled trades, and professional services.
• Deeply self-motivated with strong organizational skills, and a proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and drive initiatives from concept to execution.
• Exceptional presentation, networking, relationship management, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM to manage outreach pipelines, stakeholder relationships, and engagement metrics.
• Based in Michigan, with the ability and willingness to travel throughout the state (approximately 20–30%) to meet with employers, state agencies, education partners, and attend events.