Company Description
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Two roles available to deepen strategic relationships with OUA's university and education partners
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Shape how OUA grows and sustains its most important external partnerships at a senior level
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Hybrid working, three days from home each week
At Open Universities Australia (OUA), we believe everyone should have access to quality education, no matter their background or stage of life.
For more than 30 years, we have helped over 400,000 students take their next step. Often during some of the most important moments of their lives. Whether someone is changing careers, returning to study or pursuing a lifelong goal, the work we do helps open new possibilities every day.
That is what makes working at OUA meaningful. Every experience we create, every conversation we have and every decision we make can have a real impact on someone's future. When we do our best work, we help change lives.
The Opportunity
This is a genuine opportunity to be at the heart of how OUA builds and sustains its most important university and education partnerships. As Partner Success Lead, you will work closely with some of Australia's leading universities to deepen strategic relationships, drive joint growth and make sure students get access to the best possible education experience.
You will be a trusted voice for OUA's partners inside the organisation and a credible, commercial-minded partner for senior stakeholders on the outside. You will translate partner needs, market signals and student insights into practical plans that create real, lasting value.
This is not just a relationship management role. It is a leadership role that calls for commercial acumen, genuine curiosity and the ability to bring people together across product, advisory, operations and technology to deliver on shared goals. If you care about education and want your work to matter, this is a role worth exploring.
What you’ll be doing
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Building and deepening trusted relationships with university and education partners, acting as OUA's key connection point for senior partner stakeholders
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Developing and managing joint business plans, proposals and contracts that support long-term partner retention and sustainable growth
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Bringing together partner feedback, market trends and performance data to shape practical recommendations and improve how OUA supports its partners
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Coordinating cross-functional teams across product, marketplace, advisory and operations to deliver on partner commitments and respond to emerging partner needs
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Identifying and progressing opportunities to expand partner participation, improve marketplace performance and increase the value OUA delivers
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Keeping a close eye on the tertiary education landscape for emerging trends, regulatory shifts and competitor activity that may shape partner strategy
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Tracking partner success indicators and using that evidence to continuously improve how OUA engages, retains and grows its partner base
Who we’re looking for
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You're someone who genuinely enjoys the work of building relationships — not just maintaining them but deepening them over time into something that creates real value on both sides.
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You've worked in partnerships, account management or business development in a complex environment, and you know what it takes to earn trust with senior stakeholders. You don't rely on authority to get things done. You rely on credibility, preparation and the ability to bring the right people together at the right time.
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You're commercially minded without losing sight of what the partnership is ultimately for: better outcomes for students. You can hold both things at once. What the partner needs, what the business needs, and what that means for the learner at the end of the chain.
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You're comfortable with data and use it naturally, not to build decks, but to spot what's actually going on and figure out what to do about it. You can read a tertiary education landscape that's shifting fast and translate that into a practical conversation with a partner who's navigating the same uncertainty.
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You communicate clearly across very different audiences, from a deputy vice-chancellor to an operations lead, and you know instinctively when to listen more than you talk.
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Tertiary education sector experience is essential, but we recognise that this may come from within an education provider or having deep experience partnering. What matters most is that you're genuinely curious about education, comfortable working in a complex stakeholder environment, and ready to do work that has a real impact on people's lives
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You'll also need to be comfortable travelling interstate around once a month to visit partners in person.
Why You'll Love Working at OUA
OUA is a not-for-profit organisation with a strong people-first mindset. We do meaningful work that helps change lives through education, while creating an environment where our people feel supported, valued and empowered to grow.
Flexibility and Ways of Working
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Hybrid working, with three days working from home each week
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Workation leave, giving you the option to work from anywhere for up to 10 days each year
Leave That Supports You
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12 weeks paid parental leave for primary carers, regardless of gender
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Additional purchased leave to support greater flexibility
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Menstrual and menopausal wellbeing leave, with up to six additional paid days each year
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Inclusive leave to celebrate cultural, religious or personal events
Health and Wellbeing
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Discounted health insurance
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Annual flu vaccinations
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A paid Calm subscription to support your wellbeing
Learning, Growth and Financial Benefits
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Short term incentives and not-for-profit salary packaging, including novated leasing
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Subsidised study opportunities and study leave
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Ongoing learning and professional development opportunities
OUA is committed to building and fostering an inclusive, diverse workplace. Our marketplace is for everyone, so is our workplace. Come and share your personal experiences, your perspectives and your background with us as we continue to help students transform their lives.
We strongly encourage candidates of all backgrounds to get in touch, even if you don’t meet all the requirements of the advertised position. It’s highly likely you’ll bring something to the workplace that we haven’t thought of yet, and we would love to hear from you.
