Associate Director, Education Products & Credentialing

Job Summary

The overall purpose of this position is to provide strategic leadership for IEEE's education products and credentialing portfolio. The Associate Director is responsible for defining and executing the long-term vision, growth strategy, and business objectives for a portfolio of continuing education products and credentialing programs that generate revenue, enhance member value, and strengthen IEEE's position as a global leader in professional learning.

This role serves as a senior leader within Educational Activities and works collaboratively with IEEE volunteers, society leaders, senior staff, external partners, and executive stakeholders to identify market opportunities, drive innovation, develop strategic partnerships, and accelerate portfolio growth. The incumbent oversees the full product lifecycle, including portfolio planning, business case development, financial performance, go-to-market strategy, and continuous improvement.

The Associate Director is accountable for achieving revenue, profitability, and customer engagement goals while leading the strategic expansion of the IEEE Credentialing Program. This role requires a highly collaborative leader with demonstrated success in product portfolio management, business development, organizational leadership, financial management, and the execution of growth strategies in a global education environment.

The role reports to the Senior Director, Continuing Education and Workforce Development and leads a team of professional staff, consultants, and volunteers.

Key Responsibilities

• 60% Product Management & Strategic Portfolio Leadership
• Develop and execute the multi-year strategic roadmap for IEEE's professional education portfolio, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and revenue objectives.
• Establish portfolio investment priorities and make data-driven recommendations regarding product expansion, acquisition, enhancement, or retirement.
• Lead annual portfolio planning, forecasting, and business reviews with executive leadership.
• Identify emerging technologies, workforce development trends, and market opportunities that can be translated into new revenue-generating products and services.
• Drive innovation initiatives, including the adoption of AI-enabled learning solutions, credentialing thought leadership, and new business models.
• Create business cases and funding proposals for strategic product initiatives and new market opportunities.
• Serve as the executive sponsor for major product launches and cross-functional strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on workforce development, professional credentialing, and non-degree credentials.
• Collaborate with the IEEE Credentialing Committee, ensuring committee members have the training and resources they need to review applications and fulfill their responsibilities effectively.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts, IEEE Society volunteers and staff, marketing, instructional design and production, vendors, or others that will be involved in the creation of products.
• Serve as the voice for the customer, ensuring that products are developed with the end user in mind and that take into account current learning trends and customer feedback.
• Ensure that IEEE education product quality standards are met in all products released.
• Provide product training to sales, marketing, and customers as needed.
• Assist in the creation of marketing collateral to support product sales.
• 15% Business Development & Strategic Partnerships
• Identify, evaluate, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships that expand IEEE's education and credentialing offerings.
• Develop relationships with universities, corporations, government agencies, certification bodies, and industry associations to support growth objectives.
• Lead contract negotiations and partnership agreements with external organizations.
• Evaluate licensing, co-development, and content partnership opportunities when appropriate.
• Collaborate with IEEE sales and business development teams to identify enterprise opportunities and expand customer adoption.
• Represent IEEE education in industry forums, executive meetings, and strategic partnership discussions.
• 10% Organizational Leadership & Governance
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Educational Activities leadership on education market trends, business opportunities, and portfolio performance.
• Present strategic recommendations, financial results, and growth initiatives to executive leadership and governance committees.
• Lead cross-organizational initiatives involving multiple IEEE business units and Societies.
• Develop governance processes, performance metrics, and reporting frameworks for portfolio management and credentialing initiatives.
• Influence organizational decision-making through business intelligence, market research, and strategic analysis.
• 15% Staff Leadership
• Build and develop a high-performing team through coaching, succession planning, mentorship, and professional development.
• Create organizational capacity plans and staffing models to support portfolio growth.
• Lead change management initiatives associated with new products, processes, technologies, and business models.
• Manage departmental budgets and resource allocation decisions.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Sets goals and conducts annual performance reviews.
• Creates an inclusive environment where staff and volunteers feel supported, appreciated, and engaged.
• Leads volunteer committees and sub-committees/project teams

Additional Responsibilities

• Travel up to 10%

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience o Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience (required); Business, Product Development, Education, Marketing Req
• Master's or other advanced degree o Master's Degree in Business Administration (preferred) Pref

Work Experience

• 10-15 years 10 years of progressively responsible experience in product management, education products, credentialing, workforce development, or related fields Req
• 4-7 years 5 years of people leadership experience managing professional staff and cross-functional teams Req
• 4-7 years Experience leading product portfolios with significant revenue and growth accountability Pref
• 4-7 years Experience developing strategic business plans and executing growth initiatives Pref
• 7-10 years Experience managing budgets, forecasting, and P&L responsibility Pref
• 4-7 years Experience negotiating and managing complex strategic partnerships Pref
• 7-10 years Experience presenting to executive leadership, boards, committees, or governance groups preferred Pref
• 2-4 years Experience working in global professional associations, higher education, credentialing, or continuing education environments preferred Pref

Skills and Requirements

• Strategic planning and portfolio management expertise
• Business development and partnership management experience
• Executive presence and influence skills
• Financial modeling, forecasting, and business case development
• Change management and organizational leadership capabilities
• Ability to lead through influence in a highly matrixed global organization
• Demonstrated success driving revenue growth and organizational transformation
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills; ability to work successfully with teams across the organization
• Experience working with volunteers highly preferred
• Experience working with a sales team highly preferred
• Strong presentation skills
• Expertise with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace
• Must be able to work flexibly and cooperatively in a matrix organization
• Experience managing staff and consultants effectively
• Ability to synthesize and analyze data and prepare and present reports effectively
• Strict attention to detail
• Ability to work well under pressure while meeting tight deadlines
• Creative problem solver; Seeks creative solutions when needed to ensure products are released on-time and on-budget

Other Requirements:

As defined in IEEE Policies, individuals currently serving on an IEEE board or committee are not eligible to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: This position is not budgeted for employer-sponsored immigration support, this includes all persons in F (both CPT and OPT), J, H, L, or O status.

For information on work demands and conditions required for this position, please consult the reference document, ADA Requirements. This position is classified under Category I - Office Positions.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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Disclaimer: This job description is proprietary to IEEE. It outlines the general nature and key features performed by various positions that share the same job classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications required of all employees assigned to the job. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or re-assign duties to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other business reasons.