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Katie Curran is equal parts strategist, relationship-builder and problem-solver. As AVP of partnership services for AllCampus, she leads a team that serves as the day-to-day connection between AllCampus and its university partners. Katie is searching for a senior director of partnership services, with the option for the role to be remote. I asked Katie if she’d agree to answer my four standard Featured Gig questions, and she generously agreed.
Q: What is the AllCampus’s mandate behind this role? How does it help align with and advance the partner university’s strategic priorities?
A: At its core, the senior director of partnership services role is about being a bridge between what our university partners want to achieve and the services that AllCampus brings to the table. We don’t see ourselves as a vendor checking boxes—we’re collaborators in advancing the institution’s mission. That might mean helping to launch new programs that reach different student populations, supporting enrollment goals or making sure existing initiatives are sustainable over the long run.
The senior director makes sure our work isn’t just about meeting today’s numbers, but about aligning with a university’s broader vision. When done right, the partnership feels less transactional and more like a shared investment in student success.
Q: How does the role interact with the university? How will the person in this role engage with other units and leaders across campus?
A: This role is very relationship-driven. The senior director of partnership services is the trusted point person for the university. They’re someone who not only understands their goals but can also mobilize the right people to deliver. They’ll be in regular conversations with university leaders, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily, depending on the initiative.
Because universities are complex ecosystems, this person must engage across all areas of the institution: from admissions and marketing to the registrar, academic leadership and all other campus operational offices. Internally, they lead what we call “partnership pods” at AllCampus, which are cross-functional teams that bring together colleagues in enrollment, marketing and retention. As a result, the university has a coordinated, strategic partner rather than fragmented support.
Q: What would success look like in one year? Three years? Beyond?
A: In the first year, success is trust. The senior director of partnership services will have built credibility with university partners, smoothed out any issues with service delivery and demonstrated clear value of the partnership.
By year three, success is additional growth or steady state, depending on the partners’ goals. At this point, the senior director should be helping universities add new programs to find new revenue streams and strengthen retention outcomes. And over the longer term, the real win is helping universities thrive in a competitive landscape—building sustainable partnerships that adapt to shifting student needs while staying true to the institution’s mission.
Q: What kinds of future roles would someone who took this position be prepared for?
A: This role builds a really versatile tool kit. On the AllCampus side, as the company grows, it’s a natural stepping-stone to more senior leadership, but it also translates really well into higher ed itself. Because the role sits at the intersection of business, education and strategy, it prepares you for leadership anywhere that requires navigating complexity and keeping student success at the center.
