University Partnerships Manager

About Craydel

Where you study decides where you live, what you learn and who you become. It's one of the biggest decisions a young person will ever make, and for too long it's been made for them.

Craydel is changing that. Built in Africa, for African learners, we combine the power of AI with the care of real people, and we're only getting started. We have a portfolio of 600+ universities in 50+ study destinations, and we've empowered 1,500+ learners to find their best-fit university abroad.

Craydel is founder-led and backed by leading global investors.

About the Role

The right university can change the course of a learner's life. Your job is to build the partnerships that give our learners those options. As part of a wider team, you'll own our university relationships in your regions and make Craydel their most trusted partner in Africa. Strong partnerships also power our growth through commissions and event sponsorship.

The line you never cross: you'll never push a university on learners, or put a bonus ahead of a learner finding the right fit. Your job is to make the best options available; our learners make the choice.

What You’ll Do

• Build the best relationships in the industry: Know your university contacts personally, keep them updated, and connect them with our learners. Be the person they call first.

• Grow partnerships that reward success: Agree bonuses and volume-based incentives with the partners our learners choose most.

• Secure event sponsorship: Win sponsorship for student fairs, study weeks and counsellor familiarisation trips, and show sponsors what their investment achieved.

• Partner on learner referrals. Encourage universities to refer learners who contact them directly to Craydel.

• Solve admissions challenges: When a counselor escalates an admissions issue, work with the university to resolve it quickly.

• Equip our counsellors and marketing team: Keep each university's story, scholarships, and deadlines current.

• Add partners selectively: Sign new universities only where learners want to go, or there's a real opportunity.

How success is measured

• Sponsorship revenue against target.

• Learner referrals from partner universities.

• Growth in partner bonuses and volume-based incentives.

• Best-in-class relationships, measured by a relationship score.

What You Have

• 2+ years in B2B sales, account management or partnerships, with targets you owned and hit.

• Confidence negotiating commercial terms and presenting to senior people, including international university staff.

• Comfort with numbers: you can read a pipeline, spot what's slipping and act on it.

• Excellent written and spoken English.

• A plus: experience in international education, student recruitment or event sponsorship; having run your own business or side hustle. Industry experience helps but isn't required.

  • The interview includes a live pitch of Craydel to a university

Who You Are

• You love AI and use it every day, at work and beyond.

• You're very organised and keep your CRM and trackers current without being chased.

• You're happy to work evenings and weekends during fairs and peak intakes.

Craydel’s Values

1. We're learner-obsessed: Learners come first.

2. We do more with less: We stretch our budgets and ourselves.

3. We think in solutions: Every challenge has a way through.

4. We're performance-driven: We own our KPIs.

5. We're stronger together: We depend on each other.

Craydel’s Anti-Values (Who We Are Not)

1. We're not a 9-to-5 organisation: Learners often need us in the evenings and at weekends.

2. We're not a remote culture: We work together in the office.

3. We don't make excuses: If it isn't getting done, we do it ourselves.