Community Outreach Specialist

📍 Bakersfield, CA (Remote / Field-Based)

Are you someone who loves meeting new people, building relationships, and making a real impact in your community?

National University is looking for a Outreach Specialist to represent the university across the Bakersfield region, building meaningful relationships with employers, community organizations, and workforce leaders to connect individuals with life-changing educational opportunities.

This is a highly visible, field-based role where you will network, present, and collaborate with organizations across healthcare, public safety, corporate partners, and community groups.

If you enjoy business development, public speaking, and community engagement, this role offers the autonomy to build partnerships that help individuals advance their education while supporting workforce development across the region.

With general supervision, the Outreach Specialist champions the growth for National University’s educational partnerships and community outreach to grow university enrollments, brand awareness, and address current and future workforce education demands in an assigned territory/region. Plans and implements outreach strategies and actions, as well as represents the University to external constituents (e.g. corporate and healthcare partners, government partners, education agencies, public safety agencies, military installations, professional associations, etc.). Builds and sustains working relationships with Workforce & Community Education’s (WCE) list of clients and priority prospective partner organizations to promote the University’s vision, mission, and values. Represents Workforce & Community Education and National University within the university, the community, across industries and throughout the community-at-large in an assigned territory/region.

Essential Functions:

Contacts prospects (email, telephone, face-to-face, direct mail, and networking events) to schedule meetings and explain/answer questions and conduct presentations on partner benefits to activate partnerships regionally and across industries.

Coordinates existing and new educational partnerships’ growth opportunities with partners, strategic organizations, and other regional and national accounts.

Conducts B2C outreach with current and prospective organizational partners by working in collaboration with NU leadership, faculty, and staff in identifying potential partnership and lead generating opportunities resulting in increased enrollment rates and overall institutional awareness.

Implement, attend, and manage recruitment activities such as webinars, education fairs, trade shows, conferences, open house/information sessions, prospective student meetings.

Networks with the community-at-large in an assigned territory/region to help the public obtain quality learning experience and move forward in careers while meeting workforce development needs for organizations; develops strong relationships between NU and the community. Attends networking events to develop industry and community contacts.

Performs regular follow up with accounts and other regionally relevant organizations to determine additional support required and ensure commitment with implementation.

Builds and improves company image and seeks methods to further promote University awareness.

Informs and meets with management on outreach and partnership events for planning direction.

Documents and tracks outreach efforts on Client Relationship Management (CRM) and other scheduling software (Salesforce and Monday.com) for planning and reporting purposes.

Plans, organizes, and manages internal procedures and resources to ensure the proper recording of data and the successful obtaining of lead generation, outreach, and meeting of partnership goals.

Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Requirements: Education & Experience:

Bachelor’s degree required.

Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of experience in higher education, community college, admissions, or business development, required.

Experience in higher education strongly preferred.

Experience working in a technology-driven enterprise preferred.

All skills, abilities and education will be considered for minimum qualifications.

**Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills: **

Exceptional community relations skills, ability to represent the University and help build public understanding of the University’s brand, values, and capabilities especially related to workforce development.

Superior interpersonal skills with the ability to project professional competence, leadership capability and personal maturity with a wide range of individuals in a diverse community.

A flexible and creative thinker able to find and create opportunities for leading generations.

An independent, strategic thinker with good judgment, sensitivity, and common sense. Commitment to diversity and equality.

Self-motivated, outgoing and results oriented; ability and desire to set and reach achieving measurable and challenging goals to support organizational success.

Actively seeks to influence, build effective relationships, and gain alignment with peers, functional partners, and/or external partners to accomplish business objectives.

Ability to effectively communicate and build strong working relationships both written and verbal.

Proven ability to work cooperatively and sensitively with individuals from diverse cultures, ethnic groups, lifestyles, and backgrounds.

Excellent public speaking skills with ability to present to groups both virtual and in-person on academic programs and partnership benefits.

Intermediate to advanced use of computers and Microsoft Office Suite Applications such as SharePoint, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.

Proficiency with Salesforce CRM.

Must have a valid driver’s license, and reliable transportation.

Location, Candidate must reside in Bakersfield, CA

Travel: Frequent Travel Required; up to 60-75% for employer/partnership cultivation and participation in partnership and system-wide events as a representative of National University.

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