Director – Educational Partnerships

Sonic Automotive

Director of Educational Partnerships at Sonic Automotive designing strategies for long-term talent pipelines through educational partnerships. Building relationships and recruiting talent aligned to company objectives.

Posted 7/8/2026full-timeRemote • North Carolina • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $100,000 - $120,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in developing and executing talent acquisition strategies, building partnerships with educational institutions, and influencing senior leadership to drive operational impact. Proficient in tracking key success metrics related to talent pipelines and early-career talent conversion.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Talent Acquisition StrategyPartnership DevelopmentCampus RecruitingBusiness AcumenAutomotive Retail Experience

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Talent AcquisitionWorkforce StrategyCampus RecruitingPartnership StrategyMetrics Tracking

Soft Skills

Relationship BuildingInfluencing Senior LeadersCommunication

Industry Keywords

Automotive RetailVocational TrainingCommunity CollegesHBCUsTechnical Trade Programs

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and lead Sonic Automotive’s enterprise strategy for building long-term talent pipelines through partnerships with colleges, universities, and technical schools.
Develop a national partnership strategy targeting community colleges, universities, HBCUs, and technical trade programs aligned to Sonic’s footprint and growth markets.
Build strong relationships with academic leadership, career services, and faculty to embed Sonic into curriculum, programs, and career pathways.
Work with Talent Acquisition to develop campus recruiting strategies across priority markets.
Equip Talent Acquisition teams and store leaders with tools and messaging to effectively attract and convert early-career talent.
Define and track key success metrics, including pipeline volume, conversion rates, retention, and time-to-productivity.

Requirements

What you’ll need

3+ years of experience in either talent acquisition, workforce strategy, campus recruiting, or external partnerships.
Strong business acumen with the ability to translate talent strategy into operational impact.
Experience influencing senior leaders in a multi-location or decentralized environment.
Willingness to travel (40–50%) to campuses and dealership locations.
Preferred Experience in automotive retail operations, hospitality, or multi-unit service environments.
Familiarity with technical, vocational, or dealership training pathways.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Employees can work remotely