Business Development Director I

University of Central Florida • Orlando, FL

22h • $104,664 • Onsite

About The Position

The Florida High Tech Corridor is seeking a strategic operator, relationship builder, and innovation leader to guide the continued growth of Cenfluence. The Business Development Director I will serve as Deputy Program Director and lead the operational infrastructure behind an ambitious industry-development initiative. This role will oversee grant compliance, financial planning, administrative systems, staff performance, program reporting, and stakeholder engagement, while assisting technology companies and entrepreneurs in accessing necessary relationships, resources, and opportunities for growth. The ideal candidate will have experience in innovation-driven economic development, technology commercialization, entrepreneurial support, grants, or industry cluster management, along with the operational discipline, sound judgment, and collaborative leadership to achieve sustainable results.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree and 8+ years of relevant experience, including 3+ years of leadership experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6).
• All applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer.
• This role requires the successful candidate to work on-site at UCF as their primary work location.

Nice To Haves

• Leadership experience within an entrepreneurial support, economic development, innovation, technology commercialization, or industry-development organization.
• Experience supporting technology transfer, commercialization, industry clusters, or the growth of technology-focused businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Experience managing grant-funded programs, including budgets, compliance, reporting, and fiscal accountability.
• Knowledge of federal funding agencies and institutional grant-management requirements.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and coordinating complex, cross-functional program deliverables.
• Experience developing operational systems, process improvements, databases, and performance-reporting tools.
• Ability to cultivate productive relationships with industry, higher education, government, and economic-development stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of services and activities to develop industries and entrepreneurs, small, mid-size and enterprise-level businesses for Corridor programs, with a primary focus on the Cenfluence Industry Clustering Initiative.
• Provide program planning, implementation and support in executing the industry diversification strategy.
• Provide support in the identification, proposal efforts and execution of relevant funding opportunities that can lead to the growth of business support services.
• Oversee all aspects of grant administration, including financial tracking, reporting, and compliance with all funding requirements from granting orgs, such as budgeting, execution and fiscal accountability.
• Meet all requirements of a Principal Investigator (PI) and/or Co-PI, and the requisite engagements and interactions with various appropriate university offices.
• Directly supervise and provide project oversight for cluster managers and other administrative staff as directed, to ensure efficient and effective execution of all program deliverables.
• Manage and coordinate the ongoing training and development of cluster managers and admin staff, to ensure they have the skills and knowledge needed to effectively execute the requirements of the Cenfluence initiative.
• Develop strong relationships and an understanding of key needs and opportunities for small and medium sized companies.
• Maintain regular communication with member companies regarding upcoming activities, program updates, meetings, and other necessary items as needed.
• Work with the Corridor leadership to understand, anticipate, and proactively address program needs.
• Manage and maintain the database system used for tracking cluster members, ensuring data security, integrity and generating key performance indicator (KPI) reports for the Cenfluence initiative, providing timely and accurate reports on program performance to stakeholders.
• Oversee all administrative systems, processes, and tools used by the initiative, identifying and implementing process improvements to increase efficiency.
• Represent the Corridor and its programs (including Cenfluence, and others as directed) at local, regional, and national events to existing member companies, potential members, and relevant stakeholders, via the execution of in-person or virtual events, to build innovative businesses via industry clusters and other support to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, as directed, and to support the Cenfluence Strategic Growth Strategy.
• Work with the project marketing team to maintain public marketing efforts such as social media, website, emails, cluster annual reports and other forms of PR and marketing.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending, and Employee Assistance Program
• Paid time off, including annual and sick time off and paid holidays
• Retirement savings options
• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando attractions
• Education assistance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior