Director, Industry and Funding Partnerships

The University of Toledo • Toledo, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Industry and Funding Partnerships advances the University's industry engagement and strategic funding efforts within the Office of Research and Innovation. The Director works with the executive leadership of the ORI and across colleges, centers, and institutes to understand research capabilities, faculty expertise, facilities, and emerging priorities and connects those capabilities with industry partners and external funding opportunities that align with the university strategic plan. The Director develops relationships with companies, government agencies, foundations, economic development organizations, and other partners; identifies areas of alignment; convenes faculty and external partners; and advances collaborative opportunities through the pre-award stage. The Director helps build the relationships, processes, and opportunity pipeline necessary to support a more proactive and coordinated approach to industry engagement and strategic funding.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in research development, industry engagement, strategic partnerships, economic development, external funding, or grant strategy.
• Experience coordinating complex, multi-partner initiatives.
• Excellent communication, relationship-management, organizational, and project management skills.
• Ability to communicate University research capabilities effectively to external partners and translate partner needs into potential opportunities for faculty and the institution.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to establish productive working relationships with public, private, nonprofit, and higher education partners.
• Demonstrated success identifying and advancing funding opportunities from public and private sources.
• Experience working across organizational boundaries to understand capabilities, build alignment, and advance collaborative opportunities.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to lead and coordinate complex initiatives from concept through transition to proposal development.
• Knowledge of or engagement with regional and statewide economic development and funding ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Advances the University's industry engagement and strategic funding efforts.
• Works with executive leadership to understand research capabilities, faculty expertise, facilities, and emerging priorities.
• Connects university capabilities with industry partners and external funding opportunities aligned with the university strategic plan.
• Develops relationships with companies, government agencies, foundations, economic development organizations, and other partners.
• Identifies areas of alignment between the university and external partners.
• Convenes faculty and external partners.
• Advances collaborative opportunities through the pre-award stage.
• Helps build relationships, processes, and an opportunity pipeline for proactive and coordinated industry engagement and strategic funding.

Benefits

• Tobacco-free campuses
• Pre-employment health screening requirements include drug and other required health screenings for the University of Toledo Health Science Campus Medical Center.
• Reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

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