Executive Director of Innovation & Industry Partnerships

East Texas A&M University • Commerce, TX

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Executive Director of Innovation & Industry Partnerships provides strategic and operational leadership for innovation, entrepreneurship, venture development, commercialization support, and industry engagement at East Texas A&M University. Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the Executive Director leads the Venture College and connects university talent and capabilities with entrepreneurs, companies, investors, economic development organizations, and communities. The role develops a university-wide innovation ecosystem to advance promising ideas through validation, partnership, commercialization, or venture formation, and serves as a key connector among the university, industry, entrepreneurs, investors, and Texas A&M Innovation, consistent with applicable university and Texas A&M University System policies.

This is a hands-on, outward-facing position based in Commerce, Texas. Periodic travel to the Dallas campus, Texas A&M University System locations, and external partner sites is required. Some evening or weekend work may be required for university, innovation, entrepreneurship, industry, or community events. The position requires reliable transportation and the ability to meet university business-travel requirements. It may be designated security-sensitive and may require additional pre-employment screening.

The university requires a cover letter, résumé or CV, and contact information for three professional references. Transcripts are also requested during the application process; unofficial transcripts are accepted with the application, while official transcripts are required upon acceptance of a verbal offer. International transcripts must be translated and evaluated by an approved credential evaluator. Employment is contingent on verification of credentials and completion of a criminal history check. The posting states that the university will not pay the specified fee for certain new H-1B petitions and that a Texas moratorium on new H-1B filings may affect its ability to employ candidates requiring sponsorship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience in accordance with university requirements.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, business development, venture development, startup support, industry engagement, consulting, economic development, investment, commercialization, or a closely related area.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing relationships with entrepreneurs, businesses, industry partners, investors, executives, economic development organizations, or other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience supporting entrepreneurs, startups, new ventures, business growth, innovation initiatives, or strategic partnerships.
• Ability to develop and implement programs that support innovation, entrepreneurship, venture development, and external engagement.
• Strong strategic-planning, business-development, relationship-management, project-management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to translate ideas and opportunities into actionable programs, partnerships, and initiatives.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and community partners.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound professional judgment, handle sensitive information appropriately, and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to represent the university professionally in public, industry, and entrepreneurial settings.
• Ability to travel as required, including periodic travel between Commerce and the Dallas campus.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Reliable transportation and ability to meet university requirements for business travel.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading or supporting an incubator, accelerator, venture program, entrepreneurship program, angel-investment network, startup-support organization, or similar innovation initiative.
• Experience advising startups or entrepreneurs on customer discovery, market validation, business models, go-to-market strategy, fundraising, pitching, or investor readiness.
• Experience working with angel investors, venture investors, family offices, corporate partners, or other sources of early-stage capital.
• Experience as a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, investor, consultant, or member of a startup leadership team.
• Experience establishing industry, corporate, community, or economic-development partnerships.
• Experience developing innovation or entrepreneurship programming, including workshops, mentoring, pitch events, competitions, or founder-development activities.
• Experience with fundraising, sponsorship development, grant development, business development, or external resource generation.
• Experience evaluating business opportunities, startup concepts, investment potential, or strategic partnerships.
• Experience with technology-based ventures, research-driven innovation, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, or commercialization.
• Experience establishing performance measures and tracking outcomes for innovation, entrepreneurship, or business-development programs.
• Familiarity with intellectual property, technology transfer, commercialization processes, and university-industry collaboration.
• Experience within the Texas or Dallas-Fort Worth business, innovation, investment, or entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Graduate degree in business, entrepreneurship, management, organizational leadership, innovation, economic development, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for university innovation, entrepreneurship, and venture-development activities under the direction of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.
• Lead and manage the Venture College, including program design, recruitment, mentoring, workshops, customer-discovery activities, pitch events, competitions, and other venture-development initiatives.
• Develop an accessible pipeline to help faculty, staff, and students assess ideas, validate opportunities, connect with mentors and partners, and pursue appropriate pathways to impact.
• Build a culture of innovation through collaboration with academic colleges, administrative units, student-support programs, alumni, and external stakeholders.
• Develop annual priorities, operating plans, participation goals, and outcome measures for Venture College and related innovation programs.
• Serve as an institutional resource and connector for faculty, staff, and students seeking to advance inventions, discoveries, creative works, business concepts, and other innovations.
• Work with Texas A&M Innovation and appropriate university offices to connect innovators with intellectual-property, market-assessment, technology-commercialization, licensing, and new-venture-formation resources.
• Provide or coordinate assistance in customer discovery, business-model development, market validation, go-to-market planning, investor readiness, pitching, and venture growth.
• Identify opportunities for proof-of-concept support, translational funding, accelerators, incubators, mentors, investors, and strategic partners.
• Ensure innovation and venture activities comply with applicable university and Texas A&M University System policies and procedures.
• Serve as a primary Division of Research and Economic Development engagement point for companies and organizations seeking innovation, research, commercialization, or venture-related partnerships with the university.
• Cultivate relationships with companies, entrepreneurs, investors, family offices, accelerators, incubators, economic development organizations, foundations, and public-sector partners in Northeast Texas, the Dallas-Fort Worth region, and beyond.
• Assess partner needs and connect them with appropriate university expertise, facilities, programs, talent, and research capabilities.
• Develop opportunities for industry-sponsored research, collaborative innovation projects, mentorship, corporate engagement, sponsorship, and other mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Represent the university at innovation, entrepreneurship, investment, industry, and economic-development meetings, conferences, and public events.
• Design and deliver innovation and entrepreneurship programs, events, workshops, and networking activities that produce measurable value for participants and partners.
• Identify and pursue grants, sponsorships, philanthropic support, program revenue, and other external resources for innovation, entrepreneurship, commercialization, and industry collaboration.
• Develop and maintain systems for tracking participation, venture progress, partnerships, external funding, sponsorships, investment activity, and other program outcomes.
• Prepare reports, proposals, presentations, budgets, briefing materials, and recommendations for university leadership and external stakeholders.
• Manage assigned budgets, contracts, vendors, and program resources in coordination with applicable university offices.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

Benefits

• Employee tuition assistance for master’s and doctoral programs.
• Comprehensive health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• East Texas A&M University contributes to employee health and basic life insurance premiums.
• 12–15 days of annual paid holidays, plus up to eight hours of paid sick leave and vacation each month.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, with optional additional retirement plans.
• Physical wellness program and wellness release time for eligible employees.
• Access to research opportunities at a designated R2 Research Institution.

What This Job Offers

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