Primary Function
Northern Illinois University’s College of Business is seeking a dynamic, articulate, and energetic leader to fill the role of Director of Innovation & Partnership Development. The Director will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop and execute mission-relevant business strategies and foster partnerships to advance College of Business initiatives relating to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Duties and Responsibilities (generally)
The Director will be responsible for managing mission-relevant business strategies and fostering partnerships to advance the College’s initiatives related to innovation and entrepreneurship. Initial focus on the promotion, growth, and management of the DeLaVega Innovation Lab. This will include:
Engage faculty, staff, students, and community partners through direct interactions, lectures, workshops, and digital media.
Design and execute programs to educate participants on the process of starting from an idea and bringing it to market.
Cultivate and manage partnerships to create sustainable funding to support strategic goals in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Work with internal stakeholders to manage financial resources.
Collaborate on the communication and marketing of the College’s emphasis on building an entrepreneurial mindset in students across all colleges at NIU.
Build and nurture a strong entrepreneurship-related business and alumni network.
Minimum Required Qualifications for this position
Bachelor’s degree.
A total of three (3) years of work experience in a related job discipline.
