Assoc Dir of VTTI Advancement

Job Description

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, in partnership with LINK, Center for Advancing Partnerships, is seeking an innovative Associate Director of VTTI Advancement to pursue donor engagement and support industry partnerships to advance the goals of VTTI and Virginia Tech. The candidate must be motivated by improving transportation, infrastructure, and vehicle safety.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) conducts research to save lives, save time, save money, and protect the environment. Researchers and students from multiple fields are continuously developing the techniques and technologies to solve transportation challenges from vehicular, driver, infrastructure, and environmental perspectives.
As one of seven premier research institutes created by Virginia Tech to answer national challenges, VTTI has effected significant change in public policies for driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety and is advancing the design of vehicles and infrastructure to increase safety and reduce environmental impacts.
LINK is part of a holistic model (LINK + LICENSE + LAUNCH) designed to support industry, from discovery to market and is a jointly funded between Advancement and the Office of Research and Innovation. This position is key to the ambitious plans Virginia Tech is making to be a leading 21st century land grant university that delivers innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time.
The Associate Director of VTTI Advancement will raise awareness and grow partnerships with VTTI that support its mission of human and economic impact. This individual will support a new division within VTTI dedicated to Advancement, Partnership, and Outreach. This person will identify, nurture and expand relationships through research-based partnerships, connections to the technical teams, use of facilities and equipment, big ideas/challenge opportunities, fundraising, facilitation of student internships, professional training, advisory board opportunities, networking events and other University activities and programs in response to industry partner needs and interests.

Dual reporting to the Director of Advancement, Partnership, and Outreach of VTTI and Executive Director of the LINK, the Associate Director of VTTI Advancement will:

 Nurture and expand relationships with prospective individual donors and industry partners in collaboration with the VTTI Director, senior leaders, and university-level Advancement professionals.
 Work closely with a team within VTTI comprised of technical experts, faculty, program managers, staff, and Advancement colleagues to engage industry partners, making links between company interests/market needs and university opportunities, research, and students.
 Create new connections, including with the C-suite, to enhance strategic and holistic partnerships that, in some cases, may span Virginia Tech and other ecosystem partners.

 Define, enlist, and manage an advisory board of industry partners and influential individuals.

 Lend industry, market, and/or technical domain analysis, insight, and experience to identify possible opportunities and value drivers to inform and support cultivation and engagement strategies.

 Develop intelligence around and connections to VTTI faculty and research interests, capabilities, and activities connections, identifying opportunities that have industry/market relevance; organize working sessions, and effectively connect and shepherd the relationships.

 Identify, shape, and solicit corporate opportunities (including philanthropic), through a variety of mechanisms, including organizing working sessions and developing opportunity briefs with members of the faculty and staff.

 Schedule and host individual donor or corporate visits to campus that reflects the breadth of VTTI offerings, driving toward tangible opportunities and outcomes.

 Maintain knowledge of technology, research, and recruiting needs of industry, as well as of specific firms.

 Assist in crafting grant applications, proposals, white papers, status reports and corporate report cards.

 Assist in formulating collaboration strategies and opportunities, as well as research contract and gift agreement review and processing.

 Assist in developing marketing initiatives and stewardship programs that appeal to donors and corporate partners.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and demonstrated business development and/or industry experience; or master’s or other advanced degree.

Experience in consultative or technical sales/marketing, business development, client management, business/research strategy, and/or innovation/partnerships function.

Track record of professionalism, with strong communication skills and ability to work with and support a wide range of constituents, e.g., clients, customers, teams, donors, and volunteers.

Ability to analyze data (e.g., market, technical, customer) and lend technical expertise to establish priorities, and develop and implement strategies with increasing complexity.

Evidence as a self-starter who can work independently, as well as be a team contributor in a complex and fast-paced organization.

Willingness to travel on a frequent basis.

Preferred Qualifications

Technical or industry background, including in engineering, transportation, autonomy, and related domains.

Evidence of business/revenue growth and/or partnership development in a technical sales/marketing capacity.

Evidence of productive relationships and facilitation with administrators, key business leaders, faculty, staff, institutional boards, volunteers, and/or donors.

Previous business development/strategy experience developing progressively complex strategies and using data analytics, technical/domain knowledge and information, and competitive/market intelligence to guide decision making.

Pay Band

N/A

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with Experience

Review Date

February 17, 2021

Additional Information

The successful Candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Brandi Barnett at brandib@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Advertised: January 21, 2021
Applications close: