Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Industry Relations, you will drive industry partnership pipeline development, including identification and development of collaborative projects and aligned investments; researching and identifying high-potential organizations and decision-makers, evaluating workforce trends, and tailoring engagement strategies to fit strategic priorities. You will work closely with industry, nonprofit, and government partners throughout the entire relationship lifecycle, stewarding engagement from initial outreach to long-term collaboration. You will guide the creation of customized partner-facing materials and keep UMCI apprised of policy changes affecting partnership and funding opportunities. You will facilitate proposal development, manage applications and reporting, and ensure compliance with sponsor guidelines. You will codevelop and refine internal processes for partner discovery and grants.

Link to full job description here.

Responsibilities*

Industry Relationship Management (40%)

• Build and expand partner relationships across the full relationship lifecycle with external partners (industry, nonprofit, and government), identifying key moments to intentionally engage and steward toward long-term collaboration, including corporate and philanthropic giving.
• Manage a portfolio of top industry leaders to identify and co-develop strategies and resources that address concerns in their value chains, including talent, research, and technology development.
• Engage with university, regional, state, and global partners to help industry leaders connect to resources and develop new interventions that support productivity and job creation.
• Nurture early-stage relationships with prospective and pilot partners, elevating partner conversations to senior leadership. Engage aligned partners in ongoing and impactful collaborative opportunities.
• Explore opportunities with corporations, foundations, and others for giving, sponsorship, and other forms of investment in UMCI priorities and programs.
• Convey complex topics to various audiences with the use of visual aids; apply understanding of multiple constituency groups in the University and improve relationships
• Organize, develop agendas, prepare materials, and facilitate high-level meetings, engaging corporate executives, economic development, education, workforce, and other leaders on an ongoing basis around strategic industry clusters and workforce sector initiatives.
• With administrative support, track interactions and log into donor database (DART).

Grant Leadership, Sponsorship, and Development Support (30%)

• Advise Principal Investigator and support execution on best practices to achieve an effective, quality proposal and/or post-award management.
• Support partnership facilitation, including working groups, for grant application development. This includes outreach to industry partners to assess their needs and negotiate their in-kind, direct, and other contributions to collaborative funding opportunities.
• Serve as manager of the UMCI research administrator, including facilitation of staff and partners to develop strategy, develop written grant applications and related budgets, conduct review process, organize required materials, and complete or coach application submission. Upon award, support implementation and oversee compliance, reporting, and other post-award activities.
• Overseeing and working with a research administrator to set up internal processes, policies, etc. to streamline and coordinate pre- and post-grant administration work.
• Monitor compliance with U-M practices and processes related to grant development, including cross-departmental communications and internal review procedures; leverage on campus grant development resources to support winning bids and applications.
• Support negotiation on behalf of UMCI for partners to be included in grant opportunities, including industry partners, that UMCI is pursuing or for inclusion of UMCI in external partner grant opportunities.
• Upon award, work with funders and internal team members to negotiate, review, and establish contracts for leadership approval and signature.
• Work with UMCI team members to identify outcomes and metrics, methods for tracking these factors, and work with team members to develop and manage systems and processes for reporting and evaluation.
• Support industry sponsorship package development and dissemination based on organizational strategic priorities.
• Contribute to internal reports and presentations to clearly demonstrate the measurable impact and ROI of initiatives.

New Industry Partnership Pipeline Development (10%)

• Independently drive, research, identify, and meet with high-potential organizations and key decision-makers, including senior-level industry representatives, who align with our strategic industry and talent development focus areas, including but not limited to robotics/automation, mobility and advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, innovation/entrepreneurship, and other similar sectors.
• Leveraging leading practices in cluster and sector strategies, including partner and industry convening and focused labor-market and other research, assess new markets and analyze business opportunities for prospective partners' innovation and workforce learning needs and challenges, tailoring engagement approaches to fit prospective partners' strategic priorities. Support program design and implementation around these findings.
• Organize and request resources to implement large-scale change.
• Keep abreast of state, federal, and other policy changes that may have implications for partnership and/or fund development opportunities. Share and report developments to affected team members.
• Facilitate partnership outreach efforts by guiding creation of and delivering customized partner-facing materials (presentation decks, case studies, storytelling content) that resonate with potential partners.

Process Improvement, Cross-Functional Collaboration, and Team Development (20%)

• Identify opportunities to refine and streamline our partner needs, discovery, and engagement processes across teams within UMCI.
• Explore, evaluate and engage tools to improve the day-to-day work of partnership development and internal operations.
• Plan for future team growth to support business development work focused on building long-term strategic partnerships with external organizations and internal stakeholders.
• Contribute to goal-setting, metrics, determination, and other strategic elements within the UMCI strategic partnerships/industry relations and broader UMCI team and collaborate with other domains and teams to achieve shared goals.
• Coach and develop early career team members while contributing to shaping and sharing a culture of shared ownership and standard of excellence in partnership, relationship, and business development.
• Provide training and management to future junior staff (including a research administrator) and help with development of department orientation materials.
• Ensure team provides outstanding project management support during discovery, scoping, solution presentations, and closing deals.

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree in business, communications, policy, or a related field, along with 7 or more years of combined experience and progressive responsibility in industry, government, and other partner engagement; project management, labor market research, grant writing and administration, business development, account management, or client success roles.
• Partnership & Relationship Acumen: Proven ability to support and contribute to client or partner relationship development, including initial outreach, managing and advancing conversations, and fostering positive engagements.
• Grant Funding Expertise: Deep familiarity with federal and state grant regulations, including compliance and reporting, and substantial experience writing grants and implementing funded projects.
• Corporate Executive Engagement: Experience working closely with corporate executives and other senior leaders on a 1:1 or collaborative basis, especially around talent pipeline management and industry cluster initiatives.
• Project Management & Organizational Skills: Demonstrated capability to independently manage projects from start to finish and handle multiple tasks, including working on projects that involve multiple internal teams and using enterprise technology tools to streamline collaboration.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Aptitude: Strong analytical skills with the ability to assist in data collection and derive actionable insights; proactive in identifying issues and suggesting solutions. CRM experience to drive business development and partnership growth is strongly preferred.
• Intermediate word processing, advanced spreadsheet, and intermediate presentation software.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Work Locations

The position is designed as a hybrid role with a blend of remote and onsite responsibilities requiring the presence of individuals for on-site engagement and collaboration. This position requires flexibility to work evenings and occasional Saturdays.

Location: Newlab Detroit - 2050 15th Street, Detroit, MI

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.