Director - Innovation & Economic Development

Position Information

North Dakota State University (NDSU) is seeking a creative and entrepreneurial leader for the role of Director of Innovation and Economic Development in NDSU's Office of Research and Creative Activity (RCA). The Director will design, lead, and manage economic development, leverage opportunities for industry partnerships, and nurture and advance the entrepreneurial (pre-)startup ecosystem. The successful candidate will be involved at a hands-on level in these efforts as well as design, lead and manage a vision to enhance NDSU's activity and contributions in these efforts. NDSU alumni have played a vibrant role in the state's economy through their business creation, ranging from the Microsoft Fargo campus (through Microsoft's acquisition of Great Plains Software), the presence of John Deere and AGCO in the NDSU Research & Technology Park (through acquisitions of Phoenix International and Appareo, respectively), and the single largest acquisition of a home-grown, North Dakota-based company, Aldevron, for $9.6 billion by Danaher. Thanks to a $14 million award from the National Science Foundation, NDSU is the lead organization for a new National Science Foundation-funded Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) Hub, the Great Plains I-Corps Hub. The Fargo community is also host to a dynamic and energetic startup ecosystem thanks to efforts from Emerging Prairie and Grand Farm. The new Director will play a vital role in RCA to strategically leverage and align campus and regional resources, opportunities, and assets in order to foster and support economic development, startups and entrepreneurship, and innovative efforts campus- and state-wide. We are especially interested in candidates whose background includes employment in both industry and academia; private sector or nonprofit experience with entrepreneurship and/or entrepreneurship education; and a demonstrated record of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in program development and implementation.

Note that this position is one of three complementary roles that the Office of Research and Creative Activity is filling: Director of Innovation and Economic Development (NDSU); Executive Director of the NDSU Research & Technology Park (a non-profit (501(c)(3) that generates economic development through access to NDSU research expertise and by generating new ventures through partnerships between startups, technology businesses and NDSU research); and the Executive Director of the NDSU Research Foundation (a non-profit (501(c)(3) that advances technology transfer and commercialization for NDSU research). Together, these three hires will coordinate their distinct efforts and portfolios in a complementary fashion to advance research, innovation, and economic development for NDSU, North Dakota and the Great Plains Region. This job is not a remote or hybrid position and does require some travel.

Responsibilities

• Advance economic development and expand the resource pool to support activities of the Innovation and Economic Development unit
  • Develop and lead initiatives and programs to improve and increase interaction with industry and community members to the mutual gain of the university and the economy;
  • Identify viable funding opportunities to support grant proposals that further economic development and innovation activities and goals;
  • Develop models to provide services or supporting activities in grant projects or other endeavors with requirements aligned with the goals and mission of Innovation and Economic Development;
• Support industry engagement and liaise with key partners to build new partnerships and expand existing partnerships
  • Plan, develop and implement effective corporate partnership models and identify new methods and approaches that will further relationships with corporate partners;
  • Support faculty and research staff through training and one-on-one guidance to assist them in developing and maintaining industry partnerships;
  • Liaise with and support local, state, regional and national economic development organizations and organizations and units aligned with the University, such as the NDSU Research & Technology Park, the NDSU Research Foundation and the NDSU Foundation;
  • Build and maintain relations with academic offerings in entrepreneurship, such as project courses and do outreach to portfolio projects included in those courses;
• Develop, facilitate and lead support programs for startups and entrepreneurs (mentoring, coaching and networking, etc.)
  • Work with faculty, students and staff to support their startup explorations and connect them with internal and external resources to support evaluation and development of business ideas;
  • Identify and partner outside entrepreneurs with university startup founders;
• Lead and manage the unit's staffing, budget, operations and strategic planning;
• Track and develop metrics in economic development, industry engagement and related activity
  • Utilize or adapt metrics that measure metrics pertaining to talent and workforce development; innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-based economic development; and related factors for economic growth and opportunities; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Advertised Salary: Commensurate with experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree plus 7 years related experience
• Highly organized, self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit
• Demonstrated ability to work in structured and unstructured environments
• Demonstrated ability to work well with multiple constituencies (i.e., faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni and representatives of industry, nonprofits, and government)
• Demonstrated ability to independently plan, manage and meet deadlines for multiple projects with minimal supervision
• Experience providing customer service to an organization's internal and external stakeholders
• Evidence of strategic planning skills
• Demonstrated experience managing unit-level budget and operations
• Four (4) years of relevant, progressive experience in one or more of the key areas of this position: economic development, startup support, supporting entrepreneurs, external innovation and/or partnership development or management role
• Working knowledge of trends in economic development
• Demonstrated ability to supervise others
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree
• Demonstrated proficiency with conceptualization, design, and implementation of community and economic development projects
• Superior communication, organizational and interpersonal skills
• Experience in developing community-university partnerships
• Documented skills in program planning and assessment
• Five or more years of relevant, progressive experience at least two key areas of this position: economic development, startup support, supporting entrepreneurs, external innovation and/or partnership development or management role
• Experience working in engineering, physical sciences, business or other related fields
• Proven experience bridging academic and industry culture
• Experience implementing place-based initiatives (i.e., for economic development, university research parks)
• Prior employment within higher education directly related to economic development, entrepreneurship, startups, or industry engagement, especially in a faculty role (including as a professor of practice/clinical faculty member)
• Experience collaborating in a regional innovation ecosystem
• Experience securing grants and external sources of funding

Applicant Materials Required:

Please include a curriculum vitae/resumé, a cover letter individually addressing the minimum and preferred qualifications , and contact information for three professional references with your application materials.

Application Process:
We are still accepting applications. Any questions about the search can be directed to the search committee at ndsu.rcasearch@ndsu.edu. While applications and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled, full consideration will be given to candidates who submit application materials by end of day March 13, 2023. Applications accepted online at https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/ (job posting: https://www.ndsu.edu/employment/.)

Benefits:

NDSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes single or family health insurance coverage with premiums paid for by the university - with an effective date for new employees the first of the month following date of hire. Other benefits include: wellness benefits, basic life insurance, retirement plan, tuition waiver, annual leave, EAP, sick leave and holiday pay. Optional benefits include: supplemental life, dental, vision, long-term care insurance, flexible spending account, and supplemental retirement plans.

About Us:

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land-grant, research university. We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges by providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment.

NDSU is in the highest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, R1, granted to the top research institutions in the country.

NDSU has offices across the state of North Dakota, and the main campus is in Fargo, on the Minnesota border. Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle. The community is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.

No Smoking Notice :

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.

EO/AA Statement:

North Dakota State University is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable.

Veteran's Preference Notice:

This position is subject to North Dakota Veteran's Preference requirements.

Reasonable Accommodation Information:

North Dakota State University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, please contact Human Resources at 701-231-8961 or ndsu.hr@ndsu.edu .

Land Acknowledgement:
We collectively acknowledge that we gather together at NDSU, a land grant institution, on the traditional lands of the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda) and Anishinaabe Peoples in addition to many diverse Indigenous Peoples still connected to these lands. We honor with gratitude Mother Earth and the Indigenous Peoples who have walked with her throughout generations. We will continue to learn how to live in unity with Mother Earth and build strong, mutually beneficial, trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples of our region. (see www.ndsu.edu/inclusioncouncil/native_american_initiatives/ ).