Associate Director

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Updated: 3 months ago
Location: Chapel Hill, NORTH CAROLINA
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 25 Jan 2024

Posting Information
Posting Information


Department IEED - Innovate Carolina-201420
Career Area Research Professionals
Posting Open Date 01/11/2024
Application Deadline 01/25/2024
Open Until Filled No
Position Type Permanent Staff (EHRA NF)
Working Title Associate Director
Appointment Type EHRA Non-Faculty
Position Number 20061494
Vacancy ID NF0007715
Full Time/Part Time Full-Time Permanent
FTE 1
Hours per week 40
Position Location North Carolina, US
Hiring Range $85,000-$95,000
Proposed Start Date 02/12/2024

Position Information


Be a Tar Heel!
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities . Known for its beautiful campus, world-class medical care, commitment to the arts and top athletic programs, Carolina is an ideal place to teach, work and learn.
One of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, Chapel Hill has diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.
University employees can choose from a wide range of professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development and lifelong learning and enjoy exclusive perks for numerous retail, restaurant and performing arts discounts, savings on local child care centers and special rates on select campus events. UNC-Chapel Hill offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package , paid leave, and a variety of health, life and retirement plans and additional programs that support a healthy work/life balance.
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
Innovate Carolina, the brand umbrella for the work of the Office of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, leads the University in its goal to uncover and unleash the vast innovation potential of faculty, students, staff, alumni and stakeholders. IEED works with leadership across campus to set strategy, provide central services, establish and foster partnerships, and garner resources to support the University’s innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development agenda. UNC-Chapel Hill is generating ground-breaking ideas through research to become a leading fundamental and translational research university. IEED uses a federated model to strengthen the innovation ecosystem that consists of an extensive network of University-facilitated programs. This network of students, faculty and staff are working together to tackle the most challenging problems in North Carolina and the world.
Position Summary
The Associate Director for Innovation and Economic Impact will serve as a critical member of Innovate Carolina’s Innovation Hubs and Engagement team. The position will work with senior leaders of Innovate Carolina, academic departments, professional schools, administrative and research units, and programs across the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. This position will help identify, develop, and execute strategies that use various channels and modes of engagement to amplify will how faculty, students, staff, and alumni make a human, public and economic impact via their research, scholarship, public service and entrepreneurial activity. This will include crafting and implementing engagement and amplification strategies focused on the university’s institution-wide impact in the areas of commercialization, public innovation, and economic development.
The Associate Director will cultivate and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including University administrators, faculty, researchers, government and industry partners, innovation hubs, and/or local, regional, and state economic development officials. Through insights, data and examples curated and synthesized via these relationships. The Associate Director will help develop and implement a strategy for thought leadership materials, impact-focused content and strategic engagement that demonstrate why innovation matters and how the University drives innovation and economic development. The role will serve as a uniquely supportive touchpoint for campus leaders and programs whose scholarship, creativity, research, public service and entrepreneurship create innovative and economic impact. The position will work and collaborate with others to publish and disseminate these impact results in a variety of formats and channels. 
Reporting to the University’s Director of Economic Development and Innovation Hubs, this position will bring a campus-wide lens to how the University’s core-mission activities drive innovation impact and economic development while delivering insights that to support the institution’s strategic planning, assessment, and engagement efforts. The role will work closely and collaborate with the Innovate Carolina marketing, programing, and data and research teams to help establish and implement procedures for quantitative and qualitative data collection and survey research, draw insights from existing industry research reports and benchmark studies, interpret research results, create activations and produce engagement content in multiple forms.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or comparable background in independent academic or instructional activities, will accept a relevant Bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. This experience may be related to the direction/oversight of programs that focus the academic and research resources of a higher education institution towards community or regional issues.
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
We seek a candidate with content strategy and planning skills and a background of working with senior university and corporate leaders and faculty, students, and staff at all levels of the teaching, research and administrative aspects of a college or university, and with or as part of corporate teams. The candidate must have extensive writing experience with the demonstrated ability to craft a wide variety of short- and long-form content. The position requires strong organizational skills, project management experience, and a knowledge of the university innovation, commercialization, startup, and economic development environments. The candidate must have the proven ability to work with experts in data and impact measurement to define, gather, analyze, and report information, while also being able to interpret results and distill detailed and/or complex materials into easy-to-consume information. 
The role requires the candidate to have:
* Experience creating and implementing engagement strategies, campaigns, and impact-focused content in concert with leaders from across college, university and/or corporate settings. 
* Experience working or collaborating with university technology transfer offices, startup companies, innovation hubs, startup accelerator or incubator programs, education-driven corporate teams and/or economic development initiatives.
* Superb oral and written communication skills, including copywriting, editing, and messaging for a wide range of content.
* Prior experience planning, writing, and producing impact and/or thought leadership-reports based on quantitative and qualitative data and disseminating related results. 
* Experience working directly on briefings and materials that support the strategic initiatives, activities, presentations, remarks, and engagement of senior university or company officials. 
* Proficiency with digital publishing platforms, such as WordPress or similar system.
* Effective client-facing interactions, with the ability to build and maintain relationships.
* Expertise in developing and implementing strategies for creating impact-focused content that can be used across multiple formats, media, and channels.
* Strong organization, self-management, and people skills.
* Proven problem-solving abilities with the capacity to handle a variety of responsibilities and simultaneously lead multiple projects.
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
N/A
Special Physical/Mental Requirements
Campus Security Authority Responsibilities

Not Applicable.
Special Instructions
Quick Link https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/272627

Posting Contact Information


Department Contact Name and Title Sheryl Waddell
Department Contact Telephone or Email [email protected]
Office of Human Resources Contact Information

If you experience any problems accessing the system or have questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (919) 843-2300 or send an email to [email protected]
Please note: The Office of Human Resources will not be able to provide specific updates regarding position or application status.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

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