Director - Strategic Partnerships (Technology-AI frontier labs, major technology

Director – Strategic Partnerships (Technology‑AI frontier labs, major technology)
Position Summary: You will make Carolina the best university partner for the technology industry AI frontier labs and major technology companies, and help build the next chapter of Carolina's excellence. Reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, the Director owns this vertical end‑to‑end. You will work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the other Directors of Strategic Partnerships, individual academic units (schools, institutes, and faculty), and the Partnership Success Managers who steward each relationship through the life of the partnership.

Responsibilities:

Own the vertical end‑to‑end, reporting to the Vice Chancellor.

Build and maintain relationships with senior leaders across industry, government, and academia.

Identify and pursue institutional‑scale partnerships, including negotiating and closing deals.

Run the full partnership cycle: identify the right organizations, open the door (often through Carolina's alumni network), discover the partner's real needs, match them to Carolina's capabilities, and close institutional‑scale agreements.

Remain the executive relationship anchor for renewal and expansion while the Partnership Success Managers drive activation and delivery.

Leverage deep industry knowledge and contacts to map partner needs to Carolina's research capabilities, faculty expertise, talent pipeline, and innovation infrastructure.

Operate autonomously with high quality outcomes and minimal supervision.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Master’s or Bachelor’s degree and 0–2 years of experience; or a combination of related education and experience in substitution.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree and 10 years of specific industry experience; or a Master’s degree and 5 years of specific industry experience.

Deep, current industry experience and contacts in the vertical, with an active, personal network of senior leaders you can reach directly.

Proficiency with frontier AI tools; you use these tools daily for research, drafting, analysis, and accelerating work.

A strong desire for self‑directed, autonomous work; operate on "more forgiveness than permission" and deliver high‑quality outcomes without close supervision.

A track record of building trusted relationships with senior leaders across business, government, and academia, and translating complex needs into creative, executable solutions.

Excellent written, verbal, and executive‑level communication with smart brevity and credibility to represent Carolina before a C‑suite.

Ability to collaborate across a matrixed institution with the other Directors of Strategic Partnerships, deans, faculty, development, legal counsel, and Partnership Success Managers, building relationships with diverse backgrounds.

A creative, strategic, results‑oriented work style and a genuine commitment to public service and Carolina's mission.

Preferred Qualifications:

Personal track record of sourcing and closing $25 M+ in cumulative partnerships, sponsored‑research agreements, MOUs, or strategic commercial deals, including at least one institutional‑scale agreement closed with a C‑suite or senior‑executive counterpart at a Fortune 1000 or comparable organization.

Day‑one access to the leaders of at least five marquee firms in your domain.

10+ years of direct experience inside or selling into the technology and frontier‑AI sector.

Ability to translate complex organizational capabilities—research, talent, intellectual property, programs, infrastructure—into customized value propositions that solve real partner problems, with a written proposal delivered in 30 days or less.

Experience negotiating contracts and partnership agreements in coordination with legal counsel, executive leadership, faculty, and operating partners.

CRM proficiency (Salesforce or comparable); fluency in pipeline management, opportunity forecasting, and deal‑stage discipline.

Familiarity with the university research enterprise, technology transfer, sponsored research administration, or higher‑education industry engagement.

Willingness and ability to travel within North Carolina and nationally as needed.

Special Physical/Mental Requirements: None.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities: Not Applicable.

Please apply at https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/321849.

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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