The research and teaching mission of the Northeastern University Oakland Campus is infused throughout with Entrepreneurial Thinking and Action. Whether in the classrooms, the research labs, in experiential learning, and extracurriculars, entrepreneurship is critical to the Oakland experience. We are seeking a leader to develop and implement strategies to achieve this at the Oakland campus. The leader will also be a member of a global entrepreneurship team with a mission to become the leading educational institution for developing entrepreneurial builders and supporting innovative startups.
This leader will be directly responsible for overseeing the development of entrepreneurship strategies, programming, and staffing that develops the entrepreneurial mindset and skills of our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community, while enabling the creation and support of new businesses. Direct and active engagement across the entire Oakland Campus entrepreneurship, partnership, research, and learning ecosystem is expected, in order to provide an entrepreneurship portfolio that holistically embraces the entire campus mission. This position will work directly with academic and research leaders across their respective domains, along with other regional entrepreneurship leaders across Northeastern University, to ensure program integration.
. The successful candidate will be passionate about engaging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and new ventures while being able to execute on the core mission and values of the campus and the wider University. They will possess strong knowledge of what it takes to launch a company, organization, or product, a keen ability to build relationships across all sectors needed to support new ventures, a bias to partnership and ecosystem building, and a drive to build a team that makes this program flourish.
Responsibilities:
The Head of Entrepreneurship - Oakland Campus will have a deeply integrated role responsible for oversight and delivery of the overall Entrepreneurship Portfolio as well as supporting driving key initiatives of the campus.
S/he will be responsible for envisioning, creating and leading an inclusive, community-driven entrepreneurship effort at the campus, and ensuring this integrates with the overall University entrepreneurship strategy.
Monitor, advise, and support Entrepreneurship efforts to optimize an efficient programming operation
S/he will work collaboratively internally and externally to the University to growing and maintaining a resource that serves students, researchers, corporate partners, and community members interested in starting businesses, as well as developing and providing an experiential entrepreneurial education offering.
The Head of Entrepreneurship will develop and launch all aspects of the campus entrepreneurship programming that provides support for ventures throughout their entire lifecycle from inspiration to acceleration. The Head of Entrepreneurship will:
Develop strategic vision and plans for the full suite of offerings, including where to partner and what programs to build based on a deep understanding of entrepreneurs needs and the resources available through the Northeastern Network, Bay Area, and global startup ecosystems
Be an active member of the campus leadership team interfacing with University Leadership as well as state and local government leadership.
Be an active member of the University's Global Entrepreneurship team. In this role identifying areas of collaboration and innovation that can further our mission.
Lead entrepreneurship staff, a set of resident ventures, and innovation fellows supporting specific projects.
Be responsible for structuring, executing, and managing strategic partnerships internal and external to the University.
Develop a framework and system to measure the impact of the entrepreneurship programming including venture creation and success metrics.
Work in collaboration with the campus leadership team to develop a yearly action plan and associated budget for the program. This will include monitoring spending and preparing an annual impact report on how project funds have been allocated and the impact driven.
Work with Partnerships & Advancement to develop short and long-term funding strategy and assist with fundraising as needed.
Act as a liaison between the Oakland Campus and the global Northeastern University network related to entrepreneurship and venture creation
Qualifications:
The Head of Entrepreneurship will be required to have deep knowledge of starting a business or organization, fundraising, and managing a diverse set of partners. S/he must work with a high level of independence within a progressive institutional environment. S/he challenges the status quo and develops/offers new techniques to support the development of entrepreneurial thinking venture creation. S/he embraces new ideas; innovates and anticipates future needs; shares knowledge and teaches others to do the same. It is an expectation that the candidate is a strong communicator and collaborative partner, able to work up, down and across the organization, and represent the Institute in a variety of diverse forums.
10+ years experience in entrepreneurial ecosystems or startups. Ideally a candidate who has started at least one company for which they raised capital or secured alternative funding.
A strategic mindset and proven ability to execute in an academic and non academic setting.
Strong experience and network in the Bay Area startup community
Strongly demonstrates a bias towards action, rapid iteration, and hands on approach
Proven track record of success and expertise in building and/or mentoring businesses from concept to first customer and beyond
Proven track record of mentoring companies of all industries and stages
Proven ability to work with external and internal organizations, partners, donors and agencies to produce results. This may include investors, corporations, government programs, and entrepreneurs
Excellent communications skills and ability to work independently and in a team environment
Strong leadership skills that require a balance of managing day to day activities, as well as oversight of a team
Networked approach to developing leadership style is key; must be comfortable in an environment of deep collaboration, engagement and creativity from all levels of the organization
Ability to work efficiently, creatively and meet deadlines
Demonstrated ability to make decisions and exercise sound judgment
Ability to interact with all levels of the organization, including University senior leaders and external executives where necessary, ability to positively represent the Institute
Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree or company building experience preferred
Travel Requirement:
You will be required to travel, mostly regionally, to meet potential partners and entrepreneurs
You will be required to travel to Boston, or other Northeastern University campuses periodically
The expected hiring range for this position is USD $141,900 to USD $184,470, based upon the position's scope and responsibilities.
Position Type
Leadership
Additional Information
Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.
Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.
Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
To learn more about Northeastern University's commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity.
Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in worldwide experiential learning, urban engagement, and interdisciplinary research that meets global and societal needs. Our broad mix of experience-based education programs?our signature cooperative education program, as well as student research, service learning, and global learning?build the connections that enable students to transform their lives. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools.