Assistant Dean - Industry Partnerships and Projects

Assistant Dean - Industry Partnerships and Projects

Salary

$113,239.00 - $133,222.00 Annually

Location

Main Campus - Orem

Job Type

FT Exempt Salaried Staff

Job Number

FY2706433

Division

VP Academic Affairs

Department

Smith College of Engineering & Tech

Opening Date

08/13/2026

Closing Date

8/28/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

Required Documents Needed to Apply

Resume

Cover Letter

Applicant Support

1-855-524-5627

Support@schooljobs.com

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Announcement

Join Utah Valley University and help shape the future of engineering and technology education through meaningful partnerships with industry leaders. As the Assistant Dean for Industry Partnerships and Projects, you will play a key leadership role in connecting students, faculty, and employers through innovative, real-world learning experiences. This position offers the opportunity to influence college-wide strategy, build lasting industry relationships, and create impactful project-based learning opportunities that prepare students to succeed in a rapidly evolving workforce.

As a member of the Deans leadership team, you will collaborate with academic and industry partners to develop and enhance a premier capstone and project-based learning framework across the college. Your work will help bridge academic learning with practical application by securing industry-sponsored projects, establishing scalable processes, and supporting high-quality educational experiences that benefit students, faculty, and external partners alike. This role is ideal for a strategic, relationship-focused leader passionate about innovation, collaboration, and creating opportunities that strengthen student success and industry engagement.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Strategic Industry Partnerships and Sponsorship Development: Develop and implement a college-wide strategy for expanding industry partnerships that support project-based learning, senior design, and applied educational experiences. Cultivate, negotiate, and maintain relationships with regional and national organizations to secure high-value project sponsorships, financial support, equipment donations, and collaborative opportunities. Assist industry partners in defining meaningful, academically appropriate student projects aligned with college objectives.
• Humanitarian and Collegiate Competition Sponsors: Collaborate with the Assistant Dean for Advancement, department leadership, and faculty advisors to identify sponsorship opportunities that support humanitarian initiatives, collegiate competition teams, and other experiential learning activities. Coordinate external partnerships to maximize student opportunities while aligning with college strategic priorities.
• College-Wide Operational Frameworks: Develop, implement, and continuously improve standardized college-wide processes, templates, agreements, policies, and operational frameworks supporting industry-sponsored student projects. Coordinate institutional practices related to contracts. Develop, implement, and continuously improve standardized, college-wide processes, templates, agreements, policies, and operational frameworks that support industry-sponsored student projects. Coordinate institutional practices related to contracts, intellectual property, risk management, project tracking, and sponsor engagement to reduce administrative burden and promote consistency across departments.
• Academic Collaboration and Program Support: Collaborate with department chairs, program coordinators, and faculty to support the integration of industry-sponsored projects within diverse academic programs. Facilitate common milestones, project management practices, assessment strategies, and cross-disciplinary collaboration while respecting program-specific curricular requirements and faculty governance. Faculty Support and Strategic Leadership: Develop resources, training, and best practices that empower faculty mentors to effectively supervise student project teams. Participate as a member of the Deans leadership team in strategic planning, policy development, assessment initiatives, accreditation support, and other college-wide committees related to experiential learning and industry engagement.

Qualifications / Licenses / Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a closely related field.
• Three years of progressively responsible industry experience involving project management, product development, engineering design, technology development, or industry partnerships.
• Three years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, including collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, curriculum implementation, project-based learning, or experiential education.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering or a closely related field.
• Three years of progressively responsible industry experience involving project management, product development, engineering design, technology development, or industry partnerships.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education leadership supporting capstone programs, project-based learning, or experiential education.
• Experience developing industry partnerships, corporate sponsorships, or philanthropic relationships.
• Demonstrated success working with ABET-accredited engineering or technology programs.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

Knowledge

• Principles and practices of corporate partnership development and external relations.

• Fundraising principles and sponsorship development.

• Project management methodologies and organizational process improvement.

• Product development lifecycle and engineering design processes.

• Intellectual property, licensing, confidentiality, and contractual considerations.

• Academic curriculum development and shared governance processes.

• Accreditation expectations related to experiential learning.

• Risk management principles.

• Applicable engineering and technology disciplines.

Skills

• Strategic planning and organizational leadership.

• Relationship development and partnership cultivation.

• Negotiation and conflict resolution.

• Project management and organizational coordination.

• Designing and managing college-wide processes for defining, tracking, and assessing industry-sponsored student projects throughout the project lifecycle.

• Critical thinking, problem solving, and sound decision making.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, verbal, and public presentation skills.

• Developing promotional materials, presentations, and sponsorship proposals.

• Building and maintaining external partnerships.

• Organizing and tracking complex multi-department initiatives.

• Interpreting policies, contracts, and legal agreements.

• Ensuring institutional and regulatory compliance.

Abilities

• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, students, administrators, industry representatives, and community partners.

• Ability to lead strategic initiatives involving multiple departments and stakeholders.

• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including executive leadership, faculty, students, and external partners.

• Ability to analyze complex organizational challenges and develop effective solutions.

• Ability to prioritize competing priorities while managing multiple concurrent projects.

• Ability to understand the workforce needs of diverse engineering and technology industries.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment while balancing academic, legal, operational, and business considerations.

• Ability to interpret and apply university policies, procedures, and core values.

EEO Statement:

UVU employment decisions are made on the basis of an applicant's qualifications and ability to perform the job without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), disability, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or other bases protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Utah Valley University's dedication to exceptional care offers quality service and benefits to employees while staying committed to meeting the needs of a diverse workforce.

UVU is pleased to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that supports employees and their family's overall physical and mental health, protects their income in case of unforeseen illness and life events, and assists in building financial security for retirement and the future.

Highlights from Utah Valley University's benefits package include:

• Medical network and plan options with low employee premiums
• Employer HSA contribution for those that elect the university's High-Deductible Health Plan
• Other tax advantage, reimbursement account options (i.e. Flexible Spending Account & Dependent Care)
• Dental and vision plan options
• Incentivized wellness program
• Employer paid basic life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), and Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(a) Defined Contribution Plan with an employer contribution of 14.2% based on employee's compensation (100% vested on first day of full-time employment)
• Undergraduate tuition remission benefit waiving up to 18 credit hours (each semester) for employees and their eligible dependents (spouses & children dependents unmarried and up to age 26)
• Generous leave package which includes sick, vacation (staff only), and personal leave; 13 paid holidays; paid medical maternity and parental leave

For more information about the benefits offered, visit https://www.uvu.edu/peopleandculture/benefits.

01

Do you have the required qualifications, as outlined? • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a closely related field. • Three years of progressively responsible industry experience involving project management, product development, engineering design, technology development, or industry partnerships. • Three years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, including collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, curriculum implementation, project-based learning, or experiential education.

• Yes
• No

02

How many years of progressively responsible industry experience do you have in project management, product development, engineering design, technology development, industry partnerships, or a closely related field?

03

How many years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education do you have supporting capstone programs, project-based learning, experiential education, or similar student-centered academic initiatives?

04

Please describe your experience working with ABET-accredited engineering, technology, or other professionally accredited academic programs. Include your role and any responsibilities related to accreditation, assessment, continuous improvement, curriculum, or program operations.

05

Please describe any experience you have securing, managing, or stewarding corporate sponsorships, sponsored projects, grants, or philanthropic support. Include measurable outcomes whenever possible.

06

Please provide an example of a successful industry or organizational partnership you developed or managed that supported educational, workforce development, research, or other organizational objectives. What was your specific contribution, and what were the results?

07

What is your highest level of education?

• High School or equivalent
• Associates
• Bachelors
• Masters
• Ph.D.
• Ph.D. (abd)
• Juris Doctorate

08

How many years of experience do you have in this type of position?

• <1
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8+

Required Question

Employer Utah Valley University

Address 800 W. University Parkway

Orem, Utah, 84058

Phone Applicant Support 855-524-5627

Website http://www.uvu.edu