The Director of Academic and Industry Partnerships for the East Tennessee Health Innovation Alliance (ETHIA) will lead external engagement and corporate recruitment efforts to expand health and medtech focused collaborations and innovation initiatives. This role will focus on building and sustaining academic and industry partnerships, positioning ETHIA to grow the region's health innovation ecosystem. The Director will work with the Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director to enhance industry engagement and workforce development efforts, while collaborating with academic units at UTK, healthcare providers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to align ETHIA's innovation initiatives research, education, and economic development. The Director will develop, execute, and manage partnerships that drive industry participation in ETHIA's activities, fostering innovation and strategic partnerships.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in business development, life science, medicine, biomedical engineering or related discipline.

• Experience: Minimum of four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in academic and industry engagement, corporate and academic relations, workforce or economic development.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Knowledge of health innovation ecosystems, including academic research, clinical environments, industry R&D, and translational pathways.

  • Knowledge of industry partnership models, including sponsored research, consortia, memberships, and public-private collaborations.

  • Knowledge of workforce development and talent pipeline strategies aligned with industry and healthcare needs.

  • Knowledge of regional, state, and national health innovation trends that influence industry engagement and investment.

  • Skill in developing and sustaining strategic partnerships with industry, academic, clinical, and public-sector stakeholders.

  • Skill in communicating complex scientific, technical, and organizational concepts to diverse audiences, including industry executives and faculty leaders.

  • Skill in opportunity identification and evaluation related to industry-aligned research, innovation, and pilot initiatives.

  • Skill in coordinating cross-functional teams and facilitating collaboration across institutional boundaries.

  • Skill in negotiating partnership scopes, objectives, and value propositions in alignment with organizational goals.

  • Skill in organizing and managing multiple partnership activities simultaneously while maintaining strategic focus.

  • Ability to align industry interests with academic and clinical capabilities to create mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities.

  • Ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments with diplomacy, professionalism, and strategic judgment.

  • Ability to synthesize information from diverse sources to inform decision-making and partnership development.

  • Ability to build trust and credibility with senior leaders, faculty, clinicians, and external partners.

  • Ability to contribute to long-term ecosystem building while executing near-term partnership objectives.

  • Ability to adapt to evolving organizational priorities and emerging opportunities within a dynamic innovation environment.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master’s or Doctoral Degree in business development, life science, medicine, biomedical engineering or related discipline.

• Experience:

  • Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience in industry partnerships, business development, innovation management, or external relations within health, medtech, life sciences, or related sectors.

  • Experience working across academic, clinical, and industry environments, including coordination with faculty, clinicians, and external partners.

  • Experience developing or managing industry-aligned initiatives such as sponsored research, consortia, pilot programs, or public–private partnerships.

  • Experience representing an organization in executive-level engagements, negotiations, or strategic partnership discussions.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Knowledge of medtech, digital health, life sciences, or healthcare industry innovation pipelines, including emerging technologies and market dynamics.

  • Skill in structuring multi-party collaborations that integrate academic research, clinical practice, and industry development objectives.

  • Ability to contribute to resource development strategies, including industry-aligned funding, sponsorship models, and co-investment frameworks.

  • Skill in representing an organization in high-level external settings, including executive briefings, partnership negotiations, and public forums.

Work Location.

• Location: Knoxville, TN

• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR13

• Anticipated hiring range: $85,000 – $93,000

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here

• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments:

• Resume

• Cover Letter

Partnership and Engagement

• Lead the development and management of strategic partnerships across health, medtech, life sciences, data/AI, and related sectors aligned with ETHIA’s mission.

• Serve as ETHIA’s primary point of contact for academic and industry collaborators, ensuring clear value propositions, mutual benefit, and long-term engagement.

• Cultivate relationships with corporate R&D leaders, innovation executives, and business development teams to identify opportunities for collaboration, sponsorship, and co-investment.

• Coordinate industry engagement activities with UTK faculty, clinicians, and research leaders to align partnership interests with institutional capabilities.

• Represent ETHIA in external meetings, site visits, conferences, and ecosystem-building events to elevate ETHIA’s visibility and credibility.

• Design and execute industry-facing programs, consortia, and membership models that drive sustained participation.

Innovation Discovery and Opportunity Development

• Identify, assess, and advance opportunities for industry-engaged research, translational projects, and pilot programs across ETHIA’s priority domains.

• Work closely with faculty, clinicians, and innovation leaders to translate institutional strengths into industry-relevant collaboration opportunities.

• Facilitate early-stage conversations between industry partners and academic or clinical teams to scope projects, define objectives, and align expectations.

• Identify partners and lead the formation of multi-partner initiatives that connect discovery research, applied development, and downstream commercialization pathways.

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to surface emerging industry needs and technology gaps relevant to ETHIA’s ecosystem, making effective recommendations to the AVC and Executive Director regarding the allocation of available resources to meet needs and close gaps.

• Build and grow the pipeline for the development of future sponsored research, joint proposals, and industry-aligned innovation initiatives.

Strategic Coordination and Ecosystem Integration

• Partner with ETHIA leadership to align external partnerships with broader organizational goals in research, workforce development, and regional economic impact.

• Coordinate closely with university offices, healthcare systems, and public-sector partners to ensure coherent and efficient engagement with industry.

• Develop partnership frameworks, engagement models, and governance approaches that support scalable collaboration.

• Track partnership activities, outcomes, and impact metrics to inform strategy and continuous improvement.

• Identify industry-aligned funding, sponsorship, and co-investment opportunities in order to facilitate research development opportunities across the State.

• Ensure that industry engagement activities reflect ETHIA’s values, mission, and commitment to long-term regional benefit.