Director, Corporate Relations

Description
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY:
Oregon State is an internationally recognized public research university, ranked in the top 1.4% of universities worldwide by the Center for World University Rankings. Founded in 1868, Oregon State is the state's land grant university and is one of only two universities in the U.S. to also have sea grant, space grant and sun grant designations. Committed to teaching, research, and outreach and engagement, Oregon State University promotes economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world.
OSU has two campuses located in Corvallis and Bend as well as Extension programs in all 36 Oregon counties, the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center in Newport and a deep portfolio of activity in Portland. Ranked among the top 10 college towns in the nation, Corvallis is one of the safest, smartest, greenest small cities in the country, situated 90 miles south of Portland. Oregon State University has always been a place with a purpose - making a positive difference in quality of life, natural resources and economic prosperity in Oregon and beyond The last economic impact study, completed in 2018, found that the university has a statewide economic footprint of $2.714 billion.
Oregon State welcomes a diverse student body of approximately 35,000 students from across Oregon, all 50 states and more than 100 countries and has the privilege and responsibility of providing high-quality, affordable education to our students. About a quarter of all OSU students are among the first generation in their families to attend college. Home to 11 colleges, OSU students can choose from more than 200 undergraduate and 90 graduate degree programs, including over 110 online programs offered through Oregon State Ecampus. Oregon State increasingly attracts high-achieving students, with nationally recognized programs in areas such as oceanography, marine studies, conservation biology, robotics, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, forestry, fisheries and wildlife management, choral music, creative writing, community health, pharmacy and zoology.
With more than $480 million in competitive research grants and contracts in 2023, and guided by the university's new strategic plan "Prosperity Widely Shared," Oregon State continues to lead the way in practical, problem-solving research and innovation that improves lives, protects natural resources and drives economic growth to transform our future for the better.
For further information, please visit Oregon State's website at
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION:
The OSU Foundation partners with the university to engage the OSU community, inspire investment and steward resources to enhance the university's impact. The OSU Foundation, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023, is a nonprofit organization, separate from the university, and governed by a Board of Trustees.
In 2017, the OSU Foundation integrated the OSU Alumni Association, which was founded in 1873. The Foundation employs more than 165 professionals. While building relationships with alumni and friends is a university-wide responsibility, all fundraising positions are housed in the OSU Foundation. The Foundation aspires to be one of the best foundations in North America and acts in alignment with the university.
As of June 30, 2024, the Foundation holds assets surpassing $1.2 billion and manages an endowment of $917+ million. Donors gave $200.3 million in fiscal year 2024. This is the second time in our history we have crossed the $200 million milestone (our record remains $216.9 million from FY22).
In October 2022, the Foundation publicly launched Believe It: The Campaign for OSU, the university's second comprehensive fundraising and engagement campaign, with a $1.75 billion goal for student and faculty support, facilities and equipment and strategic initiatives. Donors have stepped forward with over $1.3 billion in gifts since the campaign began in 2017.
The first Campaign for OSU concluded in 2014, having raised $1.14 billion in ten years, which made OSU one of only two public universities at the time to have had a first campaign of $1 billion or more and one of just 35 public universities to cross the billion-dollar mark in a campaign.
The OSU Foundation, under the leadership of CEO and President Shawn L. Scoville, seeks to build on this momentum to support OSU's aspirations, establish industry-leading fundraising and engagement growth and further energize donors, alumni and volunteers to engage with the university.
Shaping the Future of Industry and Innovation
"...a university that fuels a thriving world in every dimension. We will be a proactive driver of economic, workforce and community development by drawing on our knowledge and talents across the disciplines."
- excerpt from Prosperity Widely Shared, OSU's Strategic Plan for 2024-2030
The strategic plan includes three interdependent goals. Oregon State will be:

• A university focused on big discoveries that drive big solutions.
• A university where every student graduates.
• A university that fuels a thriving world in every dimension.

To achieve these goals, Oregon State has identified five targets:

• Increase annual research expenditures to $600 million. Last fiscal year, the university set a record with $367 million in research expenditures, a 23% increase over the previous year. Research expenditures have risen in 19 of the past 21 years. The university's research priority areas include climate science, clean energy, biotechnology and integrated health and robotics.
• Increase the six-year graduation rate to 80%. Oregon State's latest six-year graduation rate is 70%.
• Equalize six-year graduation rates. Current rates vary widely across students' gender, ethnic group and financial need.
• Increase online-only enrollment to 30,000, more than double the current enrollment in Ecampus.
• Increase enrollment at OSU-Cascades to 2,200. In fall 2022, the Bend campus enrolled 1,271 students, which included a 16.6% increase in first-year students from a year earlier.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer, at the OSU Foundation, the Director will serve as the Foundation's chief industry partner strategist and collaborator with the University's newly created office of Economic Development & Industry Relations. The Director will work closely with the President, Provost, Vice President of Research, and the Associate Vice President for Economic Development and Industry Relations to support their work with industry leaders.
This position is charged with providing strategic support and assistance to the University in its efforts to increase its engagement with and philanthropic support from the private sector, effectively developing strategic partnerships, and fostering alignment of industry partnering efforts across the Foundation and University. The Director will do this by working closely and collaboratively with-and in support of-the university's leadership, faculty and corporate relations staff to co-create comprehensive industry relations strategies, frameworks and coordinated approaches that support increased philanthropic support for OSU's strategic objectives.
In this role, the Director will work closely with OSUF Leadership, the Provost, the VP of Research and Innovation, and the AVP for Economic Development & Industry Relations to establish annual plans for industry engagement. They will also convene periodic meetings of university partners and will work with the OSUF and OSU Chief Information Officers to capture corporate engagement activity across OSU through the University's and Foundation's database systems.
This position will be responsible for establishing and leading relationships with the university's top 20 corporate supporters in collaboration with existing OSUF relationship managers and unit-based industry relations officers and will help build connections between leaders of those corporations and OSU's senior officers, including the President, Provost and Vice President of Research.
In addition, the Director will focus on developing new partnerships with national and international corporations with a vested interest in OSU's defined areas of distinction as detailed in OSU's latest strategic plan - "Prosperity Widely Shared".
WORK LOCATION
The work location for this position is the OSU Foundation's Corvallis, Oregon office.
The Foundation offers a program called Core Work Days, a hybrid approach combining remote and in office work days. Unless traveling for work, Foundation employees are in office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and work remotely, if preferred, on Monday and Friday.
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
While specific metrics for this position will be developed in collaboration between OSUF leadership, the Provost, Vice President for Research, and the AVP for Economic Development & Industry Relations the primary success metric will be driving higher levels of corporate research investment and philanthropy across the University.
Within the first year, the Director is expected to complete the following:

• Identify the top 20 industry partners (including both existing relationships and aspirational partnerships)
• Develop, with university partners, an engagement strategy for each top 20 organization
• Sustain the current level of philanthropic investments coming to the university from corporate partners and develop a plan for incremental growth annually.
• Engage key industry partners with OSU leaders

KEY PARTNERS

• Associate Vice President for Economic Development & Industry Relations
• Senior Vice President for Development and Chief Development Officer
• Vice President for Research & Innovation
• College-based Corporate Relations Officers, Deans & Directors
• OSU Foundation College-based Development Officers & Foundation Relations Officers

Specific responsibilities include:

• Foster meaningful partnerships to drive philanthropy and engagement
• Build strategic alliances and a coalition of support at Oregon State to drive and increase corporate philanthropy and engagement across university units, programs and the Foundation
• Develop a comprehensive national and international industry relations strategy, framework and coordinated approach that supports the OSUF's Vital Few Goals and the University Strategic Plan
• In alignment with the colleges, identify and cultivate new corporate partnerships, with an emphasis on national and international companies
• Provide industry partners with opportunities for greater access to student talent, world-class research capabilities, commercialization, testing and services, and academic programs
• Work in partnership with Foundation and university leadership to create agreed upon overarching objectives and annual metrics, such as student internships and job opportunities, industry sponsored research, licensing revenues, testing and services support, corporate employee education and philanthropy
• Track industry engagement and annual metrics across the institution with the help of university partners
• Define and implement a tiered approach for effectively managing individual companies based on their current or potential future engagement with OSU
• Partner with the Associate Vice President for EDIR to identify, recruit, and solicit members for the Economic Development & Industry Relations Campaign Cabinet and staff the group into the future. The EDIR Campaign Cabinet will be focused on helping to raise philanthropic support for EDIR staffing and programming.
• Align communications and marketing messages within the Foundation, Colleges, and University

DESIRED TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS:
The ideal candidate will be an inquisitive and entrepreneurial professional motivated by the opportunity to build a vision and strategy for industry relations in close partnership with the Foundation and University staff. The Director must value and foster a collaborative working environment and establish strong interpersonal relationships with academic leaders, industry partners, unit/college-based corporate relations officers and development colleagues. The ability to establish trust and inspire confidence of senior leaders and colleagues across the university is essential. The ideal candidate must have exceptional written and oral communication skills, including the ability to listen carefully and communicate persuasively and dynamically about OSU, university programs and partnership opportunities. Leadership skills to motivate others are critical. The Director must work collaboratively across the university to achieve common goals and demonstrate an enterprise perspective, exhibiting the ability to think strategically and creatively about engaging industry partners and identifying new industry prospects from local, regional and national sources while developing an in-depth understanding of the plans, goals, relevance, and national competitiveness of the proposed internal programs and projects seeking support. A working understanding of a complex research university environment would be helpful. The grace, enthusiasm and presence necessary to engage with a variety of university constituents is essential. A high level of integrity, initiative, openness, gravitas and collaboration are required.
CAREER PATH LEADING TO THIS POSITION:
Preferred candidates will have at least seven years of experience in building industry partnerships on behalf of a university. Candidates with experience working on behalf of industry or government to build partnerships with universities are also encouraged to apply.
EDUCATION:
A Bachelor's degree is required.
CORE VALUES:
We strive to be one of the best places to work in the country. We know that our success depends in large part on the people who carry out our mission. It's what we do - and how we do it - that makes the difference. Our core values reflect our approach to work and to each other, and we are committed to conduct consistent with these values.
collaborative • productive • respectful • bold• inclusive • creative
What We Offer: Annual salary range starting at $140,000
FLSA Status: Exempt
Comprehensive Benefits: a comprehensive total compensation package, which includes:

• A monthly employer contribution towards benefits
• A monthly employer match for a health savings account
• An impressive 17% employer contribution to retirement plan (based on qualified earnings)
• A generous Paid Time Off (PTO) program
• A robust Educational Assistance program
• Two exceptional employee discount programs

Professional Growth: At OSU Foundation, we believe in investing in our employees' development. We provide ongoing training and opportunities for advancement.
Innovative Work Environment: Join a team of talented professionals in a stimulating and collaborative work atmosphere