Director, Industry Engagement and Business Development
Prime opportunity to join Innovation and Enterprise in Industry Engagement and Business Development and help build the most industry engaged university.
Fixed Term for 3 years, full-time position in a central Hawthorn location.
Competitive Salary. Staff benefits include hybrid work and discount study fees.
About the Role
At Swinburne University of Technology, we believe in the power of people and technology working together to create a better world. As a leading multi-sector institution, Swinburne is driven by innovation and renowned for our strong connections with industry and the community. Our Horizon 2025 Strategy aims to establish us as the most industry-engaged university, pioneering a model that places technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the heart of our mission.
We are seeking a Director of Industry Engagement and Business Development to lead the development and execution of strategies that enhance our industry connections and support our researchers in securing industry funding. This pivotal role is part of the Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) leadership team and reports directly to the executive level, fostering collaboration across the university, especially with entrepreneurship and research commercialisation.
The Director will be responsible for establishing and nurturing strategic industry partnerships that elevate Swinburne’s reputation in education and research excellence. You will lead a team of business development and industry engagement managers, proactively fostering mutually beneficial collaborations and delivering high-quality, commercially savvy advice and services to our internal stakeholders. Success will be measured by the growth of impactful industry-focused research partnerships and associated funding.
In this role, you will guide your team to align with Swinburne’s ambitious Moon Shots initiative, ensuring every learner gains work experience, every graduate finds or creates a job, and every industry partner receives innovative technology solutions. You will also contribute to our Value Creation Strategy by empowering your team to drive sustainable industry revenue, enhance staff commercial acumen, develop new business models for industry partnerships, and improve our industry engagement systems and processes, delivering exceptional value for our partners.
Swinburne has an ambitious agenda to reshape the relationship between industry and a future-focused university, and you will be instrumental in helping to make that real.
About You
To be suitable for this role you will need to have experience in the below key accountabilities:
- Purpose-driven leader dedicated to creating impact through research, with a mindset of welcoming industry participation in the research enterprise.
- Dynamic and compassionate people leader.
- Exceptional research business development strategy development experience, with a deep appreciation of the research-to-impact value chain.
- Highly developed conceptual, analytical, interpersonal and written communication skills, with experience in identifying and effectively communicating themes and issues to internal and external stakeholders.
- Extensive senior management experience in leading engagement and development activities across a broad range of disciplines and proven ability to develop, implement and monitor strategic plans in industry engagement, business development and research partnerships.
- Pragmatic and creative negotiator, with the ability to network and influence at senior levels of government, business and industry.
Qualifications
A relevant postgraduate qualification and extensive management and leadership experience in areas science and technology, or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.
This position is open only to applicants who have work rights in Australia.
About Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne Horizon 2025 draws upon our understanding of future challenges. With this new strategic plan, we choose to build Swinburne as the prototype of a new and different university – one that is truly of Technology, of Innovation and of Entrepreneurship. We are committed to a differentiated university proposition in education and research, so that:
- Every Swinburne learner gets a work experience.
- Every Swinburne graduate gets a job.
- Every Swinburne partner gets a tech solution.
Swinburne is the prototype of global best practice.
The achievement of our 2025 moon shots depends on our capacity to work collectively, always, as One Swinburne.
To Apply
Please submit your CV and cover letter addressing your suitability for this position.
To review the Position Description and to apply, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.
If you are viewing this advert from an external site, please click ‘apply’ and you will be redirected to Swinburne’s Jobs website to access the Position Description at the bottom of the page.
Please Note: Appointment to this position is subject to passing a Working with Children Check.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application, please contact the Swinburne Talent Acquisition Team on talentacquisition@swin.edu.au.
Applications Close: Sunday November 10th at 11 PM.
For more information about the role, please contact Eve at echarif@swin.edu.au.
Swinburne offers flexible working options contained in our leave and parenting/carer policies to support work-life balance.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Swinburne University of Technology is dedicated to creating a varied, welcoming, and open learning and work environment that embraces diversity, promotes inclusion, ensures fair access to opportunities, and actively opposes bullying, discrimination, sexual harm, victimisation, and vilification. We appreciate every individual in our community, regardless of ability/disability, age, cultural and ethnic background, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and family and relationship status. For further details on our efforts, please explore our Equity & Diversity website.
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments
Swinburne University of Technology actively supports and encourages individuals with disability to apply. We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process by ensuring that we cater to the access and participation needs of all candidates.
For a confidential conversation about your accessibility needs or to offer feedback on how we can enhance our recruitment processes to accommodate any adjustments you may require, please contact Swinburne’s Disability Confident Recruitment at DCR@swin.edu.au or call +61 3 9214 3550.
Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) at Swinburne
Swinburne is enhancing gender equity and diversity, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM), by participating in the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program.
Swinburne University is actively engaged in improving representation and participation of women in STEMM fields, aiming to address ongoing gender inequity. As an inaugural recipient of the Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award, we have implemented our original SAGE Action Plan (2019-2021) and continue our commitment through the current SAGE Action Plan (2022-2025), focusing on meaningful actions to foster long-lasting change and advance gender equity and diversity in STEMM.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants
We welcome and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
For any support please contact talentacquisition@swin.edu.au or for more information on our Indigenous strategies please follow the link to our RAP Reconciliation Action Plan.
Victoria’s Commitment to Action: Improving international student employment outcomes
As a signatory to Victoria’s Commitment to Action, Swinburne seeks to remove barriers to international graduate employment. We welcome and encourage applications from international graduates.
We are a 2023 Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant.
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