Associate Director

Acumen, Part of Sannam S4 Group; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision

Dental

401k

Roth 401k

Job summary

Acumen, part of Sannam S4 Group, seeks an Associate Director to lead Imperial Global USA in building partnerships across the San Francisco Bay Area. The role sits in Imperial Global USA, bridging London and California to connect talent, ideas and capital with world-class research.

You will collaborate with Imperial’s Academic Director and a high-profile External Advisory Council to advance science and innovation partnerships, including engagement with startups, spinouts and investors.

Qualifications

• Experience developing science and technology partnerships and networks in the United States, particularly in the Bay Area.
• Experience in business development, partnership building, or related areas.
• Knowledge of the technology, innovation and research environment in the UK.
• Experience fostering academic–industry collaborations.
• Knowledge of the startup and venture capital landscape, especially in science and technology sectors.
• Confident in delivering presentations and other public speaking activities.
• Ability to network effectively within Imperial College London and with USA contacts.
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills with long-term vision.
• Willingness to work off-hours to accommodate the UK time zone.
• Ability and desire to travel regularly (North America and abroad).
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Develop networks and partnerships to bridge London and the San Francisco Bay Area for talent, ideas and capital.
• Build science and technology networks across engineering biology, AI, quantum, medtech, space, security and resilience.
• Deliver events and visits to connect industry, investors and academic partners; participate in Bay Area science gatherings.
• Work with advisory councils and UK representative offices to identify opportunities for university activities and partnerships.
• Engage alumni, donors and foundations to support Imperial’s innovation and enterprise agenda.
• Collaborate with Enterprise teams to connect startups and investors with Imperial’s strategy.
• Progress strategic academic partnerships with leading universities and national labs.

Skills

US Bay Area partnerships

Business development

UK tech landscape knowledge

Academic–industry collaboration

Startup & VC awareness

Public speaking

Networking

Strategic thinking

Travel willingness

US work authorization

Job description

Acumen is seeking an Associate Director of Imperial Global USA to support one of the world’s leading universities in building its presence and partnerships in the San Francisco Bay Area. Imperial College London ranks second globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, combining world-leading science, engineering, medicine and business with a growing deep tech innovation ecosystem anchored by WestTech London - one of Europe’s most dynamic environments for frontier science and technology.

Imperial Global USA is Imperial’s dedicated hub in the United States, situated at SHACK15 in the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco. Its central mission is to serve as a bridge between London and the San Francisco Bay Area for talent, ideas and capital - connecting Imperial’s world-leading research and enterprise community with one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems. Both cities are anchored by exceptional universities, deep pools of venture capital, and a culture of scientific ambition; the hub exists to make the complementarity between these two ecosystems tangible and productive, and over time to develop wider networks across the UK and California that build on frameworks such as the UK-California partnership on climate, business and trade.

The Associate Director will have the opportunity to work alongside world-leading scientists and innovators to build a dynamic network of partnerships spanning academia, industry, and investment. They will work closely with the Academic Director for Imperial Global USA and be the liaison point for a high-profile External Advisory Council of Bay Area science, technology and investment leaders, including Imperial alumni. The role sits within the International Relations Office (IRO) at Imperial and is expected to work collaboratively and closely with the IRO team, who lead international strategy coordination on behalf of the university.

Benefits include: Healthcare, vision, dental, access to contribute to a 401k and/or Roth.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

Questions about the role can be directed to Julia Kulik ([e-mail]) and Michael McTernan ([e-mail]). Please note, this position is hired, employed, and jointly managed by Acumen.

We are seeking someone with:

• Experience developing science and technology partnerships and networks in the United States, particularly in the Bay Area
• Experience in business development, partnership building, or related areas
• Knowledge of the technology, innovation and research environment in the UK
• Experience fostering academic-industry collaborations
• Knowledge of the startup and venture capital landscape, especially in science and technology sectors
• Confident in delivering presentations and other public speaking activities
• Ability to network effectively both within Imperial College London and with key contacts across the USA
• Strong strategic thinking and planning skills, with the ability to develop and implement long-term vision and goals
• Willingness to work off-hours to accommodate the UK time zone
• Ability and desire to travel regularly (in North America and abroad)
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

This is a broad and comprehensive remit, and the right candidate will bring both the ambition and the judgement to navigate it well. Imperial Global USA is at an early and formative stage, and the Associate Director will have real scope to shape its direction - identifying and prioritizing over time the most strategic opportunities within a rich and fast-moving ecosystem and building the partnerships and programmes that will define the hub's long-term impact.

Primary roles and responsibilities:

The Associate Director will be responsible for the development and future direction of the hub, working closely with an Academic Director, university leadership, academics from across the four faculties, and professional service directorates to build strategic networks and programmes that enhance Imperial’s visibility and drive high-impact partnerships as a bridge between London and the San Francisco Bay Area for talent, ideas and capital.

Science and technology network development

The core remit of this role is to develop networks and partnerships that contribute to the stated aim of Imperial Global USA as a bridge between London and the San Francisco Bay Area for talent, ideas and capital. The Associate Director will build new science and technology networks that support Imperial’s academic mission, playing a key discovery function to connect promising leads and contacts to the right teams at Imperial, developing a sustained and growing presence for the university across the local innovation ecosystem.

• Work collaboratively to develop thematic programmes and delegations that connect partners to Imperial’s research and innovation communities across key areas such as engineering biology, AI, quantum, medtech, space, security and resilience, and deep tech entrepreneurship.
• Build science and technology networks in a concerted and strategic way, including communications, outreach and initiatives that build the profile of Imperial. Design and deliver a dynamic programme of science and technology-focused meetings or events in the region; host high-level visits from Imperial academics and leadership to connect with industry, investors and academic partners; and develop a sustained presence at major science and technology gatherings across the region, including San Francisco Tech Week, JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, San Francisco Climate Week, SynBioBeta, and equivalent convening moments across the Bay Area innovation calendar.
• Work with the Imperial Global USA Advisory Council to develop opportunities, networks and connections in support of the advancement of science and Imperial’s mission in the Bay Area.
• Partner with UK representative offices in the region and identify opportunities to support university activities, including the FCDO Science and Technology Network USA, DSIT, Department for Business and Trade, and London and Partners; and serve as Imperial’s representative to GBx.
• Collaborate with the Advancement Division and Alumni Relations to engage with alumni working in key science and technology sectors and connect them to Imperial research and innovation; support Advancement to establish and nurture relationships with potential donors, foundations and philanthropists.
• Collaborate with Enterprise teams to support engagement with industry, identify collaboration opportunities, and advance Imperial's strategy for partnership, commercialisation, and funding; this includes facilitating connections between Imperial-affiliated startups and spinouts and Bay Area venture capitalists and investors, fostering an environment in which the investor community understands opportunities and Imperial's broader innovation strategy.
• Collaborate with the IRO and academic colleagues to develop and progress strategic academic partnerships with leading universities and national labs.

Business development and strategy

As the hub’s science and technology network develops, a key part of the Associate Director’s remit is to play a lead role - working as part of a team with London colleagues - in developing the significant opportunities that emerge from network-building activity, and building programmes that meaningfully support the academic mission of Imperial.

• Work with university leadership and the Academic Director to develop and evolve the hub strategy, linking the hub’s science and technology networks to Imperial's institutional priorities and effectively connecting the London and San Francisco Bay Area ecosystems over the long term.
• Identify and qualify significant partnership and collaboration opportunities arising from network-building activity, and work with IRO and relevant colleagues to develop them through to conclusion; prepare and present briefings, proposals and materials that support the progression of major opportunities, working closely with London colleagues in the IRO, research partnerships, enterprise, or advancement teams.
• Lead the development of an Imperial Enterprise Network in the San Francisco Bay Area, bringing together Imperial-affiliated startups and spinouts, enterprising alumni, and relevant investors, entrepreneurs and technology leaders to create an active community around Imperial's innovation and commercialisation agenda.
• Contribute to the development of the annual activity plan, reporting requirements and hub strategy, ensuring that network-building activity and business development priorities are aligned and that emerging opportunities are reflected in forward planning.