Business Engagement Officer

University of Wisconsin Madison; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a Business Engagement Officer within the College of Engineering's Office of Corporate Relations. You will lead industry and lab partnerships, drive a growth-focused strategy for consortia and centers, and expand collaborations with departments and faculty.

The role involves coordinating national/international partnerships, developing outreach events, and working in a hybrid schedule with onsite and remote work.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of driving cross-functional initiatives and influencing multidisciplinary teams without direct authority to deliver high-impact results.
• Experience crafting and delivering clear presentations to leadership, advisory boards, faculty, or external stakeholders.
• Professional experience identifying, developing, or expanding corporate partnerships, joint initiatives, or revenue-generating opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Leads and manages industrial consortia and national lab collaborations connected to UW research, including strategy, communications, event planning, membership engagement, and member recruiting.
• Evaluates existing strategies and makes recommendations to unit leadership for program enhancement.
• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures.
• Monitors portfolio activity and market share and disseminates updates to leadership and appropriate entities.
• Plans and directs staff implementation of new and existing business outreach events, programs, communications, and research activities.

Skills

Energetic with bias for action

Leadership

Teamwork

Communication

Learner

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or business

MS or MBA

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category: Academic Staff

Employment Type: Regular

Job Profile: Business Engagement Manager

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of the Office of Corporate Relations of the College of Engineering (COE), the Business Engagement Officer will lead existing and prospective interactions with industry and national/international lab partners. The individual will execute a business development strategy for select UW-Madison COE consortia, institutes, and centers that will ensure growth and sustainability.

The individual will also lead interactions with national and international labs toward increasing partnerships with COE departments and faculty.

Desired skills include:

• Energetic with a bias for action
• Leadership:
  • Influences without direct authority
  • Demonstrated history of driving results
• Teamwork:
  • Maintains and develops broad external and internal contacts
  • Establishes robust networks
• Communication:
  • Excellent verbal and written skills
  • Comfortable speaking in groups and large forums
  • Ability to negotiate with, persuade and influence others
• Learner: willingness to dive in without having complete knowledge or understanding

Remote Work:

• This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non‑campus work location.
• The anticipated hybrid weekly work schedule will be up to two days remote, with three days onsite after an initial three month training period which will require working five days on site.

Visa eligibility:

• Please be aware that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.
• This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you would have to provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

• The College of Engineering is not an E-Verify employer and therefore we cannot accept F-1 OPT STEM Extensions for employment eligibility.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Leads and manages industrial consortia and/or national lab collaborations connected to UW research, including strategy, communications, event planning, membership engagement, and member recruiting
• Evaluates existing strategies and makes recommendations to unit leadership for program enhancement
• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures
• Monitors portfolio activity and market share and disseminates updates to leadership and appropriate entities
• Leads and manages industrial consortia and national lab collaborations connected to UW research, including strategy, communications, event planning, membership engagement, and member recruiting
• Plans and directs staff implementation of new and existing business outreach events, programs, communications, and research activities

Department:

College of Engineering, Office of Corporate Relations

Compensation:

The starting salary for the position is $90,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Please review thesummary of benefitsfor more information.

Required Qualifications:

• Proven track record of driving cross-functional initiatives and influencing multidisciplinary teams without direct authority to deliver high-impact results.
• Experience crafting and delivering clear presentations to leadership, advisory boards, faculty, or external stakeholders.
• Professional experience identifying, developing, or expanding corporate partnerships, joint initiatives, or revenue-generating opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience taking complex programs or projects from concept through execution in a dynamic, fast‑paced setting
• Significant experience networking, cultivating, and maintaining critical internal and external partnerships to support business objectives.
• Considerable problem‑solving skills and ability to quickly dive into complex, unfamiliar domains, synthesize incomplete information, and execute effective solutions.

Education:

Required: Bachelor's degree in engineering or business

Preferred: Degrees in both engineering and business; MS or MBA

Contact Information:

Russ Johnson

[e-mail]

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgroundsand encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre‑employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to.Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on‑campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW‑Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.