Director of Business Development

Clemson; North Charleston, Northern (SC, KY); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Clemson University seeks a Director of Business Development to lead the Charleston Innovation Campus' commercial strategy and revenue growth for the EIC. You will coordinate industry engagement, testing programs and partnerships with utilities, OEMs, and federal partners, advancing grid-emulation capabilities and sponsored testing revenue.

The role requires a bachelor's degree with preference for an MBA or MS/PhD in engineering, extensive experience with utilities and grid tech, and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• MBA or MS/PhD preferred in electrical/mechanical engineering or related field.
• Experience with electric utilities, grid equipment, or related industries.
• Strong communication skills and ability to engage executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Recruit regional companies to the Charleston Innovation Campus and South Carolina with state and regional partners.
• Liaise with NSF Grid Modernization Engine, SC NEXUS Tech Hub, DOE/EDA and other partners.
• Assess TRL/ARL/MRL and advise on testing, deployment, scale-up and market adoption.
• Cultivate industry relationships and develop proposals, pricing and contracts for EIC testing facilities.
• Lead the EIC business development and commercialization strategy and grow sponsored testing revenue.

Skills

Communication

Utilities experience

Contract testing

Industry partnerships

NSF/DOE programs

Grid technology

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or MS/PhD in engineering

Job description

**JOB SUMMARY:**Responsible for the management and coordination of all tasks associated with large projects of high complexity and risk, to include the management and coordination of enterprise projects or a multi-agency projects of the highest complexity and risk. The Director of Business Development leads industry engagement, commercial strategy and revenue growth for the Dominion Energy Innovation Center (EIC) at Clemson University's Charleston Innovation Campus. The EIC houses the Duke Energy eGRID — a 15-megawatt hardware-in-the-loop grid simulator capable of emulating the electrical grid of any region in the world — and the nation's most advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility. Through the SC NEXUS for Advanced Resilient Energy Tech Hub, a U.S. Economic Development Administration investment in the EDGE (Economic Development through Grid Emulation) project is expanding the center's power-rating capability from 15 MW to 35 MW and adding a mobile, configurable grid emulator that enables remote on-site testing anywhere in the Carolinas, along with a walk-in thermal chamber for environmental testing. This position is funded through the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas, an NSF Regional Innovation Engines award led by UNC Charlotte with Clemson University as a founding core partner. The Director will leverage EIC assets to build a growing portfolio of industry-sponsored testing, validation, and research programs. Working across utilities, original equipment manufacturers, energy storage and inverter companies, startups and federal partners, the Director identifies market opportunities, structures partnerships and testing engagements, and positions the EIC as the premier commercial destination for grid-technology validation in the United States.**JOB DUTIES:**10% - Support regional economic development and ecosystem growth by recruiting companies to the Charleston Innovation Campus and South Carolina in partnership with state and regional economic development entities.20% - Serve as the EIC’s principal liaison to strategic regional and federal partners, including the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas, SC NEXUS Tech Hub consortium, South Carolina Department of Commerce, regional economic development organizations, NSF, DOE, and EDA. Represent the EIC at industry conferences and align commercial activities with consortium milestones, workforce-development goals, and reporting requirements.10% - Evaluate the commercial and translation readiness of client and university technologies, including Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Adoption Readiness Level (ARL), and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) assessments, and advise stakeholders on practical pathways to testing, deployment, scale-up, and market adoption.30% - Cultivate industry relationships and convert opportunities into defined engagements by proactively engaging utilities, OEMs, inverter and energy-storage manufacturers, and grid-technology startups; facilitating structured problem-framing sessions with Clemson researchers; and developing proposals, statements of work, pricing, and contract structures for EIC testing facilities.30% - Develop and execute the EIC’s business development and commercialization strategy, with emphasis on the SC NEXUS/EDGE grid emulator capabilities—including the upcoming 35 MW capacity, mobile deployment, and thermal chamber—and growth of sponsored testing revenue. Build and manage the prospective client and partner pipeline, track engagement and utilization metrics, and report progress against revenue targets. (**JOB CODE:**AK06**EMPLOYEE TYPE:**Time-Limited (TLP) Staff**Minimum Requirements:**A bachelor's degree and experience managing large projects of significant complexity and risk.**Preferred:*** Advanced degree (MBA or M.S./Ph.D. in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or a related field).* Experience with electric utilities, independent system operators, or grid-equipment manufacturers, including familiarity with equipment certification and standards (e.g., IEEE 1547, UL 1741) and controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) or power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) testing.* Demonstrated success selling or managing contract testing, validation or engineering services, including pricing, capture management and long-cycle B2B relationship development.* Experience working at the interface of university research and industry, including intellectual property, sponsored research and licensing considerations.* Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical capabilities into commercial value propositions for executive audiences.* Familiarity with federal innovation programs such as EDA Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs, NSF Regional Innovation Engines, and DOE grid modernization initiatives.**RESPONSIBILITIES:**JOB KNOWLEDGEFirm working knowledge of concepts, practices and procedures and ability to use in varied situations.SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIESNot responsible for supervising employees.BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITIESNo fiscal responsibility for the department's budget.**PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:**Stand for Prolonged Period: 10%Sit (stationary position) for prolonged period: 50%Communicate, converse, give direction, express oneself: 90%Perceive, observe, clarity of vision: 50%**WORKING CONDITIONS:**None: %**WORK SCHEDULE:**Standard Hours:37.5**COMPENSATION INFORMATION:**Expected Salary Range$92,400.00 - $140,000.00Salary is dependent upon several factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's previous experience, knowledge, skills and performance in accordance with Clemson's compensation guidelines.**ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL LEVEL:**Normal Operations - Required to follow emergency facility closure and modified operations directives, and not normally expected to work on-site during emergency situations.**JOB LOCATION:**North Charleston, SC**APPLICATION DEADLINE:**October 2, 2026**MILITARY AND VETERAN:****Military Equivalency**: Clemson University is proud to allow educational equivalency for military technical certifications and trainings that directly relate to the job duties. **Veteran Preference:** South Carolina provides employment preference to eligible veterans for qualifying full-time permanent positions. To be considered, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications, have been discharged under honorable conditions, and indicate their veteran status in the application by uploading a DD-214 for confidential review. A request for Veteran Preference can be made via the application process. Please contact [e-mail] with any questions or issues.