Executive Director of the Metro State Applied Innovation Institute (MSAII)

Metro State University of Minnesota; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 210,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Metropolitan State University seeks an Executive Director for the Metro State Applied Innovation Institute (MSAII) to drive strategy, operations, and growth across cybersecurity, AI, and workforce innovation. The role collaborates with the Chief Innovation and Research Officer, the Board, and external partners to deliver sustainable programs and partnerships.

The Executive Director will oversee business model development, contracts and sponsored research, and revenue-generating training,

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required.
• Four years of leadership in business development, sponsored project, nonprofit, or research administration.
• Experience with budget development and revenue modeling.
• Experience with contracts, grants, or fee-for-service programs.
• Experience working with universities, government agencies, nonprofits, industry partners, and public-sector organizations.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership and set strategic goals for MSAII.
• Develop operating models including revenue-generating programs.
• Manage external partnerships and client relationships.
• Support contract research and sponsored projects activities.
• Oversee training, certification and revenue-generating programs.
• Manage financial model and sustainability of the Institute.
• Coordinate with board and university units on governance and growth.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Revenue modeling

Grant/contract management

Education

Master’s degree

Doctoral degree

Tools

Contract research

Sponsored projects

Job description

All Job Postings will close at 12:01 a.m. CT on the specifiedClosing Date (if designated).

Working Title

Executive Director of the Metro State Applied Innovation Institute(MSAII)

Institution

Metropolitan State University

Classification Title

Non Employee

Bargaining Unit / Union

Contingent Workers

City

St. Paul

FLSA

Non Job Exempt

Full Time / Part Time

Full time

Employment Condition

Volunteer

Salary Range

(Please disregard the Volunteer employment status, this is aMSAII paid position)

Job Description

Metro State Applied Innovation Institute (MSAII) is an independent501 (c) (3) foundation established to support and conductscientific research and educational and informational activities inareas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and otherrelated cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of Metro StateUniversity, Minnesota’s public, urban university with robustacademic programs in these fields. Metropolitan State is recognizedby CollegeNet as a leading higher education promoter of socialmobility for students (Ranked # 12 out of 1,398 in 2026) and isranked by Washington Monthly as #13 out 585 national Master’sUniversities and one of its twenty-five Best in ClassColleges.

MSAII is seeking to hire an Executive Director. This is a full-timeposition within MSAII; thus, the Executive Director is not a Stateof Minnesota employee.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director provides executive leadership and worksclosely with the Board of the Metro State Applied InnovationInstitute (MSAII) to set and achieve strategic goals in alignmentwith the needs of the university’s related academic programs. Theexecutive director provides business, administrative, operational,partnership, and sustainability leadership for MSAII. The positionis responsible for translating the Institute’s strategies intofunctioning operating models, revenue-generating service lines,budgets, staffing structures, partner agreements, projectworkflows, and implementation plans.

The Executive Director works in close collaboration with the ChiefInnovation and Research Officer and other Institute and universityemployees, and external stakeholders to build a hybrid academic,research, workforce, outreach, and applied innovation enterprise.The role is expected to support contract research, sponsoredprojects, cybersecurity and AI training programs, cyber rangeservices, employer-facing solutions, defense-adjacent initiatives,public-sector technology capacity building, and othermission-aligned activities.

This position is primarily responsible for ensuring that theInstitute’s business model, financial systems, externalpartnerships, internal processes, and project commitments arerealistic, sustainable, properly documented, and fulfills thepurpose of building Metro State University’s research enterprise.More specifically:

1. Institute Operations and Business Model Development

The Executive Director develops and manages the Institute’ssustainable operating model, including revenue-generating training,contract research, sponsored projects, cyber range services,certification preparation, and custom employer solutions.

2. External Partnerships and Client Relationship Management

In collaboration with the Chief Innovation and Research Officer,the Executive Director serves as an external-facing representativeof the Institute with business, government, defense, nonprofit,education, workforce, and community partners.

3. Contract Research and Sponsored Project Support

The Executive Director supports the business and administrativeaspects of contract research, STTR-related activities,appropriations-funded work, sponsored projects, and appliedinnovation projects.

4. Training, Certification, and Revenue-Generating Programs

The Executive Director oversees the business model for training,certification, and other revenue-generating programs associatedwith the Institute.

5. Financial Management and Sustainability

The Executive Director is responsible for developing and monitoringthe financial model necessary to sustain and grow theInstitute.

6. Internal Coordination and Governance

The Executive Director coordinates with the MSAII Board and acrossMetro State units, faculty leads, staff, external partners, andMinnesota State system offices as needed.

7. Strategic Growth and Institutional Positioning

The Executive Director works with Institute leadership and theboard to position MSAII as a statewide and regional leader incybersecurity, AI, applied innovation, defense-adjacent workforcedevelopment, public-sector technology capacity, and responsibletechnology adoption.

Salary Range

$210,000 to $225,000 annually.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Four years of leadership in business development, sponsoredproject, nonprofit, or research administration experience.
• Experience with budget development, revenue modeling,developing and managing grants or contracts or fee-for-serviceprograms.
• Experience working with universities, government agencies,nonprofits, industry partners, and public-sectororganizations.
• Demonstrated success in collaborating cross-institutionally andwith external organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree.
• Degree or Certificate in business, public administration,nonprofit management, higher education administration, technologymanagement.
• Experience building or scaling a nonprofit, research institute,innovation center, workforce intermediary, training enterprise, orfee-for-service program.
• Experience with sponsored research, STTR/SBIR-adjacent work,government contracting, public/private partnerships, ordefense-adjacent projects.
• Familiarity with university governance, faculty roles, laborconsiderations, grants administration, procurement, finance, andcompliance routing.
• Experience developing revenue-generating training,certification preparation, cyber range services, continuingeducation, or employer-facing workforce programs.
• Experience preparing board materials, executive briefings,proposals, budgets, dashboards, and strategic plans.
• Familiarity with Minnesota cybersecurity, AI, workforce,public-sector technology, or defense innovation ecosystems.

Open Until Filled

Priority Applications must be received by 11:59 PM on September 22nd, 2026.

• Cover letter of interest addressing your interest andqualifications for the position.
• Current curriculum vita or resume
• Names of four (4) references with addresses, email addressesand telephone numbers

For TTY, call Minnesota Relay Service at 7-1-1 or1-800-627-3529.

MSAII is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to theprinciples of diversity. We prohibit discrimination againstqualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed,religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteranstatus, marital status, status with regard to public assistance,sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ormembership in a local commission as defined by law. As anaffirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourageapplications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, andindividuals with protected veteran status.

The Institute provides reasonable accommodations to qualifiedindividuals with disabilities upon request.

Benefits Information

At Minnesota State, we take your well-being and work-life balanceseriously. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that featureslow-cost medical and dental insurance with affordable deductibles,employer-paid life insurance, short- and long-term disability, andpre-tax healthcare and dependent care accounts with a roll-overoption. To further support your holistic health, employees alsohave access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) formental health, legal, and financial counseling. Detailed plandetails, rates, and coverage choices can be reviewed directly viathe StateEmployee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) website.

To support your life outside of work, our package includes 12 paidholidays, generous vacation and sick time, and six weeks of PaidParental Leave. We also help you secure your financial future witha robust Pension Plan, 457(b) and 403(b) retirement accounts, andvarious investment options. Furthermore, we invest in your growthby providing dedicated professional development and tuition waiversfor both you and your dependents. Please note that specificbenefit eligibility and coverage levels may vary depending on thetype of position, employee classification, and collectivebargaining agreements.

Desired Start Date:

Position End Date:

Open Date:

09-08-2026

Close Date:

10-30-2026

Posting Contact Name

Kevin Earl Thompson

Posting Contact Email

[e-mail]