Practice Leader, Manufacturing Extension & Industry Engagement

University of Mississippi; Mississippi; On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Professor of Practice & Manufacturing Extension Program Director at the University of Mississippi's Center for Manufacturing Excellence provides leadership for the center's manufacturing extension and industry engagement activities. The role connects university expertise, educational resources, faculty, and students with manufacturers across Mississippi to enhance performance and workforce capability.

The Program Director focuses on industry engagement, operational excellence, continuous

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field (required).
• Experience in project management.
• Industry engagement and leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for CME's manufacturing extension program.
• Build and maintain relationships with manufacturers, industry associations, economic development organizations, and external partners.
• Identify manufacturing needs and develop training, technical assistance, and applied problem-solving initiatives.
• Develop programs in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and operations strategy aligned with expertise.
• Coordinate CME faculty, staff, students, and external subject-matter experts in support of industry projects and extension activities.
• Teach CME graduate and undergraduate courses and contribute to curriculum development including online coursework.
• Mentor students on industry-sponsored projects, applied scholarship, internships, and experiential learning.
• Produce practice-oriented applied scholarship including industry case studies, technical reports, and presentations.
• Identify grants, contracts, sponsorships, and other funding to expand extension activities.
• Establish measures of program effectiveness and communicate outcomes to partners and stakeholders.
• Represent CME and the University at conferences and industry meetings.

Skills

Project Management

Education

PhD (Required)

Job description

The Professor of Practice & Manufacturing Extension Program Director at the University of Mississippi's Center for Manufacturing Excellence provides leadership for the center's manufacturing extension and industry engagement activities. The role connects university expertise, educational resources, faculty, and students with manufacturers across Mississippi to enhance performance and workforce capability.

The Program Director focuses on industry engagement, operational excellence, continuous