Vice Chancellor for Economic Development

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 325,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder seeks an inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, an entrepreneurial leader who will build CU Boulder's external relationships and strategic partnerships with industry, government, and philanthropy. This role negotiates large-scale investments and drives statewide economic competitiveness and talent development.

Reporting to the Chancellor and serving on the Chancellor's Cabinet, the Vice Chancellor will attract major investments and translate research

Qualifications

• Eight+ years in senior leadership with strategic planning, partnerships or economic development.
• Experience securing large, complex multi-party partnerships with government, industry or philanthropy.
• Proven ability to build executive relationships and negotiate talent development initiatives.
• Master’s or professional degree aligned to leadership and economic strategy.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead CU Boulder's Office of Economic Development focused on executive engagement and external partnerships.
• Serve as principal advisor and lead negotiator on statewide competitiveness and innovation strategy.
• Handle executive relationships with federal labs, industry leaders, philanthropies, and regional economic groups.
• Establish long-term civic engagement and regional partnership strategies across Colorado.
• Negotiate workforce and talent development commitments with academic affairs and partners.
• Drive philanthropy and investment to strengthen Colorado's innovation ecosystem.

Skills

Executive relationships

Partnership development

Strategic negotiation

Economic development

Education

Master's degree/JD

Job description

Job Summary

Vision

The inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development willposition CU Boulder as Colorado's indispensable partner forinnovation, economic competitiveness, and societal impact—thecampus that state leaders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, community leaders,and major philanthropists turn to first to help shape the state'sfuture.

By building transformational partnerships and attracting strategicinvestment, the Vice Chancellor will ensure that CU Boulder'sexcellence in research and education translates into strongerindustries, thriving communities, expanded opportunity forColoradans, and enduring prosperity. Every partnership secured willstrengthen the university's existing research, innovation,education, and outreach enterprises, amplifying their impact ratherthan creating parallel structures.

Position Summary

The University of Colorado Boulder seeks an outstanding,entrepreneurial leader to serve as its inaugural Vice Chancellorfor Economic Development, the campus' principal external-facingrelationship builder and strategic negotiator for large-scalecorporate investment, statewide economic competitiveness, talentdevelopment, translation of CU Boulder research and expertise intosocietal impact, and philanthropic partnership.

Reporting directly to the Chancellor and serving on theChancellor's Cabinet, the Vice Chancellor leads CU Boulder'sengagement with corporate leaders, state government, communitiesacross Colorado, and philanthropic partners on initiatives ofsufficient scale to require the Chancellor's office at thetable—including anchor corporate partnerships, major infrastructureinvestments, statewide innovation strategies, and talentdevelopment initiatives pursued with industry, educationalinstitutions, and public-sector partners.

The Vice Chancellor attracts major corporate, public, andphilanthropic investment to the university and the state whileensuring CU Boulder plays a leading role in shaping Colorado'slong-term economic competitiveness, innovation ecosystem, andworkforce strategy.

Role Philosophy

As Colorado accelerates its economic trajectory across sectors likequantum science and technology, space, sustainability,biotechnology, and earth sciences, the Vice Chancellor for EconomicDevelopment builds and stewards CU Boulder's relationships with theleaders who shape Colorado's future: corporate executives makinginvestment and location decisions, state officials establishinginnovation and competitiveness priorities, civic leaders acrossColorado, and philanthropists whose investments strengthencommunities and expand economic opportunity.

The role's currency is trust, strategic relationships, and thetransformational partnerships and investments those relationshipsmake possible.

Success is measured by major corporate partnerships secured,statewide innovation and competitiveness strategies influenced,philanthropic investment generated, enduring relationshipsestablished with communities across Colorado, and new public andprivate investment in workforce development. Each of these outcomesis then transitioned to the campus unit best positioned todeliver—including Academic Affairs, Advancement, Sustainability,the Research & Innovation Office, and the Office of Outreachand Community Engagement. The Vice Chancellor succeeds by creatingopportunities that enable the rest of the university to expand itsimpact.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

Who We Are

The University of Colorado was established in 1876. The flagshipuniversity within the University of Colorado system and one of only38 public research institutions in the Association of AmericanUniversities (AAU), CU Boulder serves more than 38,000undergraduate and graduate students and employs a workforce of morethan 8,000 faculty and staff members.

The university offers more than 90 degree programs and 4,000academic courses, and in fiscal year 2025 was awarded over $760million in sponsored research funding. Our mission is to serve asthe state of Colorado’s comprehensive graduate research universitywith selective admission standards, offering a comprehensive arrayof undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. CUBoulder’s institutional priorities in carrying out this missionisto foster the success of all students, faculty and staff; scaleresearch and creative work excellence; achieve global leadership insustainability impact; and align our resources and infrastructureto our mission.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Strategic Priorities

• Build and steward CU Boulder's enduring civic relationshipsacross Colorado, ensuring community priorities and differentialregional needs inform campus partnerships, investment decisions,talent strategies and statewide competitiveness strategies withattention to how opportunities and benefits are distributed acrossColorado.
• Recruit and steward major corporate partnerships andtransformational public and private investments requiringexecutive-level leadership and statewide coordination, aligningindustry, government, federal laboratories, higher education, andcommunities around shared opportunities in priority sectors.
• In coordination with CU System’s State Office of GovernmentRelations, position CU Boulder as a preferred partner oninnovation, industry engagement and statewide economiccompetitiveness with the Governor's Office, the Colorado Office ofEconomic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), the GeneralAssembly, and other state agencies.
• Cultivate and steward major philanthropic partnerships andinvestment, in partnership with Advancement, to strengthenColorado's innovation economy, expand opportunity, and advance CUBoulder's societal impact.
• Secure new public and private investment in talent innovation,including employer-supported education, talent pipelines, workforceincentives, credential pathways, internships, work-based learning,and employment opportunities, in partnership with Academic Affairs,Student Life, community colleges, and the Schools andColleges.
• Translate CU Boulder research, education, and expertise intoeconomic and societal impact by strengthening partnerships thataccelerate innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, andregional prosperity across sectors like quantum science andtechnology, space, sustainability, biotechnology, sustainability,and earth sciences.
• Accelerate Colorado's quantum economy and CU Boulder'sintegrated quantum innovation ecosystem through strategicengagement with industry, the Colorado Quantum Incubator, ElevateQuantum, federal laboratories, public-sector partners, CUBIT andthe university's research and innovation enterprise.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Build and lead a new Office of Economic Development focused onexecutive engagement, strategic partnerships, and externalcorporate relationships.
• Serve as the Chancellor's principal advisor and lead negotiatoron statewide competitiveness and innovation strategy.
• Handle executive relationships with federal laboratories,industry leaders, philanthropic organizations, and regionaleconomic organizations.
• Establish the university's long-term strategy for civicengagement and regional partnership across Colorado.
• Negotiate talent development commitments as part of majorcorporate investments and statewide initiatives and coordinateimplementation with Academic Affairs, community colleges, and othereducational partners.
• Lead philanthropic cultivation and solicitation for initiativesthat strengthen Colorado's innovation ecosystem and economiccompetitiveness in partnership with Advancement.
• Work together with CU System Office of Government Relationsregarding relationships with state agencies.

What We Can Offer

The annual salary range for this full-time position is$325,000-$360,000, plus a recruitment incentive and movingallowance (if applicable).

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of ouremployees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's BestLarge Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Coloradoand #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks andprograms through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Minimum of eight years of senior leadership experience withsignificant responsibility for strategic planning, partnership oreconomic development, and advancing complex initiatives or relatedwork.
• Master's degree, JD, or an equivalent combination of educationand experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, andabilities necessary to perform the responsibilities of theposition.

What You Will Need

• Outstanding executive relationship-building skills withcorporate leaders, elected officials, philanthropic organizations,and community partners.
• Political foresight and diplomatic judgment in the areas ofstate government, corporate boardrooms, and national policydiscussions.
• Demonstrated ability to develop economic and workforcestrategies that expand opportunity, address barriers toparticipation and consider how the benefits of institutional andeconomic investment are experienced across communities.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trust while leadingcomplex partnerships across communities and constituencies withdiffering levels of institutional power, resources, interests andaccess to decision-making.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Distinguished executive experience in economic development,innovation strategy, state government, corporate investment, orphilanthropy.
• Demonstrated success securing large, complex, multi-partypartnerships involving government, industry, philanthropy, andresearch organizations.
• Experience negotiating workforce and talent developmentinitiatives as part of major corporate or public-sectorinvestments.