Associate Director, Industry & Research Relations Full-time

Associate Director, Industry & Research Relations

This position will support the university's new School of Computing, which includes 3 strong departments and more than 9,000 students across all programs. This places UT among the most significant intellectual hubs for computer science, information, and statistics and data science research and education anywhere in the world. The School of Computing has a close relationship with Austin's thriving tech culture and works at the forefront of fields spanning artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing; data science, statistics and scientific discovery; cybersecurity and trustworthy computing; and human-centered technology, information, and the societal impacts of computing. The School is seeking an Associate Director, Industry & Research Relations to work closely with School leadership, department leaders, faculty, and UT's central and school-level industry, development, and contracting teams.

The School of Computing partners with leading companies, including Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Google, Jane Street, and Toyota, and works at the forefront of artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, cybersecurity, informatics, and data science, in close connection with Austin's thriving tech community. The Associate Director builds and runs the School's industry partnership programs, combining strong relationship management with hands-on ownership of the processes, data, and tools that support them.

Success requires someone who enjoys both working with people and building effective systems. A substantial part of the role involves working directly with data, evaluating and configuring tools, improving workflows, and translating recurring needs into consistent processes. The Associate Director will manage the AI Project Lab end to end, build relationships with external partners, faculty, and students and continually improve how programs operate as the School grows.

Responsibilities

• Manage the AI Project Lab (AIPL):
  • AIPL connects industry sponsors with teams of 3-4 Computer and Data Science Online (CDSO) master's students, who build partner-defined AI/ML projects with real business relevance over a structured project cycle that ends in final presentations.
  • Program ownership. Own AIPL's design, annual calendar, and delivery across every cycle: proposal intake, team matching, kickoff, project execution, and final presentations. Coordinate with students, sponsors, and UT stakeholders.
  • Sponsor pipeline. Renew current sponsors and recruit new ones, supported by a clear value proposition, sponsor materials, and a repeatable process for moving a prospect from first conversation to approved project.
  • Project quality. Recruit, onboard, and manage the program's part-time Technical Liaisons, who scope projects, assess technical feasibility and data readiness, and clarify expectations between student teams and sponsors.
  • Sponsor terms and expectations. Coordinate with UT's contracting and other relevant offices to establish and maintain standard sponsor terms (data access, NDAs, intellectual property, confidentiality, timelines, mentorship commitments), and guide sponsors through the process so participation is simple and consistent.
  • Program model. Use cohort data, sponsor and student feedback, and outcomes to refine the model, and develop the sponsorship structure as the program grows.
  • Communications. Maintain program materials, including the website and presentations, and work with program staff to keep operations running smoothly.
• Build partnership operations and analytics:
  • Establish consistent, data-informed processes for managing SoC's industry relationships.
  • CRM and systems. Help scale and manage a CRM and supporting reporting tools for managing external relationships across SoC. Take ownership of the data and processes behind the CRM and other tools that support informed decisions for SoC industry relations.
  • Metrics and reporting. Define and track key measures (pipeline, retention and renewal, partner engagement, funding, program outcomes). Build dashboards and reports that translate the data into clear recommendations on progress, risks, resource needs, and next steps for SoC leadership.
  • AI and automation. Embrace AI and automation tools to work more efficiently and effectively (e.g., to support prospect research, summarize relationship history, maintain data quality, prepare for outreach, and produce reports).
  • Coordination. Work closely with industry relations teams in other UT schools and departments to keep engagement with shared partners cohesive, and maintain documentation of engagement activity, proposals, and contact reports.
• Lead industry relations and partnership programs:
  • Standard engagement models. Thoroughly understand UT's core research engagement models, including research gifts, sponsored research agreements, and industry affiliate programs, and help companies and faculty identify the best engagement model for their collaboration goals.
  • Affiliate programs. Renew existing Industry Affiliate Program (IAP) members and secure new ones each year. Administer member benefits and deliver a high-quality, consistent member experience with faculty and staff.
  • Strategic relationships. Serve as a liaison between UT's research enterprise, SoC faculty, and external partners (companies, foundations, and government and nonprofit organizations). Identify rising research areas, develop engagement plans, and lead execution.
  • Portfolio management. Manage a portfolio of strategic research and industry partners and ensure that each partnership provides clear value to all parties.
  • Faculty and partner engagement. Organize and lead substantive meetings between prospective partners and the right faculty and staff, working with department leaders and communications to develop messaging that supports SoC's strategic research plan.
  • Partner feedback. Gather partner and faculty feedback regularly to understand what drives renewal and expansion, and use it to improve the models.
  • Hosting. Host campus visits for corporate and foundation partners, including tours of Texas Robotics in Anna Hiss Gymnasium and other SoC spaces.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a science or engineering field.
• At least five years of experience in business development, corporate or industry relations, partnerships, or a comparable role, with a record of growing and retaining partners.
• Demonstrated ability to design, launch, and scale standardized programs, processes, or offerings (for example membership programs, sponsorship packages, or playbooks).
• Hands-on experience managing CRMs and developing reports or dashboards in business intelligence and data analysis tools (for example Salesforce, Power BI, Tableau) to guide decisions.
• A systems-oriented approach to program management, with experience evaluating and improving workflows and turning recurring needs into consistent processes.
• Proactive and highly responsive working style, with a record of identifying obstacles early, resolving them persistently, and responding promptly to partners, faculty, and internal stakeholders.
• Excellent project and program management skills, including managing multiple stakeholders and annual cycles.
• Strong written, presentation, and communication skills for both technical and executive audiences.
• Negotiation and persuasion skills, and a collaborative, team-oriented style.
• Ability to think strategically, prioritize, and work effectively in a complex environment with evolving priorities.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry experience in a technical role, such as software engineer, data analyst, or technical product manager.
• Experience with university industry relations, corporate and foundation relations, or sponsored research.
• Familiarity with research gifts, affiliate or membership programs, or project-based and capstone programs.
• Skill at developing marketing messages and technical narratives.
• Experience applying AI and automation tools to business workflows.

Salary Range

$125,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

Typical office environment. Occasional local travel and some evening events as required.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest