Head of University Partnerships

Director of Strategic Partnerships
Reporting to the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and University Relations, the Director of Strategic Partnerships is PAU's primary external relationship builder and business development leader. This role centers on revenue-generating organizational partnerships and Silicon Valley relationship development.
The Director identifies, cultivates, structures, and closes partnerships with corporations, technology companies, healthcare systems, startups, government agencies, employers, and community organizations that create mutual value and advance PAU's mission and institutional sustainability. Community relations, policy engagement, and advocacy support the larger external relations and revenue strategy and are complementary responsibilities within that framework.
The Director works in direct partnership with the President on high-priority external relationships, Silicon Valley ecosystem engagement, government and policy positioning, and the institutional partnerships that advance PAU's mission and reputation.
Revenue-Generating Partnership Development

Identify, cultivate, structure, and close revenue-generating organizational partnerships with corporations, technology companies, healthcare systems, startups, and other institutions that create mutual value and support PAU's long-term sustainability and growth.
Develop and execute a comprehensive partnership development strategy aligned with PAU's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, with clear annual targets for new partnerships, partnership revenue, and non-tuition revenue diversification.
Build and manage a robust partnership pipeline, tracking prospects from initial identification through cultivation, negotiation, and agreement, using CRM tools to maintain visibility and accountability across the full partnership development cycle.
Lead contracts, fee-for-service opportunities, workforce and training relationships, partnership-based RFPs, and organizational collaborations as the partnerships function's primary revenue instruments.
Partner with the VP of SPUR and the President to identify the highest-priority partnership opportunities in the Silicon Valley ecosystem and develop targeted cultivation strategies for each.
Silicon Valley Ecosystem and Technology Partnerships

Build relationships with technology companies, AI developers, venture-backed startups, and innovation hubs around PAU's distinctive expertise in human cognition, behavior, mental health, organizational psychology, and the ethical dimensions of emerging technology.
Develop partnership structures that translate corporate interest in behavioral science into sponsored research, workforce development programs, employee well-being initiatives, corporate training engagements, and other revenue-generating collaborations.
Represent PAU at Silicon Valley technology conferences, innovation forums, startup ecosystem events, and corporate leadership gatherings, building institutional visibility and cultivating relationships that generate partnership opportunities.
Workforce Development and Employer Partnerships

Build and manage employer partnerships that generate revenue through customized training programs, continuing education offerings, and organizational consulting engagements.
Collaborate with the Director of Alumni Relations to ensure employer relationships align with alumni engagement strategies, maximizing the value of each organizational relationship across partnership and advancement functions.
Partner with academic programs and the Director of Student Experience to integrate employer partnership opportunities into the student experience, creating pathways from academic training to professional practice.
Government Partnerships and Funded Initiatives

Identify and pursue revenue-generating relationships with local, state, and federal government agencies through contracts, grants, and funded initiatives that support institutional sustainability and advance PAU's behavioral science mission.
Develop and maintain relationships with government program officers, agency leadership, and elected officials whose portfolios intersect with behavioral health, mental health workforce development, education policy, and human services.
Monitor federal and state funding landscapes for contract and partnership opportunities aligned with PAU's research, training, and service capabilities, and coordinate with Academic Affairs and the Director of Development on opportunities that combine grants, contracts, research, or partnerships. Ensure all government partnerships are pursued and managed in alignment with applicable regulations and in coordination with PAU's legal, finance, and compliance functions.
Partner with the VP of SPUR and the President to design a calendar of annual convenings that build institutional visibility, deepen corporate and community relationships, and create cultivation opportunities for prospective partners, donors, and friends of the university.
Serve as the strategic and relationship owner for each convening, identifying the right external audiences, speakers, sponsors, and partner organizations, and ensuring every event advances a specific partnership development or cultivation objective.
Work with the Events and Operations Specialist to hand off convening logistics, production, and communications once the strategic framework, audience, and purpose of each event are established.
Community and Policy Engagement

Build and steward community partnerships with nonprofits, community organizations, and civic institutions aligned with PAU's mission and supporting the broader external relations and revenue strategy.
Develop relationships with membership organizations, higher education coalitions, policy bodies, and advocacy networks that advance PAU's voice in higher education and behavioral health policy and strengthen its credibility as an external partner.
Represent PAU at state and national policy forums, legislative briefings, and advocacy convenings where PAU's behavioral science expertise can inform and shape public policy on mental health, workforce development, and human-centered technology.
Monitor legislative and regulatory developments at the state and federal level that affect PAU's programs, students, and mission, and ensure institutional leadership is informed and positioned to respond.
Partnership Portfolio Coordination and Development Boundary

Maintain visibility across all incoming partnership inquiries across the university, ensuring opportunities are identified, coordinated, and directed to the division best positioned to advance them. Strategic Partnerships coordinates and stewards relationships across the full portfolio without serving as a required routing point for every inquiry.
When an organization presents both partnership and philanthropic potential, the VP designates one relationship lead, and Strategic Partnerships and Development coordinate the approach to serve the relationship without duplication.
Strategic Partnerships leads contracts, fee-for-service opportunities, workforce and training relationships, partnership-based RFPs, and organizational collaborations. Development leads philanthropic and charitable grant opportunities. Assign government and institutional opportunities that combine grants, contracts, research, or partnerships to a primary lead jointly with the VP, based on the funding mechanism and substantive owner.
Maintain a comprehensive partnership database that maps PAU's external organizational relationships, enabling institutional leadership to identify further opportunities for collaboration, revenue, and impact.
Coordinate with academic programs, the Center for Translational Research, Clinical Training, and other university functions to ensure partnership opportunities align with institutional capacity, academic standards, and mission priorities.
Presidential Partnership and Advancement Support

Work directly with the President on high-priority external relationships, Silicon Valley ecosystem engagement, government and policy positioning, and institutional partnerships that advance PAU's mission and reputation.
Operationalize the President's external leadership into sustained institutional relationships, ensuring every presidential engagement with a potential partner is followed by coordinated cultivation, structured opportunity development, and appropriate relationship stewardship.
Prepare the President and VP of SPUR for external meetings, convenings, and speaking engagements with briefing materials, relationship context, and strategic talking points that maximize the impact of every presidential touchpoint with the external community.