(Hybrid) Director of University Partnerships - Brand and Trademark Licensing

The Department of Brand and Trademark Licensing at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a Director of University Partnerships.

About the Opportunity

The Director of Partnerships is a valuable strategic member of the West Virginia University Strategic Partnerships and Brand and Trademark Licensing team. They will be responsible for overseeing all non-athletic corporate engagement activities on campus involving the sale and fulfillment of sponsorships and relationship building with corporate partners and other clients and businesses. This role is responsible for identifying, developing, and managing key relationships with corporate partners, and community organizations to drive revenue, enhance academic programs and the student experience while supporting the university's long-term vision. This position will build, solidify and grow the University's partnership program. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic leader to play a key role in shaping university partnerships and institutional growth. The Director of University Partnerships will have a significant impact on expanding academic access, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation in higher education.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
  
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
  
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
  
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
  
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
  
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
  
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Strategy

• Develop and execute a strategic plan to establish and grow university, corporate, and community partnerships.
• Develop strategy and plans for sponsorship growth.
• Support all sponsorship efforts with a long-term vision for growth.
• Research and identify prospective sponsors.
• Discover areas where existing partnerships will benefit the University.
• Represent the University as the lead for sponsorships.
• Monitor and analyze market trends, competitor initiatives, and emerging opportunities to inform partnership strategy.
• Oversee full-time staff and student workers on the sponsorships team.

Relationship building and sales

• Identify and develop sponsorship opportunities independently and with campus partners and ensure operating agreements with all campus partners are in place.
• Fully understand the University's assets and be able to turn these assets into enticing sponsorship packages, based on the needs/wants of a partner.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with corporate sponsors and other clients and businesses that make strategic sense with the University's values.
• Work with existing partners to build and maintain relationship in an effort to deepen the partnership.
• Work with partners to identify areas of growth and improvement.
• Work with campus stakeholders to identify opportunities for corporate partnership.
• Work with key representatives from around the University (e.g. Alumni Association, Athletics, Corporate Relations, Procurement, WVU Foundation).

Execution

• Develop comprehensive sponsorship proposals.
• Responsible for identifying corporate sponsorship prospects, engaging these prospects directly including the negotiation and solicitation of funds, documenting the negotiated terms and obtaining signed sponsorship agreements.
• Ensure the execution of contractual obligations.
• Monitor sponsorship budget, particularly revenues for sponsorships and associated costs to execute sponsorships.
• Ensure sponsorship agreements are comprehensive and do not overlap with other existing partnerships at the University.
• Educate and coordinate with campus departments to ensure contract compliance.
• Keep stakeholders informed of problems, concerns, and potential areas of growth.
• Curate and provide performance reports to corporate partners and internal stakeholders.
• Research business partnerships at peer institutions to help implement similar programs.
• Continuous review of current systems and processes to identify roadblocks as well as inefficiencies.
• Document and manage project workflow for their respective areas of the contract with appropriate contract delegates
• Provide all necessary support and customer service to clients throughout the entire sales cycle.
• Manage necessary equipment and items for sponsorship and advertising fulfillment.

Other

• Actively represent Partnerships office in meetings, project teams, presentations, etc.
• Actively engage in work to build WVU's visibility, enhance reputation, and build relationships with key audiences.
• Identify ways to build WVU's visibility and enhance its reputation through innovative sponsorships.
• Oversee, execute, and/or support events.

• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of five (5) years of related experience required
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Demonstrated excellence of successful relationships built that led to sales.
• Demonstrated excellence in developing strong customer relationships.
• Demonstrated excellence in brainstorming.
• Demonstrated excellence in sponsorships trends, with demonstrated ability to analyze these trends and provide ways to execute them at WVU.
• Demonstrated excellence to deal with sensitive and sometimes confidential information appropriately.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee budgets and manage other necessary analytics/reporting needs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead groups and projects.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute events and experiences.
• Demonstrated ability in organizing tasks, documents and materials with efficiency and accuracy.
• Experience in clearly articulating (written and verbal) strategies and plans to achieve goals.
• Experience in managing multiple projects with competing priorities.
• Self-starter and can lead independently and proactively.
• Strong analytical skills, problem-solving and high attention to detail.
• Ability to adhere to WVU brand guidelines.
• Ability to keep up with changing technology as it impacts sponsorships and make necessary changes.
• Physical ability to be set up, tear down and execute brand activations.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.