Director, Entrepreneurship

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Overview The Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY) mission is to inspire students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to seek innovative ways to solve real-world problems.  Our unique innovation center welcomes students from all backgrounds to explore entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship across a wide spectrum of innovation-from venture ‑ backable startups in areas like AI and deep tech, to policy and civic initiatives that drive meaningful systems change, to transformative creative innovations such as documentary films and immersive media that shape culture.  We serve students from across Yale’s campus through non-academic programs, funding, and mentoring.   The Director, Entrepreneurship, a dynamic leader with proven innovation or entrepreneurial experiences, leads the design and implementation of a broad range of projects and initiatives related to student innovation and entrepreneurship programming for student innovators from all parts of campus.  The Director, Entrepreneurship will manage innovative programming, build strategic partnerships, mentor students, and work collaboratively across Yale’s vibrant entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem to advance Tsai CITY’s mission: To inspire students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to seek innovative ways to solve real-world problems.   Reporting to the Managing Director, Entrepreneurship, the Director, Entrepreneurship leads the design, launch, and continuous improvement of a portfolio of programs, resources, and experiences that help students move from idea generation to venture creation and growth with the team and partner organizations.   Essential Duties   Lead Tsai CITY's flagship venture development programs and develop new founder-focused initiatives that responds to emerging student needs and evolving entrepreneurial landscapes. Establish success metrics and evaluate program effectiveness through meaningful venture, founder, and ecosystem outcomes.  Provide regular reports to leadership and key stakeholders. Serve as a visible champion for student entrepreneurship across Yale, cultivating a vibrant and inclusive culture of innovation while identifying opportunities to expand Tsai CITY's reach and impact. Build strong relationships with founders, mentors, investors, alumni, and partners to enhance the student experience. Lead the strategy and administration of student venture funding programs and Startup Yale prize competitions, deploying capital that supports a broad range of innovation activities, including customer discovery, prototyping, venture validation, and early-stage growth.  Develop systems and processes that maximize access, transparency, and impact. Supervise and develop a team of full-time staff and student workers supporting student entrepreneurship programming. Collaborate with external and Yale innovation organizations that advance our mission. Propose and manage the budget for assigned program activities. Regularly support and coach individual students and student teams. Collaborate with Directors to ensure operational excellence. Other duties as assigned.   The following Essential Duties are generic in nature; the information contained in this Position Focus is most relevant to this position. Required Skills and Abilities 1. Demonstrated ability in student innovation and entrepreneurship program design and delivery. Demonstrated ability in student advising on relevant topics in innovation and entrepreneurship. Experience working directly with new ventures (for profit startups or non-profit organizations) and/or experience as the founder or critical early hire of a startup. 2. Demonstrated skills in data analytics, including technology platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Airtable) for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and generating reports utilizing these data. Ability to quickly adopt new data analytics technologies as the needs of the center evolve. 3. Demonstrated budget management experience. Demonstrated superior oral and written communication skills. 4. Proven ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. 5. Proven ability to work collaboratively as part of an energetic and high-performing team as well as to be a self-starter, seeking opportunities to improve existing programs and processes and to develop new ones. Preferred Skills and Abilities 1. Advanced degree in a related field such as public health, social sciences, or management. 2. Experience in strategic planning, quality improvement initiatives, and stakeholder engagement. 3. Familiarity with academic and research environments, including project management and grant writing. 4. Knowledge and experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in institutional settings. 5. Proven experience in budget management and financial planning, with the ability to develop and implement sustainability plans. Principal Responsibilities 1. Oversees the advancement and growth of the program. Gives direction and leadership supporting the philosophy, mission, strategy, and annual goals and objectives. Assumes primary accountability for disseminating and publishing all program information to create public awareness and support of the program. 2. Works closely with leadership, internal and external colleagues, and community residents to further develop and implement strategic plans. 3. Identifies, solicits, and cultivates community partnerships and collaborations to assist in the development and growth of the program. Develops the metrics to identify and measure the success of the program. Responsible for measurements of grant success and related evaluation. 4. Assists in identifying and evaluating potential future funding sources, and contributes to the submission of grants and contracts supporting the program, including the annual submission and writing of all content areas and budgetary sections of grant applications. Develops and manages the program’s operating budget. 5. Develops the administrative infrastructure of the program. Manages human resource and administrative functions of the program, including staffing and hiring, supervision, performance development, counseling and discipline, if warranted. Oversees and manages information systems, facilities, and space needs. 6. Investigates, identifies, implements, and oversees the maintenance of systems to gather, track, and report information to support the initiatives of the program. Tracks all program activities and regularly informs leadership of progress on each initiative. Recommends structural or programmatic adjustments, changes or additions based on full knowledge of missions, goals, and objectives. 7. Initiates, designs, and manages the compilation of program communications; identifying outreach potential, and promoting philanthropic and collaborative support of the program. Contributes to the development and assists in the management of content on the program’s website and monitors all changes and additions to the editorial content. 8. May perform other duties as assigned. Required Education and Experience Bachelor's degree in a related field and four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Job Posting Date 10/07/2026 Job Category Professional Bargaining Unit NON Compensation Grade Administration & Operations Compensation Grade Profile Supervisor; Senior Associate (P5) Salary Range $68,000.00 - $120,500.00 Benefits A general description of the benefits to be offered with this Managerial & Professional position is available at: Yale Benefits Time Type Full time Duration Type Staff Work Model Hybrid Background Check Requirements All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based   on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website. Health Requirements Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy. Posting Disclaimer Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions. The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through   their hiring department. The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran. Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA). Note Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.