Job Details

Department: Office Rsrch Innov and Econ Impact

Classification: Administrative Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Northern Virginia (Fairfax, VA or Arlington, VA)

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible--expected to report to a GMU office at least once per week

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience; anticipated range is $100,000-$110,000/year

About the Position

The mentor provides technology startup clients and faculty, postdocs and graduate level students and spinouts from all Virginia public universities with guidance and support as they work to achieve key milestones of the startup process. The mentor delivers hands-on commercialization services based on Lean Start-up instruction. This includes customer discovery, MVP development, securing pilots/early sales, SBIR/STTR readiness, access to capital preparation, and connecting clients to accelerators, investors, potential partners, trade organizations, to support growth toward scaling.

Responsibilities

Mentoring and Advising

• Meets one-on-one with entrepreneurs, faculty and graduate students to provide strategic and tactical guidance;
• Meets as a mentor team with entrepreneurs, faculty and graduate students to provide strategic and tactical guidance;
• Presents to the ICAP community on startup related topics;
• Collaborates with Mason Enterprise Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) and Mason Office of Technology Transfer (OTT); and
• Refers client to appropriate resources when needed.

Partner Development

• Finds, meets with and develops ongoing partner relationships;
• Assists localities, regions and Virginia public universities with entrepreneurial ecosystem development activities;
• Presents to partner organizations on startup related topics; and
• Travels to meetings and events.

Program Impact and Reporting

• Reports activities as prescribed by Virginia SBDC and Mason Enterprise;
• Participates in Virginia SBDC Network and Mason Enterprise initiatives; and
• Represents Virginia SBDC Network and Mason Enterprise when required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Extensive relevant work experience (generally 10 or more years);
• Direct entrepreneurial experience with innovation commercialization;
• Extensive knowledge of current and early stage technology business management principles;
• Knowledge of innovation commercialization, technology transfer, intellectual property, technology development, and alternate and equity financing;
• Knowledge of business and economic trends;
• Demonstrated outstanding written and oral communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; and
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple assignments, organize work and establish priorities with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Experience applying NSF I-Corps principles with entrepreneurs;
• Direct experience advising and assisting university spinouts; and
• Fundamental understanding of consulting and counseling techniques and disciplines.