Job Purpose
Carnegie Mellon University is seeking a Senior Manager to support and manage designated aspects of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem at its location in Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa). This position will work within the newly formed Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships pillar, to align CMU-Africa with industry partners that support entrepreneurship and work-related growth across Africa’s technology sectors. They will help grow and curate a diverse range of collaborations and relationships. This is a new and unique position that requires an individual who has a small business and/or program development experience, a team player with leadership qualities, excellent relationship building and people management skills, highly developed marketing skills, a passion for education and innovation, and a desire to make a difference.
About CMU – AFRICA
Established out of a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the Government of Rwanda, CMU-Africa is addressing the critical shortage of high-quality engineering talent required to accelerate the economic development and digital transformation of Africa—home to the fastest growing workforce in the world. CMU-Africa was established in 2011 and is the only U.S. research university offering its master’s degrees with full-time faculty, staff, and operations in Africa. CMU’s presence in Rwanda provides a platform to engage in Africa’s most significant opportunities and challenges across the continent through world-class education and contextually relevant research.
Our vision is to educate and empower the next generation of African leaders and innovators by delivering a world-class educational experience. CMU-Africa’s mission is to produce creative and technically strong engineers, who have been trained in the African context, and prepared to make transformative impact in their communities and the world.
We are a fast-growing campus with about 230 enrolled students, aiming to grow to 400 in the next couple of years. Our size and exponential growth create a sense of camaraderie and excitement, with strong community ties and a compound sense of accomplishment in our team members, contributing towards mutually beneficial relationships between staff and students technically strong engineers, who have been trained in the African context, and prepared to make transformative impact in their communities and the world.
The role
As Senior Manager for Entrepreneurship and Industry partnerships, you will work closely with the Director of Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships to develop industry partnerships and coordinate their engagement with CMU-Africa. While specific responsibilities will vary, they will include, but will not be limited to, the following:
Responsibilities
- Manage partnerships: Responsible for managing and maintaining relationships with existing CMU-Africa industry partners. Build long term relationships, create strategic alliances for mutual needs, which includes the range of internal requirements and needs for CMU-Africa i.e. scholarships, internships, sponsorship’s, support of the entrepreneurial ecosystem etc. Develop and maintain demonstrably successful relationships with industry partners. Deliver to agreed KPIs for the industry partnership’s portfolio.
- Assess and manage industry partnerships: Creating opportunities to engage with relevant partners in a way that generates symbiotic maximum value for the Unit and CMU-Africa. Expand connections to industry, government, and other employers through meetings, collaborations on engineering research projects, student practical learning and internships in support of job creation and work readiness.
- Grow Industry Partners: Identify and grow Industry partnerships across Africa and globally as per the engagement strategy and objectives of the department, with the Director. Secure partnerships which deliver the best ROI across the range of CMU requirements.
- Grow engagement with Industry Partners: Convene events with and for Industry, and Academic affiliates, bringing together leaders in the ICT sector, alongside micro, small, and medium sized businesses (MSMEs) for knowledge exchange, round tables, topical events etc.
- Brand awareness and thought leadership: Collaborate with relevant departments to establish a forum for talks and other engagement among key Industry-Government-Academic Affiliates. This will involve hosting relevant events with external audiences (talks, round tables, VIP tours), speaking engagements, networking, and more. Build the brand of CMU.
- Reporting: Provide regular reporting and analysis on the status of the portfolio, identifying patterns, changes and opportunities that CMU should be aware.
- Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Work with the team to Identify needs and support for the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Industry Innovation Lab that can be met by industry partners and cultivate and curate these.
- Other duties as may be assigned
Requirements
Education and Experience
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related field.
- Master’s degree a plus
- Minimum 3-5 years’ experience in establishing, developing, and managing partnerships
- Fluency in both spoken and written English and French a plus
Skills and Competencies
- Excellent convener of events
- Ability to understand and follow protocol, and manage internal partnerships and relationships with a variety of stakeholders
- Strong presentation and communication skills with a varied audience
- Experience in CRM within a strategic framework
- Displays inter-cultural and contextual knowledge and insights
- Possesses an understanding of university environments and mandates
- Solution-minded self-starter with the ability to think strategically, critically, and creatively within a lean department
- Strong interpersonal, negotiation skills and marketing skills
- Highly motivated with a strong work ethic
- Reliable, trustworthy, and committed to the team’s success
- Outstanding organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks
- Has a demonstrated network in industry
ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED
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