Utah State University
ASPIRE Director of Business Development
🇺🇸
Hybrid - Logan, UT
🕑
Full-Time
💰
TBD
💻
Other
🗓️
March 16th, 2026
Edtech.com's Summary
Utah State University is hiring an ASPIRE Director of Business Development. This role leads the organization's business development, funding strategy, and external partnership efforts to advance mission impact and long-term growth, working closely with executive leadership and internal teams to identify and pursue funding opportunities and manage strategic partnerships within the electrified transportation and energy infrastructure ecosystem.
Highlights
- Lead business development and partnership strategy for the ASPIRE Foundation.
- Identify and manage relationships with industry, utilities, technology firms, government entities, and other partners.
- Oversee proposal development, from opportunity assessment to submission.
- Monitor partnership performance and report outcomes to executive leadership.
- Advise leadership on market trends and emerging opportunities in energy and electrified transportation.
- Represent the organization at conferences, advisory boards, and industry forums.
- Minimum qualifications: Bachelor's degree and 8-12+ years of relevant experience.
- Preferred qualifications include advanced degrees and certifications in business development or project management.
- Experience with funding mechanisms like grants, cooperative agreements, and public-private partnerships.
- Work involves collaboration with internal program, engineering, research, and planning teams.
ASPIRE Director of Business Development Full Description
Overview:
The Director of Business Development leads the organization’s business development, funding strategy, and external partnership efforts to advance mission impact, applied research, and long‑term growth. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, this role has organization‑wide responsibility for identifying, assessing, and shaping funding and collaboration opportunities across federal, state, utility, and industry channels. The Director of Business Development directly influences funding pipelines, strategic partnerships, and collaboration models while representing the organization externally to strengthen visibility, credibility, and strategic positioning within the electrified transportation and energy infrastructure ecosystem.
Working closely with executive leadership and internal program, engineering, research, and planning teams, the Director of Business Development leads the review, prioritization, and pursuit of funding opportunities, including grants, cooperative agreements, sponsored research, and public‑private partnerships. The role is responsible for leading proposal development efforts—from opportunity assessment and partner formation through strategy, coordination, and submission—and ensuring alignment with organizational capabilities and multi‑year objectives. In support of 1–3 year forecast planning and related program activities, the Director of Business Development monitors market and sponsor trends, evaluates partnership performance and outcomes, and ensures external engagements translate into sustained funding, strategic value, and measurable mission advancement.
This position is telework eligible within the state of Utah. Telework outside of the state of Utah is subject to review and approval by the University prior to a job offer being extended. Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute the organization’s business development and partnership strategy
- Identify, cultivate, and manage relationships with industry, utilities, technology firms, government entities, and other partners
- Serve as the primary organizational lead for external partnerships, collaboration agreements, and growth initiatives
- Identify and pursue funding opportunities, including sponsored research, cooperative agreements, and public-private partnerships
- Support proposal development and partnership structuring in collaboration with program, engineering, and research teams
- Align partner engagement and business development activities with organizational strategy and mission priorities
- Monitor partnership performance, outcomes, and strategic impact; report to executive leadership
- Advise leadership on market trends, industry needs, and emerging opportunities relevant to organizational capabilities
- Represent the organization at conferences, advisory boards, industry forums, and stakeholder meetings
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 8-12+ years of experience in business development, industry relations, strategic partnerships, or corporate engagement
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Engineering, Public Policy, Communications, or related field preferred.
- Master’s Degree preferred
- Business Development or strategic partnerships certifications
- Project or program management certifications (PMP, CAPM)
- Demonstrated experience leading organization‑wide business development and external partnership strategies with measurable growth outcomes.
- Proven ability to identify, assess, and pursue funding opportunities across federal, state, utility, and industry channels, including grants, cooperative agreements, sponsored research, and public‑private partnerships.
- Significant experience leading proposal development efforts end‑to‑end, including opportunity assessment, capture strategy, partner formation, coordination across internal teams, and submission.
- Strong track record of external representation, including engagement with industry partners, utilities, government agencies, research organizations, and consortia.
- Demonstrated ability to work with high autonomy, exercise sound judgment, and deliver results with accountability at the organizational level.
- Experience coordinating cross‑functional proposal teams, including engineering, research, program, planning, and external partners.
- Familiarity with funding mechanisms such as grants, cooperative agreements, sponsored research, and public‑private partnerships.
- Demonstrated success building, structuring, and managing strategic partnerships with industry, utilities, technology firms, government entities, and research organizations.
- Proven ability to evaluate partnership performance and translate collaborations into sustained strategic or funding value.
- Experience monitoring and analyzing market trends, sponsor priorities, and industry needs within the energy and electrified transportation ecosystem.
- Ability to translate external intelligence into actionable recommendations for executive leadership, planning, and program development.
- Experience working in research‑driven, nonprofit, university‑affiliated, national‑lab, or federally funded environments.
- Familiarity with DOE, DOT, utility, or infrastructure‑focused funding programs.
- Experience supporting applied R&D, pilot deployments, or technology demonstration programs.
Required Documents:
Along with the online application, please attach:
- Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV"
- Answer the following questions within the application:
- Describe how you have identified and pursued complex funding opportunities—such as grants, cooperative agreements, or public‑private partnerships—to drive organizational growth.
- How have you built and managed strategic partnerships across industry, utilities, government, or research organizations to support long‑term program development or applied research initiatives?
**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.** Advertised Salary: Commensurate with experience ADA:
Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms and may lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
College/Department Highlights:
The Utah State University ASPIRE Foundation is advancing the future of electrified transportation by translating world‑class research into real‑world infrastructure, planning, and deployment solutions. Created out of a nationally recognized Utah State University research program, ASPIRE builds on a strong foundation that includes a prestigious National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center award, along with sustained engagement through federal grants, state programs, and private‑sector partnerships. Since its formation, ASPIRE has grown significantly in scale and scope, supporting projects and collaborations internationally.
ASPIRE Foundation serves as the implementation and coordination hub for work that extends beyond academic research. The organization brings together professional staff, university partners, industry collaborators, utilities, and public agencies to address system‑level challenges such as charging infrastructure development, power and grid integration, corridor‑scale planning, and technology demonstration and deployments. ASPIRE is known for its ability to integrate technical analysis, planning, and real‑world testing to move concepts to reality and tackle challenges for deployable solutions.
With an experienced professional team and deep university and industry relationships, ASPIRE Foundation operates as a trusted technical partner within the intelligent electrified transportation ecosystem. Its work emphasizes rigor, collaboration, and practical outcomes—supporting infrastructure readiness, workforce development, and long‑term system resilience. Joining ASPIRE offers team members the opportunity to help shape infrastructure and energy systems, and contribute to complex and interdisciplinary efforts that will shape the next generation of mobility. University Highlights:
Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge and serving the public good through innovative research and scholarly activities that are grounded in reciprocal engagement with local, regional, and global communities. USU prepares students to be active, civically engaged leaders who are prepared to address critical societal challenges. Dedicated to providing a high-quality and affordable education, USU remains a leader in research, discovery, and public impact.
USU enrolls over 29,800 students, both online and in person at locations throughout the state. Utah State’s 30 locations include a main campus in Logan, Utah, residential campuses in Price and Blanding, and six additional statewide campuses, along with education centers serving every county. USU educates students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. For over 100 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns, serving every county in the state.
Competing at the NCAA Division I level, USU is a proud member of the Mountain West Conference and will join the Pac-12 Conference beginning in the 2026-2027 season. The Aggies’ long-standing tradition of athletic and academic excellence is exemplified by recent Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships in women’s volleyball, three consecutive Mountain West tournament titles in women’s soccer conference championships, and a first-ever conference championship for gymnastics, reflecting USU's commitment to perseverance and achievement.
Utah State is dedicated to fostering a community where all individuals feel respected, valued, and supported and where diversity of thought and culture are cultivated. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU.
The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and a reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu.
*updated 12/2025 Notice of Non-discrimination:
In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.
Utah State University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination including harassment in employment including in hiring, promotion, transfer, or termination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy or any other federal, state, or local law.
Utah State University does not discriminate in its housing offerings and will treat all persons fairly and equally without regard to race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability, national origin, source of income, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Additionally, the University endeavors to provide reasonable accommodations when necessary and to ensure equal access to qualified persons with disabilities.
In all circumstances, Utah State University follows state and federal laws related to sex-segregated spaces.
The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:
Matthew PinnerExecutive Director Civil Rights & Title IX Officematthew.pinner@usu.edu435-797-1266 | Old Main Rm. 401D1475 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 | Cody CarmichaelTitle IX Coordinator cody.carmichael@usu.edu435-797-1266 | Old Main Rm. 402D1475 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit crtix.usu.edu or contact:
U.S. Department of Education
Denver Regional Office
303-844-5695| OCR.Denver@ed.gov
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
800-421-3481 | OCR@ed.gov
*updated 10/2025
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