Business Development Manager , SkyDeck

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff. As a world‑leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice.

Berkeley Sky Deck is one of the top tech accelerators in the U.S. and part of UC Berkeley. Sky Deck is home to 280+ startups a year and is a joint venture of UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, the Haas School of Business, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Sky Deck’s mission is to serve as the leading hub for entrepreneurship globally.

Sky Deck’s Business Development team focuses on partnerships with third‑parties that include corporations, service providers, government, other universities, and more. Business development is a key revenue driver for Sky Deck as well as providing our startup founders with resources, benefits and connections with partners and increases Sky Deck’s global reputation. Reporting to the Head of Business Developments, this position will primarily focus on securing, implementing, and managing annual partnerships from our resource partners who offer goods and services to Sky Deck’s founders.

The role will perform the full cycle of partnership development from identifying potential partnerships to full implementation of agreed upon terms, as well as ongoing support and management. It may also involve supporting other partnership activities such as annual corporate partnerships and international partnerships.

The First Review Date for this job is: 02/13/2026.

• Relationship management with third‑parties to act as first point of contact.
  • Extensive ongoing communication, such as proactive and reactive support, in‑person and virtual meetings, emails/Slack messages, and more.
  • Organize and attend strategic events, including an on‑site Resource Fair, networking happy hours, and more.
• Management (end‑to‑end) of sponsorship activity for key engagements such as Demo Day & Resource Fair.
  • Bring in donations from sponsors, manage communications and invitations for events, organize logistics, and lead in‑person events.
• Market analyses to determine growth opportunities, competitive landscape, and more.
  • Research market trends to identify how Sky Deck can grow and evolve, and may include understanding partnership offerings from potential third‑parties via independent research and personal outreach.
• Relationship management with startups to drive adoption of partners’ services.
  • Help connect Sky Deck’s startups with partners to understand and adopt the products/services offered by the third‑parties.
  • Organize/host webinars, answer emails, manage virtual resources, and more.
• Maintain dashboards and databases to track partners, engagements, revenue, and more.
  • Create and manage a system to track all third parties with whom Sky Deck partners, key engagements, revenue, partnership terms, and other operational and strategic considerations.
• Work collaboratively with the broader Sky Deck team to implement partner activities into core programming.
  • Work with program staff to schedule partner events (lunch and learns, Resource Fair) to maximize attendance and fit into the program’s overall schedule.

• Knowledge of and experience with business development concepts and best practices.
• Quantitative and analytical skills to solve problems with data and provide insights.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), including clear and tailored communication.
• Strong problem‑solving skills to propose and execute solutions.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills to create and manage effective systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California’s Compensation…