Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative

Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative

Requisition Number: 73399

Location:

Boulder Colorado

Employment Type:

University Staff

Schedule:

Full Time

Posting Close Date: 24-Jul-2026

The University of Colorado Boulder is excited to announce a unique opportunity within a best-in-class entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are looking for a Director for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, a key role in providing entrepreneurial experiences, contributing to our incredible local startup community, and taking CU Boulder to a new level of entrepreneurial excellence.

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Initiative was created to integrate and elevate CU Boulder’s rich mosaic of entrepreneurial offerings, and to build connectivity with our larger entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Director of the I&E Initiative brings together and catalyzes the network of campus entrepreneurship partners so that we can together achieve our vision of positively transforming lives through entrepreneurship.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

CU Boulder is a leading public research university and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), with a wide-reaching mission that includes prioritizing innovation and entrepreneurship. Our faculty, staff, and students collaborate with global partners to create lasting economic and social value-shaping the future of Colorado and the world.

CU Boulder is situated in one of the most entrepreneurial communities in the country. Boulder has been ranked by Forbes as the best city in America in which to start a business, and as the top city in America by Bloomberg’s Brain Concentration Index. Ours is a unique and mature ecosystem of 'Give First' leaders and committed founders, with a high concentration of both intellectual and venture capital.

• Catalyze and forge connections across an ecosystem of campus and community entrepreneurship programs. You will create coherency and serve as a system-level architect.
• Re-launch and lead the Entrepreneurship Circle, a regular gathering among entrepreneurship-focused faculty, staff, and students to build awareness, drive collaboration, and catalyze campus-level initiatives.
• Facilitate an annual Entrepreneurship Seed Grant program to incentivize and support creative and collaborative projects that enhance entrepreneurship infrastructure at the university.
• Collaborate with, and support, student entrepreneurship groups.
• Cultivate trusting and productive relationships with key entrepreneurship groups across the university, including the Leed’s School of Business, College of Engineering and Applied Science, Silicon Flatirons, College of Arts and Science, Venture Partners at CU Boulder, Advancement, Career Services, and CU System I&E.

• Oversee all aspects of the I&E Initiative strategy, finances, and operations, in collaboration with the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and other Research & Innovation Office leadership.
• Supervise the I&E Initiative Program Manager, plus student employees/interns.
• Provide strategic direction to marketing and communications team, to uplift and integrate campus entrepreneurship messaging.
• Grow the I&E Initiative’s funding streams through grants, strategic partnerships, sponsor ships, and cross-campus philanthropy.

• Participate in local ecosystem events – listening, forming relationships, and facilitating the exchange between campus and community.
• Design and launch an interactive portal for students and community members to easily navigate CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Continuously discover and evaluate the student entrepreneurial journey and experience, to identify gaps and collectively design solutions with campus…