Director - Strategic Partnerships; Medical​/Pharma

Position Summary

Bottom line:
You will make Carolina the best university partner for the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and help build the next chapter of Carolina’s excellence.

Reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, the Director owns this vertical end‑to‑end. You will work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with other Directors of Strategic Partnerships, individual academic units, and Partnership Success Managers to steward each relationship through the life of the partnership. You must demonstrate deep industry knowledge and contacts, and be able to pick up the phone and call leaders of five major firms in your domain immediately on day one.

• Own the laboratory‑to‑industry partnership cycle: identify organizations, open the door (often through Carolina’s 330,000‑strong alumni network), discover partner needs, match them to Carolina’s capabilities, and close institutional‑scale agreements.

• Remain the executive relationship anchor for renewal and expansion while Partnership Success Managers drive activation and delivery.

• Lead the vertical with autonomy, operating on ‘more forgiveness than permission,’ and deliver high‑quality outcomes without close supervision.

• Collaborate across a matrixed institution with deans, faculty, development, legal counsel, and other Directors of Strategic Partnerships.

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 years of specific industry experience; or a Master’s degree and 5 years of specific industry experience.
• Deep, current industry experience and contacts in the vertical you bring; an active personal network of senior leaders you can reach directly.
• AI as a teammate: use frontier AI tools every day to research, draft, analyze, and move faster, and demonstrate how you do it.
• Strong desire for self‑directed, autonomous work.
• Track record of building trusted relationships with senior leaders across business, government, and academia, and translating complex needs into creative, executable solutions.
• Excellent written, verbal, and executive‑level communication with smart brevity and credibility to represent Carolina before a C‑suite.
• Ability to collaborate across a matrixed institution and build relationships with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.
• Creative, strategic, results‑oriented work style and genuine commitment to public service and Carolina’s mission.

• Personal track record of sourcing and closing $25M+ in cumulative partnerships, sponsored‑research agreements, MOUs, or strategic commercial deals, including at least one institutional‑scale agreement with a Fortune 1000 or comparable organization.
• Day‑one access to leaders of at least five marquee firms in your domain.
• 10+ years of direct experience inside or selling into the medical, pharma, and life‑sciences sector.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex organizational capabilities into customized value propositions delivered in 30 days or less.
• Experience negotiating contracts and partnership agreements with legal counsel, executive leadership, faculty, and operating partners.
• CRM proficiency (Salesforce or comparable): fluency in pipeline management, opportunity forecasting, and deal‑stage discipline.
• Familiarity with the university research enterprise, technology transfer, sponsored research administration, or higher‑education industry engagement.
• Willingness and ability to travel within North Carolina and nationally as needed.

The University is an equal‑opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Please apply via the following link:  As part of your application, submit your CV/resume, a cover letter, and the contact details of three professional references.