Chief of Strategic Workforce Partnerships

Overview

The Chief of Strategic Workforce Partnerships serves as the university's chief strategist for external engagement, workforce development, innovation partnerships, and career pathways. Reporting directly to the President, the Chief of Strategic Workforce Partnerships and develops and strengthens strategic partnerships with industry, employers, workforce organizations, and economic development partners to advance student success, accelerate innovation, and drive economic growth for the state.

The position provides executive leadership for the Career Design Center and leads a coordinated, university-wide strategy to expand internships, apprenticeships, experiential learning, and employment opportunities for students. Working collaboratively across academic affairs, student success, research, extension, government relations, advancement, and statewide campuses, the Chief of Strategic Workforce Partnerships strengthens partnerships with employers, industry, and workforce organizations to connect the university's students, talent, research, and expertise with the needs of Utah's workforce while ensuring every student has access to meaningful career-connected learning and employment opportunities before graduation.

• Serve as the university's primary cabinet level liaison with employers, industry associations, chambers of commerce, and workforce organizations.
• Lead the development of innovative employer-sponsored education models that connect students with paid employment, tuition assistance, internships, apprenticeships, and career pathways while helping employers meet current and future workforce needs.
• Build strategic partnerships that expand internships, apprenticeships, co-ops, clinical placements, and employment opportunities for students and graduates.
• Supervise the USU Career Design Center.
• Provide strategic leadership for a university-wide network of career services leaders to align institutional priorities, coordinate employer engagement, and enhance the delivery of career development services while respecting the unique needs of academic disciplines.
• Monitor workforce, labor market, and industry trends and advise university leadership on emerging workforce needs and opportunities.
• Partner with academic leadership to align academic programs, credentials, and experiential learning opportunities with workforce demand.
• Develop strategic partnerships that connect employers with the university's talent, research, innovation, workforce development, and outreach capabilities.
• Develop initiatives that ensure every student has access to meaningful career exploration, professional development, and work-based learning opportunities prior to graduation.
• Foster collaboration among industry advisory councils and employer partners to identify opportunities, share best practices, and strengthen workforce engagement across the university.
• Collaborate with Advancement and Alumni Relations to engage alumni and industry leaders in mentoring, recruiting, and career development initiatives.
• Represent the university in statewide workforce, economic development, and industry partnership initiatives.
• Develop metrics and accountability measures related to employer engagement, student employment outcomes, internships, and workforce partnerships.
• Develop and implement a university-wide employer and industry engagement strategy that coordinates partnerships across colleges, statewide campuses, Extension, research, innovation, and administrative units, reducing duplication and providing a coordinated experience for external partners.
• Advance the university's land-grant mission by strengthening connections between education, workforce development, industry, and communities across Utah.
• Establish a university-wide innovation governance framework, including advisory and venture boards that bring external perspectives into institutional decision-making, and build a corporate partner ecosystem across the university.
• Lead university-industry innovation hub development, connecting students, faculty, researchers, and companies around shared challenges and opportunities.
• Advise technology transfer and commercialization functions, ensuring university discoveries reach the marketplace efficiently and generate sustained reinvestment in institutional priorities.
• Position the university as a regional and national anchor for innovation-led economic development, attracting investment, talent, and high-growth companies.
• Advance an entrepreneurial culture across all levels of the institution - students, faculty, staff, and administration - through programming, incentives, maker spaces, accelerators, and communities of practice.
• Lead institution-wide innovation initiatives that optimize operational resources, eliminate structural inefficiencies, and improve organizational agility across administrative and academic units.

• Every student who wants an internship and/or work experience can obtain one.
• Every graduate receives career coaching before…