Education Director - NCTI

National Commercialization and Translation Institute (NCTI):
The National Commercialization and Translation Institute (NCTI) is a national initiative dedicated to helping innovative technology companies transform breakthrough ideas into commercial success. Supported through a National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative and led by the University of Central Florida, NCTI serves as a national hub connecting entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, government partners, and commercialization experts to accelerate innovation, business growth, and economic impact.

NCTI is designed to help promising deep-technology companies navigate the journey from scientific discovery and technological advancement to sustainable market success. As a new institute, NCTI offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of technology commercialization on a national scale. Through strategic partnerships, individualized commercialization support, and a collaborative innovation ecosystem, the institute is advancing solutions that help high-potential companies overcome commercialization barriers and bring transformative technologies to market.

NCTI combines the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a startup with the resources and credibility of a leading research university, creating an environment where innovation, partnership, and impact drive meaningful results.

This highly visible role will shape and deliver commercialization education for a national cohort of deep-technology companies, helping founders and executive teams develop the skills, strategies, and insights needed to move groundbreaking innovations from the laboratory to the marketplace. The successful candidate will combine real-world entrepreneurial or commercialization experience with a passion for teaching and mentoring others. Collaborating with industry experts, investors, founders, and thought leaders, the Education Director will create engaging educational experiences that strengthen the nation's innovation ecosystem while helping establish NCTI as a premier resource for NSF-funded startups and emerging technology companies.

• Design and build the EDUCATE curriculum for deep-technology commercialization: learning objectives, module sequence, session formats, and materials tailored to NSF SBIR/STTR Phase II/IIB company teams, informed by cohort triage results and founder competency and behavioral assessment findings shared by the Commercialization Director (E1).
• Deliver cohort education: facilitate live virtual cohort sessions, workshops, and structured educational peer round tables on the program cadence; adapt delivery to cohort needs identified through triage, assessment results, and company feedback. (The Commercialization Director organizes cohort community events — entry orientation, the in‑person midpoint convening, and showcase participation — with programming coordinated between the two roles.) (E2, E3).
• Recruit, onboard, and coordinate practitioner instructors and subject‑matter experts — founders, operators, and investors — drawing on the institute’s Partner Council, the Edward Lowe Foundation, the GrowFL/CEO Nexus practitioner community, and the national network, in coordination with the Partnerships Director (E2).
• Lead the ORIENT portfolio: plan, produce, and disseminate the national video and webinar series extending commercialization orientation to the broader NSF SBIR/STTR community; manage production vendors and distribution channels; track national reach metrics (O1 to O3).
• Administer pre/post learning assessment on the registered cadence; deliver organized, research‑grade education data to the Project Manager and independent external evaluator (RTI International) per the protocol and Data Management and Sharing Plan; support the evaluator’s implementation‑fidelity documentation for education activities (E4).
• Stand up and manage the virtual delivery platform and curriculum content library: platform selection support, configuration, session logistics, recordings, and content governance.
• Document the education model (curriculum, instructor model, delivery formats, assessment instruments) for the pilot’s…