Assistant Director, Entrepreneurship

The Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship provides leadership for entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture creation at Denison University. This role is responsible for developing a comprehensive plan that helps students explore, experience, and pursue entrepreneurship, innovation, social impact, and consulting ventures throughout their Denison journey.
Entrepreneurship programs work collaboratively across the Knowlton Center ecosystem, which includes career coaching, employer development, consulting opportunities for students, skill-based classes, and various programs/workshops. There is a close working relationship with academic departments, alumni, employers, and community partners. The incumbent creates meaningful opportunities for students to develop entrepreneurial mindsets, build innovative solutions, launch ventures, and gain hands-on experience through experiential learning.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Entrepreneurship

• Lead the development and execution of Denison's entrepreneurship strategy.

• Create opportunities for students to explore entrepreneurship as a career path, a mindset, and a vehicle for creating economic and social impact.

• Develop and maintain a robust set of programs, experiences, mentorship opportunities, and resources that support students at varying stages of entrepreneurial exploration and venture development.

• Promote a culture of innovation, creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving

• Serve as the campus leader and subject matter expert on entrepreneurship, innovation, and social entrepreneurship.

• Develop and steward relationships with entrepreneurial organizations, accelerators, incubators, investors, foundations, and community partners in the Columbus region, nationally, and throughout the Denison alumni base.

• Represent Denison at regional and national entrepreneurship conferences, programs, and initiatives.
   

Programming & Experiential Learning

• Provide leadership for entrepreneurship programming, including workshops, speaker series, venture competitions, accelerators, incubators, and other experiential learning opportunities.

• Evaluate existing programs and develop new offerings that align with student interests, workforce trends, and institutional priorities.

• Create opportunities for students to apply entrepreneurial thinking to challenges in business, nonprofit, public-sector, and social-impact environments.

• Develop programs that engage students across all majors and disciplines.

• Collaborate with faculty and campus partners to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation into the student experience.

• Support and expand opportunities for students to engage in social entrepreneurship and mission-driven innovation.

• Contribute to consulting programs through mentorship and implementation as needed.

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Collaborate closely with Career Communities, Employer & Alumni Engagement, Denison Edge, and academic departments to identify opportunities for collaboration and student engagement.

• Cultivate relationships with alumni entrepreneurs and innovators to serve as mentors, speakers, coaches, project sponsors, and advisors.

• Partner with Advancement, Alumni & Family Engagement, and Foundation Relations to identify resources and opportunities that support entrepreneurship initiatives.

• Develop partnerships that expand access to experiential learning, internships, and employment opportunities.

Assessment & Continuous Improvement

• Establish goals, metrics, and assessment strategies for entrepreneurship and social innovation initiatives.

• Track student participation, outcomes, venture activity, and program impact.

• Utilize student feedback and assessment data to continuously improve programming and experiences.

• Contribute to Knowlton Center reporting and strategic planning efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Minimum of five years of experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, consulting, venture development, startup ecosystems, social enterprise, higher education, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building partnerships and engaging diverse stakeholders.
• Experience developing and facilitating programs, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent project management, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments and constituencies.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where all students can explore innovation and entrepreneurship.

Preferred:

Master's degree.

• Personal experience as an entrepreneur, founder, consultant, or innovation leader.
• Experience with design thinking, human-centered design, lean startup methodologies, or venture acceleration.
• Experience working with college students and young adults.
• Experience developing social entrepreneurship or social innovation initiatives.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings, weekends, and travel as needed.