Director, HCB, Anderson Center (ACEI) UTK

The Director of the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ACEI) serves as the strategic and operational partner to the Executive Director translating vision into action across the Centers programs partnerships and initiatives. The Director provides day-to-day strategic leadership for ACEIs programs systems and operations ensuring that the Center runs efficiently delivers high-quality experiences and achieves measurable impact aligned with its mission and strategic goals. The Director independently manages and executes the operations of the Center by defining implementing and revising operational policies and guidelines for the ACEI.

This position plays a central role in leading and managing ACEIs portfolio of student and faculty programs competitions accelerators and community partnerships. The Director oversees staff and operations builds scalable systems and processes supports donor and external engagement and ensures alignment between strategic priorities and execution.

The ideal candidate combines strong strategic and operational expertise data-driven decision-making and relationship-building skills and thrives in a dynamic entrepreneurial environment.

• Program Leadership & Management
  • Oversee design execution and continuous improvement of ACEIs programs workshops speakers and signature events including but not limited to: Startup Coaches pitch competitions (including Vol Court the Graves Business Plan Competition and the Boyd Venture Challenge) Startup Studio Meet the Founder Founder Fridays Startup Straight Talk ACEI Fellows etc.
  • Develop manage and report on program timelines budgets staffing and performance metrics.
  • Engage with UT faculty colleges and research centers to expand entrepreneurship initiatives and interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Identify monitor and report to ACEI and HCB leadership the operational perspective on strategies changes and issues necessary to enhance the overall effectiveness of ACEI service to the student learning opportunities.
• Operations Systems and Impact Measurement
  • Serve as ACEIs operational backbone ensuring effective systems for scheduling budgeting communications and performance tracking.
  • Design and implement scalable infrastructure to support organizational growth and continuous improvement.
  • Build and maintain data systems to measure ACEIs reach outcomes and economic impact.
  • Produce dashboards and impact reports to inform strategy donor relations and funding opportunities.
• Strategic Planning
  • Partner with the Executive Director to develop and implement ACEIs strategic plan goals and performance measures.
  • Develop and execute data collection procedures and provide operational insights to inform strategic initiatives grant proposals and university-wide entrepreneurship efforts.
  • Identify and implement opportunities to enhance programs and improve impact.
• Budget Management
  • Participate in annual planning budget development and reporting processes.
  • Develops and administers budgets ensuring appropriate classification of expenses accurate forecasting and compliance with fiscal policy.
  • Oversee management and appropriate expenditures of funds for all program-related events services and operations.
• External Relations & Partnership Management
  • Collaborate with the Executive Director and HCB Advancement to support donor cultivation alumni engagement and corporate partnerships.
  • Design implement and oversee operations for ecosystem partnerships including contracts communications and shared initiatives.
  • Represent ACEI at high-profile community and university events public presentations recruiting events career fairs ecosystem meetings etc. reinforcing UTs leadership role in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Required Qualifications

• Education:Bachelors degree required in Business Entrepreneurship Higher Education Administration Operations Management or related field
• Experience:
  • Minimum 57 years of progressive experience in program or operations management within higher education entrepreneurship innovation or economic development settings.
  • Proven ability to manage complex projects and multiple stakeholders while maintaining high standards of quality and timeliness.
  • Experience supervising staff managing budgets and building efficient systems.
• Knowledge Skills Abilities:
  • Strong analytical organizational and communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.
  • Ability to work effectively across organizational functions including marketing administration and executive leadership
  • Ability to understand and navigate university entrepreneurship ecosystems including academic programs research commercialization and community partnerships
  • Ability to implement process improvements and organizational changes while maintaining program continuity
  • Ability to achieve program goals within budget and resource limitations through creative problem-solving
  • Ability to maintain high-quality participant experience across all programs and touchpoints

Preferred Qualifications

• Education:Masters degree preferred in Business Administration Entrepreneurship Higher Education or Public Administration
• Experience:
  • Experience in startup ecosystems accelerators or innovation centers.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and implement impact measurement frameworks and use data to inform strategy.
  • Familiarity with CRM systems project management tools and survey platforms.
  • Knowledge of donor relations alumni engagement and advancement practices in higher education.

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: 14
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structurehere
• Find more information on UT Benefitshere

Application Instructions

To express interest please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• List of 3 Professional References