Capstone Industry Liaison

Job Description

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is seeking a person to serve as an instructor and industry liaison for the senior design capstone program in close collaboration with the departments industry relations manager and capstone instructors. The successful candidate will pursue opportunities for industry and academia to collaborate via sponsored capstone projects. Responsibilities will include marketing the program (via industry trade shows alumni events etc) site visits to existing and prospective sponsors statement of work development outreach/lead generation and ultimately securing capstone sponsorship agreements each year for the department. Additional responsibilities will include serving as the faculty advisor for approximately 5 capstone student teams each academic year where the faculty advisor functions as the mentor/engineering manager/subject matter expert for the teams they advise.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
Work experience in industry (engineering or related field)
Experience with business development such as lead generation managing client communications and cultivating industry partnerships in an engineering field
Work history showing proficiency with common office computer programs (Microsoft Word Excel PowerPoint etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) experience
Evidence of a strong desire to teach students the practical aspects of engineering design
Experience working effectively with faculty staff and students from a variety of backgrounds
Industry design work experience
Technical sales experience
Experience managing others or leading a team of students
Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

75000 - Commensurate with experience

Hours per week

40

Review Date

May 18 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors College.The university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

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