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Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub

University of Wisconsin Madison
paid time off
United States, Wisconsin, Madison
21 North Park Street (Show on map)
Jul 22, 2025
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Jobs Hub to apply through the internal application process. Job Category:Limited Employment Type:Regular Job Profile:Innovation and Strategy Dir Job Duties:

The Associate Vice Chancellor for Entrepreneurship and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub is a new, university-wide leadership position tasked with shaping and implementing the entrepreneurship strategy at UW-Madison, including the Chancellor's new campus-wide entrepreneurship initiative.

Visit https://entrepreneurship.wisc.edu/ to learn more about the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative.

The ideal candidate will help position UW-Madison as a leader in entrepreneurship by leveraging external and internal partnerships. They will support the development of a visible, transformative entrepreneurial community, supporting technology transfer while enhancing opportunities beyond patents by supporting business formation by faculty, postdocs, and student entrepreneurs.

Key Job Responsibilities:
  • Directs or leads the strategic plan and initiatives of the unit
  • Directs the overall vision of a school, college, or division, focusing on new program development and establishing and maintaining partnership opportunities across the institution, government, profit, and non-profit organizations
  • Identifies innovative opportunities that best benefit the mission, vision, and goals of the unit and the university
  • Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
  • Develops and maintains relationships with industry and other partners, serving as the principal point of contact for the unit

Develops and monitors key performance indicators, related metrics, and budget in consultation with the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub advisory board

  • Develops and implements fundraising goals and strategies for the unit
Department:

Entrepreneurship Initiative

Compensation:

Negotiable

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced insurance plans, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Learn more at https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/.

Required Qualifications:

  • At least 5 years of direct experience in entrepreneurship, such as working in one or more startup companies, forming startup companies, working in venture capital, or entrepreneurship program leadership.
  • Strong relationship-building and leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to lead through indirect influence and by inspiring others.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Highly skilled in public speaking.
  • Experience managing cross-functional teams and complex projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience leading in higher education institutions.
  • Experience launching a company from a university, national laboratory, or similar context.
  • Experience leading in both startup companies and non-profit organizations.
  • Expertise in entrepreneurship program development and implementation.
  • Experience raising capital or philanthropic support from investors, industry partners, and donors.
  • Experience developing and managing budgets.
  • Experience building or launching a new program, initiative, or business.

Education:

Bachelor's degree required

Master's degree preferred

How to Apply:

Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Application materials should include 1) a current resume or curriculum vitae and 2) a letter of interest. Interested candidates should submit confidentially, in electronic form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files preferred), a curriculum vitae and a letter of interest to:

Kate Nihill
Consultant to the Search Committee
Russell Reynolds Associates
UWEntrepreneurship@russellreynolds.com

We will continue accepting application and this posting will remain open until the position has been filled.

Contact Information:

Kate Nihill
UWEntrepreneurship@russellreynolds.com

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.

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