Director of Industry Partnerships & Business Development, Critical Materials Crossroads

Hiring Department The Critical Materials Crossroads (CMC) of the Office of Strategic Innovations (OSIN) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Job Description The Director of Industry Partnerships & Business Development leads the strategic effort to expand the Critical Materials Crossroads (CMC) ecosystem through strategic industry recruitment, business development, and corporate engagement. As a member of the CMC Executive Leadership Team, the position develops and executes strategies that attract companies across the critical materials value chain to collaborate, innovate, and establish operations within the CMC ecosystem and the Kansas City region. The Director cooperatively identifies emerging market opportunities, cultivates executive-level relationships with domestic and international companies, and positions CMC as the preferred destination for organizations seeking research partnerships, pilot-scale validation, advanced manufacturing capabilities, workforce development, and supply chain collaboration. The position provides market intelligence and strategic insight that informs organizational priorities that strengthen the burgeoning greater Kansas City regional and national critical materials ecosystems. ROLES Strategic Business Development & Industry Recruitment Industry Partnerships and Corporate Engagement Executive Strategy & Organizational Leadership REPSONSIBILITIES Strategic Business Development & Industry Recruitment Develop and execute strategies to recruit domestic and international companies across priority segments of the critical materials value chain Build and manage a qualified pipeline of prospective industry partners, business-development opportunities, and Kansas City site-selection prospects Cultivate executive-level relationships and promote CMC and the Kansas City region as a destination for research, innovation, manufacturing, commercialization, and investment Collaborate with regional, state, and national economic development organizations to advance business attraction and industry growth Industry Partnerships & Corporate Engagement Build and maintain strategic relationships with startups, manufacturers, corporations, government agencies, academic institutions, and other industry stakeholders Serve as a primary relationship manager for key industry partners and identify opportunities for research, technology validation, workforce development, commercialization, and supply-chain collaboration Coordinate executive visits, partner meetings, industry forums, site tours, and other engagement activities Represent CMC at conferences, trade shows, professional associations, and industry meetings Executive Strategy & Organizational Leadership Serve as a member of the CMC Executive Leadership Team and contribute to strategic planning, organizational decision-making, and performance measurement Monitor market, technology, investment, manufacturing, and supply-chain trends relevant to CMC priorities Provide market intelligence, competitive analysis, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership Collaborate across functional leadership and support the Chief Executive Officer in advancing strategic partnerships and organizational priorities DUTIES Business Development and Industry Recruitment Prospect, qualify, recruit, and onboard new industry partners Manage the business development pipeline and maintain accurate records using customer relationship management tools Prepare outreach materials, proposals, presentations, and executive briefings for prospective partners Coordinate recruitment and business attraction activities with internal teams and external economic development partners Industry Partnership and Corporate Engagement Management Maintain executive-level relationships with existing partners and identify opportunities for expanded collaboration, investment, and growth Facilitate connections among industry, academia, government, workforce organizations, and economic development p…

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