External Relations Manager/ Senior External Relations Manager- NCSA

External Relations Manager/ Senior External Relations Manager- NCSA

NCSA

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides advanced computing and digital infrastructure to support the nation’s scientific and technological enterprise. For over 30 years, NCSA has united University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and global collaborators to address complex societal and scientific challenges. Through partnerships with one-third of the Fortune 50 companies, NCSA drives innovation by connecting industry, academia, and students to solve problems at speed and scale.

With state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure and deep interdisciplinary expertise, NCSA serves as a hub for research collaboration among academic institutions and global enterprises. Our work is supported by the State of Illinois, the University of Illinois, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies. We’re expanding our team and inviting passionate, forward-thinking professionals to join our growing research community.

NCSA is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as our External Relations Manager or Senior External Relations Manager to lead strategic partnership efforts in the health and biomedical sectors. This external-facing role will engage with companies, healthcare organizations, and key stakeholders to generate new business opportunities that leverage NCSA’s data science and computational expertise.

Job Summary

The External Relations Manager will lead efforts to identify, cultivate, and maintain strategic partnerships within the health and biomedical sectors. This external-facing role is responsible for engaging with companies, healthcare organizations, and key stakeholders in the health ecosystem to generate new business contracts that leverage NCSA's data science and computational expertise. The position supports NCSA's mission by expanding its presence in health and medicine, driving innovation through collaborative research and technology-driven solutions.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Opportunity Development(30%)
  •In collaboration with HIPO leadership, identify and pursue new opportunities within the health and medicine ecosystem, including biotechnology firms, digital health startups, pharma companies, healthcare systems, and nonprofit research institutes.
  • Develop a strong understanding of the challenges and needs within the health and medicine sector, and evaluate how NCSA’s technical capabilities can be applied to address those challenges.
  •Monitor trends and developments in biomedical and health innovation where computational and data-intensive methods can make a transformative impact.
  •Partner with HIPO leadership to monitor strategic areas for growth and ensure alignment between client needs and available services and expertise.
• Relationship Development and Management (30%)
  •Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with external clients and collaborators across the health and medicine sectors.
  •Develop and maintain an active pipeline of prospective and current clients, track engagement activity, and follow up regularly to strengthen relationships.
  •Gather feedback from clients and project stakeholders and provide input to HIPO leadership to enhance service delivery and collaboration approaches.
  •Foster strong professional relationships with staff across all areas of NCSA.
  •Support the NCSA Research and Education Program by engaging industry partners and inviting industry colleagues to participate in NCSA events and student conferences.
• Develop and Execute Engagement Plans (25%)
  •Design and implement targeted outreach strategies to establish new collaborations with external organizations in the health domain.
  •Develop customized proposals, presentations, and communications that highlight NCSA’s value and technical offerings for health-related applications.
  •Represent NCSA at events to increase visibility and attract new clients and collaborators.
  •Facilitate and coordinate discovery meetings, site visits, and technical consultations with prospective clients and collaborators.
  •Coordinate or assist in the development of NDAs, statements of work, and proposals in collaboration with NCSA staff and legal/contract offices.
  •Execute pricing and business terms negotiations in coordination with the Assistant Director of Operations.
  •Work collaboratively with NCSA’s technical leads and project managers to ensure a smooth transition from initial outreach to engagement scoping and project launch.
• Internal Collaboration (10%)
  •Work under the guidance of the Assistant Director for Healthcare Research to align business development activities with campus research collaborations.
  •In collaboration with the NCSA Industry Program, maintain ongoing relationships with key Units on campus, including, but not limited to, the Office of Corporate Relations, University of Illinois Foundation, OVCIA, Office of Foundation Relations, Technology Entrepreneur Center, and the Research Park.
  •Participate in events and initiatives to connect external partners with student talent, faculty research, and campus innovation ecosystem when appropriate.
• Professional Development and Engagement (5%)
  •Stay abreast of research and advancements in data sciences, analytics, software development, visualization, simulation modeling, and HPC, cloud and quantum computation.
  •Attend relevant conferences, workshops, and seminars to grow NCSA’s network and stay abreast of market needs.
  •Contribute to internal knowledge-sharing and planning through participation in NCSA meetings and committees.

Minimum Qualifications

•BS/BA degree in science, engineering, or business-related field required. Alternative degree fields may be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience
•2 years of experience developing external relations, new clients and strategic partnerships
•3 years of experience in business, management or marketing
oExperience working in an academic environment
oFamiliarity with data science or computer science
oDemonstrated experience maintaining client information
•Experience engaging with any of the following: individual and family donors, private funding agencies, large and small corporations, start-ups, non-profits.

Preferred Qualifications

•Advanced degree in science, engineering, or business-related field. Alternative degree fields may be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience
•Experience engaging with students, faculty, research scientists, administrators
•Experience in data sciences, computer science or applied quantitative research

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• •Strong interpersonal communication skills (both written and verbal) •Ability to understand and respond effectively to client and stakeholder needs •Ability to understand and articulate scientific and technical capabilities/needs •Strong organizational skills •Ability to execute and evaluate strategic plans •Ability to self-manage multiple activities •Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently

Senior level position

Strategic Opportunity Development 30%
•Independently identify and pursue new opportunities within the health and medicine ecosystem, including biotechnology firms, digital health startups, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare systems, and nonprofit research institutes.
•Maintain a deep understanding of sector-specific challenges and how NCSA’s capabilities—such as AI/ML, data engineering, software development, and high-performance computing—can be positioned as effective solutions.
•Continuously monitor trends and emerging developments in biomedical and health innovation where data-intensive and computational methods can have transformative impact; regularly communicate key insights to relevant NCSA stakeholders.
•Track strategic growth areas and ensure alignment between client needs and NCSA’s technical offerings. Proactively engage with NCSA leadership to assess internal capacity and inform hiring or investment decisions.

Relationship Development and Management (30%)
•Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with external clients and collaborators across the health and medicine sectors.
•Develop and maintain an active pipeline of prospective and current clients, track engagement activity, and follow up regularly to strengthen relationships. Delegate appropriate responsibilities to project managers to assist in these efforts.
•Develop and disseminate methods for gathering feedback from clients and project stakeholders and assess/articulate actionable information for continuous improvement of delivery and collaboration approaches.
•Foster strong professional relationships with staff across all areas of NCSA.
•Support the NCSA Research and Education Program (R&E) by engaging industry partners and inviting industry colleagues to participate in NCSA events and student conferences. Provide input to R&E on the planning of strategic events and programs at NCSA.

Develop and Execute Engagement Plans (25%)
•Design and implement targeted outreach strategies to establish new collaborations with external organizations in the health domain. Delegate relevant responsibilities to project managers and oversee execution of plans.
•Develop customized proposals, presentations, and communications that highlight NCSA’s value and technical offerings for health-related applications. Provide leadership in developing new materials and processes when needed.
•Represent NCSA at events to increase visibility and attract new clients and collaborators.
•Facilitate and coordinate discovery meetings, site visits, and technical consultations with prospective clients and collaborators. Mentor staff on best practices for discovery meetings.
•Coordinate or assist in the development of NDAs, statements of work, and proposals in collaboration with NCSA staff and legal/contract offices.
•Execute pricing and business terms negotiations in coordination with the Assistant Director of Operations. Develop guidelines for best practices.
•Work collaboratively with NCSA’s technical leads and project managers to ensure a smooth transition from initial outreach to engagement scoping and project launch. Help educate/mentor new research staff on methods for maintaining clear communication with clients.
Internal Collaboration (10%)
•Work closely with the Assistant Director for Healthcare Research to align business development activities with campus research collaborations.
•Actively pursue synergistic engagements that include businesses, NCSA and campus researchers.
•In collaboration with the NCSA Industry Program, maintain ongoing relationships with key Units on campus, including, but not limited to, the Office of Corporate Relations, University of Illinois Foundation, OVCIA, Office of Foundation Relations, Technology Entrepreneur Center, and the Research Park.
•Provide input and feedback to NCSA’s Industry Program offerings and strategies.
•Develop events and initiatives to connect external partners with student talent, faculty research, and campus innovation ecosystem when appropriate.

Professional Development and Engagement (5%)
•Stay abreast of research and advancements in data sciences, analytics, software development, visualization, simulation modeling, and HPC, cloud and quantum computation.
•Attend relevant conferences, workshops, and seminars to grow NCSA’s network and stay abreast of market needs.
•Contribute to internal knowledge-sharing and planning through participation in NCSA meetings and committees.
•Participate in manager training courses.
Minimum Qualifications
•BS/BA degree in science, engineering, or business-related field. Alternative degree fields may be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience •4+ years of experience developing external relations, new clients and strategic partnerships •5+ years of experience in business, management or marketing •2+ years working in an academic environment •2+ year experience in data sciences, computer science or applied quantitative research •Proposal, contract and reporting experience •Strategic development experience •Demonstrated experience maintaining client information •Demonstrated establishing new clients and project contracts •Experience engaging with any of the following: individual and family donors, private funding agencies, large and small corporations, start-ups, non-profits. •Experience engaging with students, faculty, research scientists, administrators, large and small corporations.
Preferred Qualifications
•Advanced degree in science, engineering, or business-related field. Alternative degree fields may be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience.
•Experience overseeing effort of assistant staff or students.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
•Strong interpersonal communication skills (both written and verbal). •Ability to understand and respond effectively to client and stakeholder needs. •Ability to understand and articulate scientific and technical capabilities/needs. •Strong organizational skills. •Ability to form, execute and evaluate strategic plans. •Ability to self-manage multiple activities. •Ability to delegate appropriate tasks to assistants. •Ability to work collaboratively and efficiently.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 8/11/2025. The salary range for this position is $80,000 to $100,000. Salary is commensurate with experience. This position allows for remote work. However, given the responsibilities, it's important that the person in this role is available within a reasonable timeframe when needed to attend on-campus meetings and events.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on August 8, 2025 . Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact [email protected]. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits .

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing [email protected] .

Requisition ID : 1031402
Job Category : Professional and Administrative
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