Director of Entrepreneurship

Posting Details

Posting Details

Job #
042988

Department Code
31301-0097

Department
D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)

Job Title
Director of Entrepreneurship

Location
Syracuse, New York

Campus
Remote

Commitment to On-Campus Experience

Syracuse University is committed to delivering an exceptional student experience through vibrant, engaged campus communities. This position is based at the above campus location and requires regular in-person presence to support our students, collaborate with colleagues, and contribute to our thriving academic environment. Syracuse University values the collaboration, mentorship, and spontaneous connections that happen when our community works together on campus. Remote work arrangements are limited in accordance with University policy.

Pay Range
$85,000 - $134,000

Pay Determination

Pay rates at Syracuse University are based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, the job responsibilities; the candidate's education, training, work experience and key competencies; the university's strategic priorities; internal peer equity; applicable federal, state, local laws, grant funding and contractual requisites; and external market analyses.

Staff Level
S6

FLSA Status
Exempt

Hours

Standard University business hours

8:30am - 5:00pm (academic year)

8:00am - 4:30pm (summer)

Hours may vary based on operational needs.

Job Type
Full-time

Unionized Position Code
Not Applicable

Job Description

The Director of Entrepreneurship serves as the leader responsible for strategy, operations, innovation, and growth of IVMF's entrepreneurship portfolio with approximately a dozen programs and a range of supporting resources designed to advance veteran and military-connected entrepreneurs.

The Director will lead the next stage of IVMF entrepreneurship strategy by designing and managing an integrated venture lifecycle platform that supports veteran and military family entrepreneurs in these phases: ideation, startup, growth, and planning for exit. This position is responsible for aligning IVMF's entrepreneurship programs, digital tools, applied research, strategic partnerships, and funding strategies into a coherent national platform that helps participants launch businesses, scale firms, build wealth, and transition ownership successfully over time.

As a member of the IVMF leadership team, the Director will provide vision and operational oversight for entrepreneurship programming; lead a multidisciplinary team of program leaders, coordinators, navigators, contractors, and student staff; manage complex grants and contracts; build and steward high-value partnerships; and serve as a national representative of IVMF in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The position requires a dynamic leader capable of translating ecosystem insights, participant needs, and research into innovative solutions that improve outcomes for veteran and military family entrepreneurs nationwide.

Education and Experience

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or other advanced degree in business, higher education, innovation, entrepreneurship, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of advanced professional experience and education.
• Significant professional experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, small business development, accelerator/incubator leadership, ecosystem building, university center leadership, or a closely related field, typically 8 or more years with increasing responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex programs or portfolios, including strategic planning, staff supervision, cross-functional coordination, and management of budgets and deliverables.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including funders, universities, public-sector organizations, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector partners.
• Experience with proposal development, grant writing, contract development, fund development, or sponsor stewardship.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and professional writing.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze information, prioritize across competing demands, manage ambiguity, and move initiatives from concept to execution.
• Experience managing a federal or state grant including establishing and delivering performance measures and outcomes and executing the activity in compliance with the grant requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing, leading, or supporting entrepreneurship education, small business training, venture support, or founder advisory programming.
• Experience as an entrepreneur, business owner, investor, operator, or advisor to startup or growth-stage businesses.
• Experience working with veterans, military families, or mission-driven populations in higher education, nonprofit, government, or community-based settings.
• Familiarity with the veteran entrepreneurial ecosystem, including barriers related to access to capital, resource navigation, procurement, growth, and succession.
• Experience with outcome measurement, applied research translation, dashboards, or performance management systems in social impact or higher education settings.
• Experience building digital, hybrid, or scaled service models for geographically dispersed participants.

Skills and Knowledge

• Entrepreneurship education, venture development, and small business growth strategy.
• Veteran and military family entrepreneurship ecosystem dynamics and barriers.
• Program strategy, innovation management, and portfolio design.
• Grant and contract administration, budget stewardship, and sponsor relations.
• Performance measurement, evaluation, and data-informed continuous improvement.
• Partnership development, coalition leadership, and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

Venture Lifecycle Strategy & Portfolio Leadership:

• Lead the strategic design, execution, and continuous improvement of IVMF's national entrepreneurship portfolio in alignment with institute priorities and the evolving needs of veteran and military family entrepreneurs.
• Establish and manage a clearly defined venture lifecycle framework for entrepreneurship programming organized around ideation, startup, growth, and exit strategy phases, ensuring that all offerings have a defined purpose, participant profile, outcomes model, and progression pathway.
• Assess the current entrepreneurship portfolio, including existing programs and resources, and recommend where programs should be strengthened, redesigned, sunset, scaled, or newly created to improve mission impact and long-term relevance.
• Develop multi-year strategic plans, annual operating goals, and implementation roadmaps for the entrepreneurship portfolio, including clear performance expectations tied to participant outcomes, ecosystem reach, financial sustainability, and institutional visibility.
• Ensure the portfolio is responsive to the changing small business environment, including access to capital barriers, veteran ecosystem fragmentation, entrepreneurial transitions, and emerging opportunities across sectors and regions.
• Partner with IVMF senior leadership to align entrepreneurship strategy with broader institute priorities, including transition support, research, innovation, alumni engagement, and external growth.

Budget, Funding Strategy & Personnel Management:

• Manage and administer the entrepreneurship and small business budget, including multi-year planning, forecasting, reporting, reallocation, and stewardship of restricted and unrestricted funds.
• Lead financial and operational planning for existing and emerging programs, ensuring sound resource allocation, sustainability, compliance, and mission alignment across the portfolio.
• Identify, cultivate, and support sponsorship, grant, contract, and philanthropic funding opportunities in collaboration with advancement, sponsored programs, and other university stakeholders.
• Lead proposal development and support the writing of substantive grant and contract applications, program narratives, budgets, scopes of work, and sponsor-facing materials.
• Supervise and develop assigned staff, which may include program managers, coordinators, navigation staff, contractors, consultants, and student employees.
• Set performance expectations, monitor deliverables, provide coaching and feedback, and foster a high-accountability, innovation-oriented, participant-centered team culture.

Program Innovation, Design & Delivery:

• Lead the design, launch, refinement, and oversight of innovative entrepreneurship programs, products, and services that address the full venture lifecycle for veterans and military family members, including ideation, startup launch, business model validation, mentor engagement, and pathways into signature IVMF entrepreneurship programs and partner opportunities.
• Drive the development of differentiated offerings in the startup phase, including discovery programming, business model validation, mentor engagement, and pathways into signature IVMF entrepreneurship programs and partner opportunities.
• Expand IVMF's growth-stage support by advancing offerings focused on revenue growth, leadership capacity, digital adoption, procurement readiness, peer learning, and capital readiness for firms beyond the startup stage.
• Lead the creation or expansion of exit strategy supports, including succession planning, ownership transition, sale readiness, ESOP or employee ownership exploration, and legacy-building resources for veteran-owned businesses.
• Oversee the integration of a navigation or concierge function that supports participant intake, stage-based routing, warm handoffs across programs, partner referrals, and long-term re-engagement, thereby reducing resource confusion and improving participant progression across offerings.
• Ensure program design reflects multiple delivery modes, including in-person, virtual, hybrid, cohort-based, and self-service digital experiences, to increase reach and accessibility for geographically dispersed populations.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure entrepreneurship offerings are participant-centered, well-documented, accessible, scalable, and aligned with evidence-based practices.

Partnerships, Ecosystem Development & External Representation:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for entrepreneurship-related external relationships, initiatives, and inquiries for IVMF.
• Build, maintain, and expand strategic relationships with Syracuse University units, peer universities, federal and state agencies, nonprofit and veteran-serving organizations, corporations, funders, lenders, investors, and ecosystem partners to support entrepreneurship programming and participant outcomes.
• Identify and cultivate partnership models that improve participant access to capital, markets, mentorship, technical assistance, procurement opportunities, and ownership transition expertise.
• Lead consortium and coalition relationships relevant to entrepreneurship programming, including university networks, corporate partner collaborations, and cross-sector initiatives that expand reach and impact.
• Represent IVMF at conferences, convenings, public events, partner meetings, advisory bodies, and ecosystem forums as a visible thought leader in veteran and military family entrepreneurship.
• Support the development of national thought leadership by helping position IVMF as a leading voice on veteran entrepreneurship, small business growth, and entrepreneurial transition.

Data, Evaluation, Research Translation & Performance Management:

• Establish and oversee a performance management framework for the entrepreneurship portfolio, including annual and multi-year goals, key performance indicators, dashboards, review rhythms, and learning loops.
• Collaborate with IVMF research, evaluation, and analytics teams to ensure entrepreneurship programs are informed by participant data, ecosystem trends, evaluation findings, and national survey insights.
• Translate research and field learning into program improvements, publications, briefings, funder reports, resource tools, and thought leadership outputs for internal and external audiences.
• Track and interpret data related to participant reach, stage progression, capital readiness, business growth, equity and inclusion, alumni engagement, and exit-related outcomes, and recommend adjustments based on findings.
• Ensure the entrepreneurship team uses data in a disciplined way to improve program decisions, resource navigation, partnership performance, and long-term participant success.

Marketing, Communications Support:

• Partner with IVMF communications and related teams to support marketing, recruitment, storytelling, digital presence, and the creation of outreach materials related to entrepreneurship programming and impact.
• Contribute to reports, presentations, publications, webinars, and promotional content that elevate IVMF's entrepreneurship mission and participant successes.

Physical Requirements

Not Applicable

Tools/Equipment

Not Applicable

Application Instructions

In addition to completing an online application, please a