Director, Engineering Research Partnerships

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Job Requisition ID:2026-02791Time Type:Full timeEmployee Group:StaffJob Category:Research and InnovationEmployment Type:PermanentDepartment:Faculty of Engineering
- Dean of Engineering Office
- Research and External PartnershipsHiring Range:$123,660.99
- $154,576.24Posting Information:This posting is for an existing vacancy.
The internal posting deadline for this position is September 24, 2026, at11:59PM.

Job Description
Primary PurposeThe primary objective of the position is to promote engineering innovation and entrepreneurship growth to exceed Faculty targets by raising the profile of research, initiating, developing, and maintaining industry relationships, and ensuring more research funding, in part by focusing on industry collaborations and partnership grant opportunities. The Director serves a vital end-to-end function in the growth, promotion, advancement, and management of engineering innovation and entrepreneurship activity on and off-campus and within the local and international entrepreneurship ecosystem, encompassing five key accountabilities:Planning and implementing new and ongoing innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives as part of the Engineering Research Office team.
Participating directly in envisioning, initiating, and developing successful proposals for major research partnerships and initiatives, usually involving teams in collaboration with industry partners and other external stakeholders.
Facilitating the establishment and success of research entities and strategic networks and supporting their growth through industry partnerships and interdisciplinary research.
Developing industry relationships and successfully completing agreements for industry funding, in collaboration with the Office of Research, or building on opportunities arising from the efforts of Advancement and Development Officers within the Faculty and centrally, as part of large grant initiatives in strategic research areas.
Provide leadership and direction in strategic planning to advance Engineering research as a top prospect at organizations that support commercialization and entrepreneurship, both within the University of Waterloo (UW) and outside and facilitate researchers’ access to such organizations.
Key AccountabilitiesGuide and support research, innovation and entrepreneurship growth and raise theFaculty of Engineering profile to advance the faculty’s strategic research agenda, including but not limited to:Provide leadership and direction in strategic planning activities to increase research, with a focus on highlighting its relevance to industry, and to advance innovation and entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Engineering in the short
- and long-term. Work closely with the Associate Dean, Research and External Partnerships (ADR) and the Office of Research to define and advance faculty research goals; in this capacity, the director monitors and evaluates progress against proposed objectives, identifies gaps in performance and capacity, and develops strategies to align Faculty priorities and exceed Faculty targets.
Develop and oversee implementation of faculty
- and department-level strategic recommendations, including communicating the Faculty’s strategies to encourage increased research funding, external research collaborations, and access to the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Work closely with the ADR to identify and develop opportunities to establish new research initiatives and grow existing programs. This includes increasing, strengthening and diversifying research funding sources, developing strategies to improve success rates in major federal and provincial award programs, and maintaining a working knowledge of significant developments and trends related to national and global economics, innovation, and technological development to ensure research programs are strategically positioned to respond to emerging issues. Work with the ADR to understand and connect the Engineering Faculty to University and local technology association initiatives to support entrepreneurship, including Conrad School of Business and Entrepreneurship, WatCo, Velocity, the Accelerator Centre and Communitech.
Solicit and orchestrate direct funding opportunities from government ministries at both the provincial and federal levels.
Manage relationships within the research community on campus, as well as interactions with external financial partners, industry, academia, and alumni.
Leading business and financial planning to establish viable strategic, tactical, and operational targets in close collaborat