Director of Industry Partnership Development - Baton Rouge

The Director of Industry Partnership Development, reporting to the Vice President of Development, serves as a lead relationship strategist within the LSU Foundation, responsible for deepening, expanding, and stewarding high-impact relationships with the organization's top industr ...

Job description

The Director of Industry Partnership Development, reporting to the Vice President of Development, serves as a lead relationship strategist within the LSU Foundation, responsible for deepening, expanding, and stewarding high-impact relationships with the organization's top industry partners. This role ensures that the institution's top 15-20 corporate partners experience best-in-class, highly personalized engagement that reflects the full value and impact of their investment.

Working at the intersection of corporate relations, philanthropy, and institutional priorities, the Director will strengthen existing partnerships and identify pathways to grow each relationship in scope, visibility, and long-term commitment. This position partners closely with the fundraising lead and internal stakeholders to capture, articulate, and share measurable impact while proactively uncovering new opportunities for collaboration and project management aligned with each industry partner and LSU.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Relationship Management

• Partner closely with the designated relationship lead to support a portfolio of the institution's top 15-20 corporate and industry partners by developing proactive, strategic, and highly tailored engagement plans that strengthen and grow each partnership.

• Execute comprehensive engagement plans for each partner that include stewardship, growth strategies, visibility opportunities, and executive-level touchpoints. (e.g. Entergy Day at LSU)

• In coordination with the relationship lead and relevant colleagues, act as a trusted advisor to industry partners by understanding their business priorities, workforce needs, philanthropic goals, and brand objectives, and aligning those interests with institutional initiatives.

• Meet outlined annual growth metrics for each corporate partner's relationship with LSU. 

Partnership Growth & Expansion

• Identify, develop, and advance opportunities to broaden each partner relationship beyond existing commitments, including new programmatic collaborations, sponsorships, workforce initiatives, research engagement, and philanthropic support.

• Collaborate with academic, programmatic, and administrative leaders to design partnership opportunities that are mutually beneficial and scalable.

• Maintain a forward-looking pipeline of potential expansions within existing industry partnerships, tracking progress and next steps.

Stewardship & Impact Communication

• Ensure every top-tier partner receives a consistent, high-quality stewardship experience that demonstrates appreciation, accountability, and measurable impact.

• Partner closely with the fundraising lead and campus partners to gather outcomes and proof points of impact.

• Partner with the prospect strategy and engagement and communications and marketing team to translate impact into compelling, partner-specific reports, briefings, and presentations that clearly connect corporate investment to mission-driven results.

• Coordinate and support executive engagement, including leadership meetings, site visits, events, and recognition opportunities.

Internal Collaboration & Alignment

• Work in close partnership with the relationship lead to align corporate engagement strategies with philanthropic priorities and upcoming solicitations or renewals.

• Serve as a liaison between industry partners and internal stakeholders, ensuring clear communication, follow-through, and a seamless partner experience.

• Advise internal teams on industry expectations, relationship history, and strategic positioning for meetings and proposals.

Experience Design & Excellence

• Continuously assess partner satisfaction and engagement levels, identifying risks and implementing strategies to strengthen relationships.

• Track engagement activity, partnership growth, and stewardship deliverables using BBCRM and reporting tools.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• 7+ years of experience in corporate engagement, corporate relations, business development, or major gift/corporate fundraising within a large nonprofit, higher education, or mission-driven organization.

• Demonstrated success managing complex, high-level corporate relationships and growing partnerships over time.

• Experience translating programmatic outcomes into compelling impact narratives for external stakeholders.

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage senior corporate leaders and internal executives.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple high-touch relationships simultaneously.

• Microsoft Office Suite experience

Preferred

• Experience working in or with industry sectors aligned with the organization's mission.

• Familiarity with CRM systems and engagement tracking tools.

• Experience coordinating executive-level engagement and high-visibility partner events.

• Experience in project management.  

Desired Competencies

• Critical Thinking: Practices objective rather than subjective modes of reasoning and action. Maintains perspective when assessing qualitative and quantitative information. Appropriately challenges and questions common beliefs. 

• Relationship Building: Develops, maintains, and strengthens relationships with others outside of the organization.  

• Tenacity: Achieves a desired outcome in the face of setbacks, obstacles, or challenging circumstances.

• Attention to Detail/Accuracy: Focuses on paying attention to all details and aspects of a job or process to avoid substandard outputs.

 

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has no supervisory responsibilities. 

Work Environment Requirements

• May be required to work extended workdays, evenings, and weekends to meet deadlines.