AVP Corporate Affairs and Business Development

Job Description

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is seeking an accomplished and highly collaborative Associate Vice President of Corporate Relations to lead and strengthen the University’s engagement with key corporations and industry partners through strategic partnerships, university-wide coordination, and business development efforts.

Reporting to the Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, the Associate Vice President will develop and coordinate enterprise-level corporate relationships that advance the University’s strategic priorities, institutional visibility, academic programs, research initiatives, and executive engagement.

The Associate Vice President will work across Embry-Riddle’s campuses and administrative areas to ensure corporate relationships are coordinated, purposeful, and responsive to institutional priorities. In partnership with Career Services, Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, academic leaders, research teams, and other key stakeholders, this position will connect corporate partners with the appropriate areas of the University and support a unified approach to engagement.

The position’s primary focus will be cultivating executive relationships, developing long-term industry partnerships, and identifying opportunities that advance Embry-Riddle’s broader strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a University-wide corporate-relations strategy aligned with Embry-Riddle’s institutional priorities.
• Build, strengthen, and manage relationships with senior executives and decision-makers at priority corporations and industry organizations.
• Engage in business development activities pertaining to Embry-Riddle’s Research Park and other corporate interests benefitting the University.
• Serve as a strategic connector between corporate partners and the appropriate University leaders, colleges, research teams, programs, and administrative areas.
• Manage and regularly update the University’s corporate balanced scorecard, working with internal relationship managers to establish engagement priorities, monitor progress, and identify new opportunities.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for The Boeing Company and coordinate University-wide engagement activities, including the planning and execution of Boeing Week.
• Collaborate with Career Services to connect strategic corporate relationships with appropriate employer-engagement opportunities while supporting a coordinated University approach.
• Partner with Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement when corporate relationships may present opportunities for philanthropic support, sponsorship, foundation engagement, or other forms of institutional investment.
• Work with academic and research leaders to identify opportunities for strategic partnerships, applied research, executive engagement, sponsored initiatives, and other mutually beneficial collaborations.
• Chair the University’s External Affairs Workgroup and promote coordinated communication and relationship management across campuses and departments.
• Oversee corporate-relations reporting across the University and support the accurate and consistent maintenance of relationship and engagement information in Salesforce.
• Develop executive briefings, background and informational content and materials, engagement strategies, and follow-up plans for the President, Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, and other senior University leaders.
• Plan and support executive participation at major aviation, aerospace, and industry events, including the Space Symposium, Paris Air Show, and Farnborough International Airshow.
• Coordinate leadership schedules, meetings, briefing materials, informational packets and marketing materials, and follow-up activities associated with trade shows, conferences, corporate visits, business development activities, and external engagements.
• Plan and coordinate visits from corporate executives and distinguished industry leaders in collaboration with the appropriate University stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to increase meaningful corporate engagement both on campus and in external industry settings.
• Coordinate and manage institutional sponsorship requests involving external organizations, maintain accurate records, and secure required approvals.
• Supervise and provide strategic direction to the Corporate Relations Specialist.
• Manage an annual operating expense budget of approximately $150,000.
• Perform other duties and support strategic initiatives as assigned.

About us

For over 100 years, Embry-Riddle has been the world's leading aviation and aerospace university, educating more than 30,000 students across residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, as well as through a global network of Worldwide locations and online programs. With more than 165,000 alumni around the world, our impact reaches every corner of the aerospace, aviation, defense and technology industries.

Today, our faculty, researchers and professional staff are advancing innovation across aviation, space, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, autonomous systems and next-generation engineering. Working alongside industry leaders, government agencies and innovators, they are solving real-world challenges and shaping the technologies that will define tomorrow.

Whether you are an educator, researcher, administrator, technologist or industry professional, your work at Embry-Riddle will contribute to something bigger than a job. Join a community driven by discovery, purpose and excellence—and help shape the future of aerospace.

• Generous Time Off: Enjoy up to 18 days of paid leave in your first year, including 3 days granted upon hire and 15 days accrued throughout the year. You'll also receive 9+ paid holidays, including the day after Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.
• Tuition Coverage: Get 100% tuition coverage for yourself for one undergraduate and one graduate degree, and discounted rates for your spouse and dependent children up to age 26.
• Retirement Contributions: ERAU contributes 6% of your base salary to your retirement plan and offers a 4% matching contribution – with no vesting period.
• Personal Leave: Relax with 15 days of personal leave for non-exempt employees or 18 days for exempt full-time employees in your first year.

To submit your application for this opportunity, please visit the Embry-Riddle Career Site and search for AVP, Corporate Affairs and Business Development. Please attach all relevant materials to your application when you apply online. Complete submissions include:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Contact information for at least three professional references, including a current or former supervisor (please note that references may be contacted as part of the interview/screening process)

Current Embry-Riddle employees: Please apply directly through the ERAU Employee Hub Central application within Workday.

Embry-Riddle is committed to fostering a workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. We strive to ensure that all faculty, staff, and students are treated fairly and provided equal opportunities for employment, advancement, compensation, training, and other benefits of employment. Embry-Riddle makes employment decisions — including hiring, promotions, compensation, and other terms of employment — based on individual merit, qualifications, and abilities. Embry-Riddle is strongly opposed to discrimination and harassment, and such behavior is prohibited by university policy. Embry-Riddle does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, veteran status, predisposing genetic characteristics, age, religion, or pregnancy status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law, in its employment, educational programs, admissions policies, financial aid, or other school-administered programs or activities. For further information, please visit our website.

Embry-Riddle is not seeking assistance from staffing or recruitment agencies. All agencies are directed to contact eraujobs@erau.edu and should not reach out to hiring managers or staff.

To preserve the integrity and authenticity of our hiring process, candidates are expected to participate without AI-assisted coaching, real-time response generation, or recording during interviews or assessments. Embry-Riddle does not use AI to automatically screen, rank, or select candidates.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business or a closely related field.
• Five to ten years of progressively responsible experience in corporate relations, strategic partnerships, business development, executive engagement, external affairs, or a related field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the aviation and aerospace industries.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to understand and advance complex institutional and corporate priorities.
• Demonstrated success establishing and maintaining relationships with C-suite executives and other senior organizational leaders.
• Ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically across a complex, multi-campus organization.
• Experience coordinating initiatives involving multiple departments, senior leaders, and external partners.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Experience preparing executive briefings and coordinating high-profile meetings, visits, conferences, trade shows, or industry events.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple strategic initiatives and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential matters.
• Willingness and ability to travel moderately and work outside normal business hours when required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate in business, aviation, aerospace, or a related field.
• Experience using Salesforce or another customer relationship management platform.
• Experience working in higher education or another complex, decentralized organization.
• Established relationships within the aviation, aerospace, technology, or related industries.
• Experience developing and managing enterprise-level corporate partnership strategies.
• Experience supporting collaborations involving academic programs, research initiatives, innovation, workforce needs, and executive engagement.
• Supervisory or team-leadership experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comprehensive understanding of corporate engagement, strategic partnerships, and executive relationship management.
• Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling partnership opportunities.
• Ability to evaluate corporate interests and connect external partners with the appropriate University expertise and resources.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build credibility with executives, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to influence outcomes and facilitate collaboration without relying solely on direct authority.
• Excellent professional judgment and the ability to navigate complex organizational relationships.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use engagement data, scorecards, and reporting to inform strategy.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Commitment to collaboration, transparency, and coordinated relationship management across the University.

Work Environment and Travel

This position operates primarily in a professional office environment and requires moderate travel. Occasional evening or weekend work may be necessary to support executive engagements, corporate visits, conferences, trade shows, and University events.