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The Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology, and Agriculture (VISTA) is seeking an Industry Partnerships Coordinator to support VISTA, the Farms-Food-Future Innovation Initiative (F3) and regional testbeds. This role is central in facilitating research partnerships (i.e. events, field trials, projects, hackathons, etc.) between UC Merced and agricultural and technology industry partners, the ag community regionally and others. This is an excellent opportunity to work in the development of external relationships and to engage in industry-university partnerships at the cutting edge of engineering, computer and data science, technology, natural resources management, food systems and climate smart innovation. As a new organization building a new facility and serving this region, the successful applicant would have the opportunity to develop relationships, from student projects to multi-year grants.

As the Industry Partnerships Coordinator, and under the general direction of the Executive Director, you will liaise between research community and external partners, including F3innovate and ag and tech industry sectors. You will translate student and faculty opportunities into actionable partnerships by collaborating with researchers to develop collaborative projects, hackathons, research advancements in agtech (software, hardware, systems approaches, tool adaptation) to further the mission of F3 to build more industry-university partnerships in agri-food technology. You will support cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers from various fields, such as agriculture, engineering, data science, and natural resources. You will build and maintain strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, food processors, researchers, and industry partners.

With your strong verbal communication skills and business acumen, you will serve as a key research and talent matchmaker between the students and faculty of the UC and the potential and diverse industry partners available. By building relationships over time, you will create options for engagement for each partner. After the program is implemented, you will follow up with both industry and university entities to ensure research and outreach deliverables are met. You will negotiate the range of options and compensation.

Your duties will also involve the proficient use of office software's. Additionally, you will be responsible for connecting at events and coordinating outreach activities and events, such as field days, workshops, and hackathons. You will be in direct communication with faculty, staff, community guests, and VISTA affiliates, and tasked with providing accurate and timely responses to queries.

Administratively, you will demonstrate a working knowledge in procedures and processes, utilizing a range of Microsoft products. Alternate work schedule, extended hours, and travel will be required. This is an exempt position.

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system’s 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://cie.ucmerced.edu/analytics-hub/student-statistics), UC Merced is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in research and teaching as well as to diversity, equity and inclusion. Ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

The University of California, Merced is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Please refer to the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. This includes the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy.