Associate Vice President (Strategy & External Partnerships) - Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an Associate Vice President for Strategy & External Partnerships.

WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute

The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient care, education, and research institute providing neurological and mental healthcare through more than 300,000 visits annually. The 300 physicians and scientists of the RNI improve lives by pioneering advances in neuroscience, brain health, and therapeutics. The RNI team uses the latest technologies with academic, government, and industry partners to make tangible progress to combat public health challenges ranging from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease.

The RNI’s flagship facilities are located on the WVU Health Sciences campus in Morgantown, with more than 2,200 dedicated team members across seven departments, patient care units, and research laboratories. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.

About The Opportunity

The Associate Vice President (AVP), Strategy & External Partnerships serves as a senior strategic and operational leader for the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) reporting directly to the Executive Director of the RNI, Ali Rezai. The AVP leads high-priority strategic initiatives focused on technology commercialization, external partnerships, business development, communications, and institutional growth, and collaborates closely with RNI administrative leadership, RNI physician and scientific leadership, advisors, university and health system stakeholders, industry partners, foundations, state and federal government entities, and donors and philanthropy. This position involves a combination of onsite and hybrid work, with a strong expectation of regular onsite presence.

Benefits

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.
• Wellness programs
  
  

What You'll Do

Strategic Partnerships

• In partnership with WVU and WVU Medicine senior leadership, lead RNI’s strategic partnership efforts with external stakeholders including medtech, pharma and digital health, state and federal government, foundations and donors. This includes development and implementation and measurement of strategic efforts.
• Lead strategy development, analysis, implementation planning, and operational execution across RNI strategic initiatives and growth priorities
• Develop timelines, budgets, prioritization frameworks, milestones, metrics, and reporting structures for key institutional initiatives.
• Facilitate and advance RNI technology development initiatives with the RNI R&D team, including: Human Operating System (HOS) digital platform and related modules; Focused ultrasound device and clinical application development initiatives
• Create presentations, documents and marketing material related to these efforts
  
  

Corporate Development & External Partnerships

• Lead RNI corporate and business development initiatives and strategic external partnerships.
• Manage executive-level relationships with industry and strategic partners, including organizations such as Insightec, Medtronic, NaviFUS, as well as academic, government, and commercial collaborators.
• Coordinate strategic planning, presentations, meetings, follow-ups, projects, and deliverables related to external partnerships and institutional initiatives.
• Collaborate with RNI executive leadership on the negotiation and development of agreements, partnerships, and strategic collaborations.
• Engage university and health system leadership to ensure alignment, approvals, and institutional support for strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a strategic liaison across clinical, research, operational, academic, philanthropic, and commercial functions.
  
  

Government & Foundation Relations

• Support development and execution of RNI’s federal and state government relations strategy, including engagement with agencies and organizations such as ARPA-H, DARPA, National Institutes of Health, and Rural Health Transformation program (RHTP)
• Support foundation, philanthropy, and donor engagement initiatives and follow-up participation from fundraising efforts and unique donor requests, in collaboration with the VP RNI, the Executive Director of Development and other leaders at the WVU Foundation.
  
  

Marketing, Communications & Executive Support

• Oversee national and international media efforts (WSJ, 60 minutes, Washington Post, Bloomberg, and others) in collaboration with RNI marketing and communications teams and the RNI VP.
• Lead development of executive presentations, strategic messaging, and briefing materials for the RNI Executive Director and senior leadership.
• Serve as the point of contact with external communications consultants and contractors.
  
  

Supervising Responsibilities

• Director of RNI WVU and philanthropy Administration and Finance
• Project Coordinator (HR)
• Director of Innovation
• Master’s degree or equivalent required.
• A minimum of eight (8) years experience in the following:
• International Project Management, Management Consulting, Government Relations experience.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.
  

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership experience in strategy, healthcare innovation, business development, partnerships, consulting, or related fields.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional initiatives involving healthcare systems, academic institutions, industry partners, and government stakeholders preferred.
• Strong executive communication, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment.
  
  

About WVU

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values — service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation — unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.

Job Posting

Jun 24, 2026

Posting Classification

Non-Classified

Exemption Status

Exempt

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Schedule

Full-time