Entrepreneurship and Industry Leadership Education Coordinator
About OIST Innovation:
OIST Innovation is the technology commercialization hub at OIST. We work closely with OIST faculty, students, and staff to promote the development of new technologies, embrace collaborations with industry, support innovators, and launch startups. We provide a full-service suite of programs, networks, and resources designed to facilitate the transition of innovative technologies from the lab to the market, generating meaningful societal impact. OIST Innovation is a key part of the University’s strategy to seed an innovation ecosystem in Okinawa that is linked to technology transfer, industry partnerships, and startups.
Position summary:
The Entrepreneurship and Industry Leadership Education (EILE) Coordinator will lead the development and implementation of comprehensive education programs for students, faculty, researchers, and staff at OIST and the local entrepreneurial community on the topic of entrepreneurship and industry leadership. This role will oversee a dynamic range of extracurricular activities, manage experiential learning programs, and work closely with the graduate school to integrate entrepreneurship, industry leadership, business management, and other related skills into academic curricula.
This position is funded by the JST START - PARKS Program.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the coordination and administration of PARKS grant implementation, ensuring compliance with funding requirements and facilitating effective management of grant processes and its internal implementation.
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University was established in 2011 to contribute to the development of science and technology worldwide and to serve as a hub of innovation in Okinawa. OIST is a dynamic new graduate university of science and technology in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan which offers a 5-year PhD program and brings together outstanding researchers from across the country and across disciplines to conduct cutting-edge scientific research.
The university is located on 85 hectares of protected forestland overlooking a beautiful shoreline and coral reefs. The campus is striking architecturally, and the facilities are outstanding. To facilitate multidisciplinary research, there are no academic departments. Outstanding resources and equipment are provided and managed to encourage easy access and collaboration.
English is the official language of the University, and the university research community is fully international, with more than 50 countries represented. OIST is rapidly gaining recognition in the worldwide academic community as a model for excellence in education and research, and our unwavering commitment to scientific and technological innovation is dedicated to generating progress that will fuel Okinawa's economic growth.
1. Extracurricular Programs
- Develop and execute a plan for a diverse portfolio of extracurricular entrepreneurship and industry-related activities, including workshops, seminars, competitions, speaker series, and networking events.
- Collaborate with other divisions and teams across the university to coordinate relevant programming and leverage resources.
- Cultivate and manage relationships with industry partners, alumni entrepreneurs, and business leaders to secure their participation as speakers, mentors, judges, and contributors.
- Provide guidance and resources to support the activities of entrepreneurship clubs, helping them to organize impactful initiatives.
- Monitor program attendance, participant feedback, and other metrics to improve the extracurricular offerings continuously.
2. Experiential Learning
- Assist in developing and implementing immersive entrepreneurship and industry leadership programs such as bootcamps and hackathons.
- Establish partnerships with external organizations, including business schools, incubators, accelerators, venture funds, and startup support organizations, to create meaningful experiential learning opportunities inside and outside OIST.
- Develop a framework for guiding participants through the entrepreneurial process, from ideation and prototyping to market validation and pitching.
- Coordinate with the graduate school to integrate experiential entrepreneurship and industry leadership components into relevant academic courses and projects.
3. Curricular Programs
- Collaborate with the graduate school to identify opportunities for integrating entrepreneurship and industry leadership into the academic curriculum.
- Work closely with experts to implement new entrepreneurship and industry leadership courses, modules, and training programs to be offered across disciplines, including entrepreneurial mindset, intrapreneurship, project management, design thinking, technology commercialization, sales and marketing, finance and planning, etc.
- Recruit and coordinate with faculty members, industry experts, and entrepreneurs to deliver high-quality EILE instruction.
- Ensure alignment between curricular and extracurricular EILE programming to create a cohesive learning experience.
- Monitor and evaluate the impact of EILE courses and provide recommendations for continuous improvement.
4. Administrative Responsibilities
- Manage the annual budget, including planning, procurement, and reporting.
- Collect, analyze, and report on program metrics and outcomes to key stakeholders.
- Ensure compliance with relevant university policies and procedures.
- Assist in fundraising and grant writing efforts to secure additional program resources.
- Engage with the PR team to promote entrepreneurship initiatives and showcase program achievements.
(Required)
- Bachelor’s degree
- 3+ years of experience in entrepreneurship education, program management, or a similar role
- Strong project management, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders
- Proficient in budget management, data analysis, and reporting
- Passion for supporting the entrepreneurial mindset and ecosystem
- Highly self-directed with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks flexibly based on evolving requirements
(Preferred)
- Familiarity with entrepreneurship and industry leadership best practices and experiential learning methodologies
- Understanding of and connections to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Japan and globally
Expected Annual Salary: 3,900,000 -- 8,600,000 yen
*This amount represents the expected annual salary range for this position, which will be determined based on your experience and skills in accordance with the OIST Employee Compensation Regulations.
Benefits:
- Relocation, housing and commuting allowances
- Annual paid leave and summer holidays
- Health insurance (Private School Mutual Aid)
- Welfare pension insurance (kousei-nenkin)
- Worker's accident compensation insurance (roudousha-saigai-hoshou-hoken)
- Access to Child Development Center
- Access to Schooling Options
- Language Education
- Resource Center (Daily Life Support in Okinawa)
- Curriculum vitae in English required. Japanese version required only for Applicants whose native language is Japanese.
* Please be sure to indicate where you first saw the job advertisement.
- OIST Graduate University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, students and staff.
- Information provided by applicants or references will be kept confidential, documents will not be returned. All applicants will be notified regarding the status of their applications. OIST Privacy Policy
- Recruiting Organization: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology School Corporation
- Prevention of Passive Smoking: No smoking indoors
- Please view our policy for rules on external professional activities
(Information Disclosure – 10. Others – 6. OIST Rules for Concurrent Appointment). - Further details about the University can be viewed on our website
Full-time appointment. Contract initially with 3 month probationary period (inclusive). This contract may be renewed each fiscal year for up to 5 years from the date of initial appointment. However, the term of the contract may be subject to adjustment based on the amount of work remaining and progress of work assigned at the termination of this Agreement, performance evaluation, conduct, and behavior of the Employee, and OIST’s financial and other circumstances.
Flextime (core time 10:00-15:00) 7.5 hrs per day (Multiplied by prescribed working days per month)