Professor and Dean, the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub

Position information:
Title of Position: Professor and Dean, The Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub
Unit: The Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub
Campus: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University [XJTLU], Taicang Campus
Academic discipline: Entrepreneurialism
Reports to: The Associate Principal of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang campus)
Location: Taicang, Greater Suzhou, China 
Salary: Competitive
Position ID: 2662
Advert closing date and the Interview time： 30^th April 2022 and interviews are expected within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Position Overview
Applications are invited for the position of Dean to develop the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub at the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang campus), part of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). The position of Dean will be a key link between business partners’ schools within the Taicang campus, and XJTLU, with a remit to develop entrepreneurial activity within the Entrepreneur College (Taicang).

As a member of the Taicang campus Leadership Team, the Dean of the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub will lead and contribute to interdisciplinary innovation, research and knowledge exploration, and incubation and acceleration through working collaboratively with the Deans of Schools, Directors of Education, Research & Development Institute, and Heads of professional divisions of the Entrepreneur College (Taicang) and wider University. 

The Dean of the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub will also have overall responsibility for the Innovation Factorys located within each school, which provides budding entrepreneurs with business services, training, mentorship and network opportunities to help bring their technologies to market within the disciplines.

The Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub, and school Innovation Factories are some of the features of the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). They are spaces at the campus for catalysing, facilitating and testing ideas and entrepreneurial activities, as well as places for learning, teaching, research and innovation. They are developed either at the School level with a specific focus on one discipline or an industry sector, or they are built at the campus level, with common tools and facilities being shared by different Schools, external partners and local entrepreneurs.

Background 

About the University and its new Taicang Campus
XJTLU is China’s leading Joint Venture University, located in Suzhou, China. Founded in 2006, it now has around 18000 enrolled students in both Suzhou and Liverpool in the UK. It has ambitious plans to grow to about 25,000 students by 2025. The language of instruction, committees, and administrative work at XJTLU is English. 

XJTLU’s initial and main campus is located in the Higher Education Town of Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), well-connected via nearby airports to cities such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, and via high-speed rails to other major cities in China, including nearby Shanghai. Greater Suzhou, including Taicang where its newest campus is located, is now the fourth largest concentration of economic activity in China in terms of GDP. XJTLU is finalising the building a new teaching site in Taicang, with the collaboration of the Taicang Municipal Government and industry partners, as part of its strategic priorities for the next ten years. Taicang is a county-level city in Greater Suzhou. Opening for September 2022, the Taicang site will be a pioneer of, and educational model for, the future campus in developing talents and leaders to meet local, national, and global challenges from the 4th Industrial Revolution. 

XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang campus) is directed by a Leadership Team, which is comprised of the Taicang Principal, Taicang Associate Principal, Chief Operating Officer, School Deans and Dean of the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub. 

Key Responsibilities and Duties 
The Dean of the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub is responsible for the development, implementation, launch, and management of both campus level and School level entrepreneurial activity. The post holder will be based in XJTLU Suzhou Campus before XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang campus) opens in September 2022. The successful applicant will be a trusted provider of expertise, strategic insight, internal and external influence and entrepreneurial mindset, with a deep commitment to supporting and developing colleagues to succeed and the ability to build both formal and informal teams and networks to work together with creativity and impact. 

1. Direct, and provide strategic and operational leadership of Entrepreneur services delivered across the Entrepreneur College (Taicang). 
2. Lead the development and implementation of a strategic plan for Entrepreneurial activity, aligned to overarching College and University objectives, which draws on future-focused analysis of Syntegrative Education to develop strategic opportunities and manage risk.
3. Lead on the development and implementation of appropriate academic programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research levels.
4. Provide leadership, guidance and input into business engagement by driving business growth by identifying opportunities, tracking new markets, and building sustainable client relationships.
5. Building on existing research and corporate strengths and activities, define, develop, and implement Innovation Factories for individual Schools as well as shared ones. 
6. Lead on the development of the governance, processes, policies, and operational protocols to ensure the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub, and Innovation Factories are shaped by academic input and industrial perspectives. 
7. Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer, develop centralised professional services support for Innovation Factories. 
8. Keep under regular review the key strategic risks and opportunities, internal and external shareholders to entrepreneurial activities relating to the campus strategic plan and the University’s priorities. 
9. Provide executive-level strategic advice, briefings, and support to the Principal, Associate Principal, Deans of School, industry partners for innovation, knowledge exploitation, incubation and acceleration, and serve on a range of institutional committees and groups. 
10. Build effective and collaborative working relationships with academic divisions and other University units and services areas in the delivery of key priority agendas. 
11. Maintain a strong personal external network to be able to access early-stage intelligence and good practice from across the research and entrepreneurial community and exert influence. 
12. Grow collaborations with companies and other non-academic organisations. 
13. Develop new income streams for the Hub, consistent with College and University strategies and goals. 
14. Be responsible for effective workforce planning within the Hub to assure delivery of the Strategic plan.
15. Represent the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang campus) at a senior level in government meetings, external forums, recruitment fairs, regional and national bodies. 
16. Perform any other worked related tasks assigned by the line manager, or the University Senior Management Team. 

Qualifications and Experiences

1. Substantial experience and significant achievement at leadership level in research and business engagement and innovation in a higher education institution, or a similar industry context. 
2. A track record of success in the development and implementation of innovation centres, incubators, or entrepreneurship projects. 
3. Proven experience in building and leading high-performing and collaborative project teams to deliver major institution-wide initiatives. 
4. Demonstrable success in developing and implementing future-focused strategic plans which maximise opportunities and manage risk.
5. Credibility amongst academic leaders and external partners, personal authority and the ability to take key strategic decisions and represent the institution at a senior level. 
6. A highly-developed external network and proven experience of operating at the most senior levels with a wide range of external stakeholders, sector networks, funders and government departments and agencies. 
7. A strong customer service ethos, ability and achievement in a services planning, coordination and delivery role, in driving team performance and implementing customer service measures. 
8. Excellent change management skills and a track record of review and improvement and innovation in service design and delivery. Enthusiasm for implementing change and the ability to bring new approaches to facilitating innovation. Ability to influence and lead change beyond one’s own functional unit.
9. Substantial experience of successful staff management with the demonstrated ability to exercise formal and informal leadership, to bring fresh thinking to tasks, to lead by example and support colleagues to succeed with a demonstrable commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. 
10. Outstanding organisational skills, and ability to prioritise at individual and team levels, to be sensitive to the pressures facing other groups and individuals and to work to deadlines and under pressure.
11. Ability to communicate with a high degree of competence in both written and spoken English and Modern Standard Chinese preferable. 

Compensation package
Members of Academic Staff are entitled to subsidies for accommodation, travel, and children’s educational, medical insurance, and a one-time relocation allowance is provided. Overseas staff may receive a tax “holiday,” depending on nationality and personal circumstances. 

Citizenship and Visa regulations
Employment at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is regulated by Chinese Labour Laws and must comply with the regulations of the provincial government. These regulations stipulate who is eligible for legal employment with regard to obtaining work permits and visas.  Please be advised candidates over 65 may be not eligible for PRC work visa.

To apply
Please submit your applications online https://career15.sapsf.cn/career?career_company=xjtlu

Applications must be submitted in a single PDF file that includes the following parts in the order of:

• An extended cover letter 
•   A current CV, including date of birth, country of citizenship, current location, and highest degree level;
•   Contact details for three references (Preferably one reference from current or most recent employer). 

For further information about the role, please contact the Associate Principal of XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), Professor Stuart Perrin at Stuart.Perrin@xjtlu.edu.cn

If you are unable to apply on-line please contact the Human Resource Office through our HR Business Partner, Ms Yiting Xu at Yiting.Xu@xjtlu.edu.cn