A-CAPP CENTER OVERVIEW

The Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection is located in the College of Social Science since 2009. The Center focuses on research, education and outreach related to brand protection and anti-counterfeiting from a multidisciplinary perspective. It is the leading academic center globally on this issue and engages with the public and private sector, regularly. Since 2020, A-CAPP Center has engaged with more than 500 organizations globally, including multi-national brands, technology and service providers, investigators, law enforcement, government agencies, non-profit organizations, e-commerce platforms and other academics. The Center also regularly engages in media requests, external presentations and training, and other publicly facing events external to MSU.
The Center has an industry advisory board and 4 brand protection councils that align with the Center’s strategic thematic areas. In March of 2025, the Center relaunched its Brand Protection Professional Certificate program, after over 5000 courses had been taken on the original one. The certificate is designed primarily for the brand protection community but is also used to help train the future workforce in brand protection—students. The A-CAPP Center also runs a small internship program.
The Center has a small, dynamic team that works in a fast-paced environment, navigating academia while responding to the speed of the private sector. Given the nature of our external engagement, we work in a hybrid environment. The Center is also almost entirely self-sustaining, meaning that the success of the Center’s programs and performance of the team, directly impacts funding for future salaries and projects.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Experiential Learning and Workforce Development Specialist is responsible for the A-CAPP Center’s academic and professional educational programming, with a strategic focus on developing and sustaining the current and future global brand protection workforce.
This role involves executing and managing the Center’s educational programs while implementing a range of duties to develop and maintain strategic initiatives. The Experiential Learning and Workforce Development Specialist will cultivate and strengthen connections with both internal MSU stakeholders and external partners, including industry leaders, law enforcement agencies, government entities, academic institutions, and other relevant organizations.
A key component of this position is promoting and expanding awareness of the Center’s educational offerings. The Professional and Academic Education Specialist will foster collaborative relationships and ensure the effective delivery of outreach activities that align with the Center’s mission to advance education and research in brand protection and anti-counterfeiting, including revenue generation for program support.
This position is an annual fixed term academic appointment (as an academic specialist-outreach) with a potential for reappointment based on performance and funding. Performance will be measured in part based on success of program metrics, as well as revenue generation. To learn more on academic specialist positions at MSU, visit https://hr.msu.edu/policies-procedures/faculty-academic-staff/academic-specialist-handbook/index.html

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Master’s or other advanced degree.

Experience: Minimum 3-5 years (combined actual or experiential education) in:

• Project management, curriculum development, or similar educational roles.
• Stakeholder engagement across academic, industry, or public sector fields.
• Stakeholder engagement across academic, industry, or public sector fields.

CORE SKILLS:

• Strong initiative, ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations, and drive results.
• Adaptability in a fluid and sometimes unstructured environment; ability to pivot quickly.
• Ability to thrive in high-pressure settings, problem-solve, and navigate obstacles.
• Clear, assertive communication and ability to foster engagement across teams.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Minimum 5-10 years (combined actual or experiential education) in:

• Project/program coordination and management.
• Curriculum development or educational programming.
• Extensive networking across academic, corporate, and policy sectors.

Specialist will

• Lead instruction of the experiential education courses offered through the College of Social Science and based on A-CAPP Center materials. Serve as the instructor of record and/or teach portions of credit courses in brand protection, including teaching and related class preparation, grading, student evaluation, etc.
• The course is a new course and will roll out in the Spring of 2025 and will be taught by another A-CAPP Center staff member. The first time this position will perform the teaching role will be Spring of 2026.