"Director, HealthTech Works"

Overview

HealthTech Works is a newly launched Yale accelerator to support the development and commercialization of health technologies, including digital health innovations, diagnostics, devices, and AI-enabled tools that address urgent research, clinical and public health needs.

The inaugural Director will lead all aspects of this program, managing the commercialization studio, coordinating advisory and mentorship networks, and guiding promising faculty innovations on the path from lab concept to the market. The Director will oversee day-to-day operations, including proposal solicitation and evaluation, advisory committee coordination, engagement of external expert networks, project funding management, and active mentorship of Yale faculty innovators.

This position will play a key role in expanding Yale’s visibility and impact in health tech innovation, in close collaboration with faculty innovators, clinical partners, and external stakeholders. The successful candidate will ideally have experience in health tech innovation, startup formation, and partnership identification - blending both technical proficiency and commercialization expertise - to position Yale innovations for more advanced development and early piloting. Above all else, we seek a director with a passion for translating research into real-world healthcare solutions that improve outcomes for patients.

Key Responsibilities

Building on Yale Ventures’ proven ability to build and operate thematic technology accelerators, the Director will play a pivotal role in establishing the HTW, including all the following key responsibilities:

Fund Strategy and Leadership

• Define and execute the strategic direction of HealthTech Works, in consultation with the faculty principal investigators and Yale Ventures.
• Align program activities with input from Yale Ventures, and faculty leadership from Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Studio Operations

• Lead annual accelerator cycles: proposal solicitation, evaluation, selection, milestone planning, and tracking.
• Ensure delivery of studio services including business model development, clinical validation planning, and go-to-market strategy.

Mentorship and Advisory Network

• Recruit and manage an advisory board of 8-12 experts, including alumni, healthcare executives, and investors.
• Coordinate a network of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) to support faculty teams.

Team Building and Venture Support

• Support founding team development, SBIR/STTR readiness, and licensing discussions.
• Guide faculty innovators through capital formation, investor engagement, and pitch preparation.

Cross-Campus and Clinical Integration

• Collaborate with leaders across Yale’s schools and Yale New Haven Health to source projects and facilitate interdisciplinary efforts.
• Strengthen piloting and data collection pathways to demonstrate product-market fit within provider systems.

Stakeholder Engagement and Visibility

• Represent HealthTech Works at conferences, innovation events, and pitch showcases.
• Support co-curricular programming including the Yale Healthcare Hackathon, Innovation Summit, and related events.

Impact Measurement and Reporting

• Develop and track key metrics tied to commercialization outcomes, adoption, and patient impact.
• Report program progress to Yale Ventures leadership, donors, and external partners.

Required Skills and Abilities

• At least 10 years of experience in health tech, diagnostics, digital health, or medical devices.
• Proven leadership in innovation programs, commercialization, startup formation, or partnership development.
• Strong understanding of clinical workflows, healthcare regulations, and reimbursement models.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a history of engaging academic and industry stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities, with experience evaluating technical and market viability of early-stage innovations.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

• Advanced degree (MBA, MPH, PhD, MD, or equivalent) in a relevant field.
• Experience in academic medical center or translational research environments.
• Established network within digital health accelerators, investors, and strategic partners.
• Familiarity with IP licensing, SBIR/STTR funding, and university-affiliated venture formation.
• Established relationships within the healthcare community and relevant industry sectors, including (but not limited to) any of the following: (1) Digital Health Platforms: Software and AI-enabled tools for clinical decision support, remote monitoring, virtual care, therapeutic research and development and population health management, (2) Connected Medical Devices & Wearables: Smart diagnostic or monitoring tools (e.g., biosensors, smart stethoscopes, wireless ECGs) with embedded software and cloud integration, (3) AI in Medical Imaging & Diagnostics: Machine learning applications in radiology, pathology, and point-of-care diagnostics to improve accuracy, speed, and accessibility, (4) Clinical Workflow Optimization Tools: Technology that addresses operational inefficiencies in care delivery, from scheduling and documentation to triage and resource allocation, (5) Behavioral & Mental Health Technologies: Digital therapeutics, cognitive behavioral therapy apps, and remote mental health monitoring for individual or population-scale use, (6) Health Access Tools: Innovations addressing disparities in care access, delivery, and outcomes - including language translation, remote diagnostics, and mobile platforms for underserved populations, (7) Home & Community-Based Care Solutions: Tools supporting chronic care, elder care, and post-acute recovery at home - including RPM (remote patient monitoring), telehealth integration, and logistics, (8) Clinical Trial & Research Innovation: Technologies that improve clinical trial design, recruitment, and data capture, including eConsent, digital biomarkers, and decentralized trials, (9) Provider-Patient Communication & Engagement: Tools that facilitate adherence, shared decision-making, patient education, or feedback loops in care plans, and (10) Public Health Surveillance & Outbreak Prediction: AI and analytics platforms that track health trends in real-time, integrate diverse datasets, and support early intervention at population scale.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Accelerator Fund, ensuring that all activities and projects align with the Fund’s long-term goals and objectives. Develop and refine strategic plans to drive the Fund’s growth and impact.
2. Maintain regular communication with key stakeholders, including university administration, faculty, the Accelerator advisory committee, and other external audiences.
3. Oversee and develop the annual report for the Fund’s donors.
4. Supervise and manage the Fund team to successfully implement the Fund’s goals and directives.
5. Lead the Fund team to mentor faculty teams to develop proposal and resource allocation strategies, including assembling teams, engaging external partners, and editing draft proposals. Understand the competitive advantages and challenges, market opportunity, and additional development required to move projects to the next steps.
6. Identify and engage external partners as necessary for the successful execution of funded projects, securing quotes and statements of work as appropriate.
7. Grow the departments reputation among faculty as a partner to support commercialization efforts and develop a target list of all prospective projects for potential inclusion to the Fund.
8. Lead the Fund team to oversee all funded projects, tracking outcomes and costs as well as variances between budgeted and actual values.
9. Lead the Fund team to facilitate the flow of communications between Fund applicants, Yale Ventures staff, and Fund Advisory Board members.
10. Develop a culture of appreciation for translational research and funding among faculty and Fund applicants, including researchers less knowledgeable about the commercialization funding landscape.
11. In conjunction with Yale Ventures staff, lead ongoing marketing of the Fund, building awareness across the entire University community.
12. Advise the Venture Lab program on the specific business needs of Fund awardees, both prior to, during and after the acceleration process.
13. Lead the Fund team to gather and analyze information to prepare status reports. Develop tailored executive summaries to communicate progress, challenges, and next steps. Ensure that assignment and scheduling of work follows internal policies and procedures as well as regulatory requirements.
14. Maintain document version control; provide a comprehensive editorial review of all drafted content; advise investigators on proposal organization.
15. Lead the Fund team to collaborate with the business development team and principal investigators to prepare development plans, define specific objectives and implement alternatives and choices for full proposals.
16. Lead the Fund team to work with the business development team and principal investigators to prepare the presentation of full proposals to the Fund advisory board and Yale leadership.
17. Maintains timelines and financial resources in alignment with development project’s goals and objectives in support of the Advisory Committee decisions to continue or discontinue development support.
18. Tracks and communicates barriers to technical progress of funded projects in order to minimize and/or eliminate risks
19. Works with team in Yale Ventures, on the commercialization of selected projects as new ventures and/or licensing if possible.
20. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Advanced degree and/or master’s in the related Fund’s academic discipline and at least 10 years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Salary Range

$120,000.00 - $225,000.00

Location

55 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Work Model

Hybrid

Time Type

Full time