"Director, Licensing & Business Development"

Job Details

Screen reader users may encounter difficulty with this site. For assistance with applying, please contact hr-accessibleapplication@osu.edu. If you have questions while submitting an application, please review these frequently asked questions.

Current Employees and Students: If you are currently employed or enrolled as a student at The Ohio State University, please log in to Workday to use the internal application process.

Welcome to The Ohio State University's career site. We invite you to apply to positions of interest. In order to ensure your application is complete, you must complete the following:

• Ensure you have all necessary documents available when starting the application process. You can review the additional job description section on postings for documents that may be required.
• Prior to submitting your application, please review and update (if necessary) the information in your candidate profile as it will transfer to your application.

Job Title: Director, Licensing & Business Development

Department: ERIK | Technology Commercialization

The Director, Licensing & Business Development oversees the licensing and business development functions within the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) Health Sciences Innovation (HSI) team. The director is responsible for licensing and technology marketing in related schools, colleges, centers, and institutes, including the College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Optometry, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, and the Wexner Medical Center for The Ohio State University.

At the direction of the Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Innovation, this role establishes best practices and ensures the effective performance of the licensing team responsible for managing the Health Sciences Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio across all aspects of licensing including invention assessment, collaborating with the Director of Intellectual Property and Award Management in IP protection, market analysis and development of commercialization strategy, negotiating and structuring licenses, option and other related agreements, and collaborating with the Director of Intellectual Property and Award Management in post-license surveillance. Partners with leaders across the university to identify opportunities for improvement to processes and/or procedures, ensuring any changes are put into practice within HSI. Responsible for ensuring the effective performance of the team across all aspects of licensing and business development, including invention assessment, market analysis and commercialization strategy, new venture creation, negotiating and structuring licenses, option and other related agreements. Partners with the Director of Intellectual Property and Award Management with the intellectual property protection strategies, post-license surveillance, and enforcement and monetization of licenses. The director will foster a positive culture of service excellence by the staff to all key stakeholders, both internal and external to the university. Defines clear objectives, strategies and tactics in leading a highly qualified licensing and business development teams, which align with the mission of HSI, ERIK and the university. Leads a highly qualified team managing the university’s health sciences related technology portfolio.

The licensing and business development teams will manage the health sciences related pipeline of technologies from invention disclosure to license expiration and manage all aspects of reporting. Effectively markets new technologies and leads the core unit in driving productivity for the HSI team. Actively engages with college leaders and their faculty to drive engagement, invention, and relationship management across the university. Collaborates with the startup team to oversee the creation and licensing of health sciences technology to startup companies.

As part of the HSI leadership team, actively works with the AVP on short- and long-range strategic vision as well as executing the strategies and tactics to reach core licensing objectives. Oversees talent acquisition within the team and develops a strategic staffing model to yield high productivity within the licensing and business development functions. Responsible for developing, coaching and mentoring team managers, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of core processes, and ensure outstanding customer experience through all aspects of stakeholder engagement. Participates in difficult conversations that lead to positive outcomes. Works closely with the AVP and other senior leaders to establish OSU as a top-tier, nationally recognized innovative university.

Qualifications Required:

• Masters, MBA, JD, or Ph.D. in STEM related field.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant working experience.
• At least eight (8) years of experience in licensing commercialization with an emphasis on business development and deal negotiation in both university and industry environments.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, management skills and written and oral communication skills.
• Adept in negotiation, university policies, patent and recent changes in patent law, exceptional knowledge and network in industry licensing.
• Proven track record of closing successful deals demonstrable through deal sheet.
• Has positive attitude and models inspirational leadership to build strong, resilient, and innovative teams.
• Process and metrics oriented and committed to continuous improvement.
• Self-motivated, and an effective verbal and written communicator.

Qualifications Desired:

• PhD or other advanced degree.
• Minimum of 15 or more years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, life sciences, and/or digital health is desired.
• The ideal candidate will be a visionary and inspiring leader who is committed to fostering a high performing working environment.

A resume is required to be submitted for this position. A cover letter is strongly desired.

Additional Information:

Join the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) at The Ohio State University and become a part of a dynamic, forward-thinking team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of discovery and innovation. ERIK positions Ohio State to expand curiosity-driven research and creative expression, further develop our research community of faculty, staff, and students, and grow the innovation ecosystem to address big challenges and improve communities locally and globally. We are seeking passionate individuals who are committed to making a meaningful impact through collaboration, innovation, and excellence. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit https://erik.osu.edu/.

Position Mapping:

Function: Research Administration

Sub-function: Technology Commercialization

Career Band and Level: M4

Location: Mount Hall (0311)

Position Type: Regular

Scheduled Hours: 40

Shift: First Shift

Final candidates are subject to successful completion of a background check. A drug screen or physical may be required during the post offer process.