Assistant Vice President, Technology Transfer

Job Details

General Notes

Application Process :

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter. Preliminary interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Three professional references will be required for candidates who advance in the hiring process but are not due at the time of submission.

Mission of Discovery to Impact :

Discovery to Impact stands at the heart of transforming academic research into real-world solutions, serving as the pivotal bridge between campus innovators and the industry.

Our mission is to harness the power of over 130 campus programs dedicated to entrepreneurship and intellectual property, guiding groundbreaking research from concept to commercial success.

Through fostering strategic partnerships with corporations, investors, and entrepreneurs, we ensure that the University's innovations transition from labs and studios into services, solutions, and products that profoundly benefit society.

Join us in our quest to change the world, one innovation at a time.

Purpose

A direct report to the Associate Vice President, Discovery to Impact, the Assistant Vice President (AVP), Technology Transfer serves as a strategic and visionary leader for the University’s research commercialization and innovation initiatives.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Vice President, Technology Transfer serves as the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT Austin) officer responsible for leading and managing the protection and commercialization of UT intellectual property and for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in support of the University’s strategic goals of efficient translation of innovation research from academia to the market for societal benefit.

The AVP will engage with faculty, staff, and students to assess, safeguard, and commercialize inventions and discoveries, as well as work with other functions within Discovery to Impact to drive outreach to industry and the investment community at a local, regional, and national level.

The AVP’s responsibilities will primarily include managing and building high-performing teams (i.e., intellectual property, technology licensing, collaborative research, etc.

partnering with colleagues to build relationships and networks with external and industry stakeholders, and oversee a strategic approach to the University’s corporate research and technology commercialization activities to ensure UT Austin becomes the top public research university in this field.

Required Qualifications

Possession of a Ph.D., M.B.A., J.D., or equivalent advanced degree in a field related to science, engineering, business, or law.

Demonstrated experience in technology transfer within a university setting and / or within the tech industry or corporate environment, ideally with a focus on patents and intellectual property management.

Proven ability to cultivate a broad faculty, researcher and industry networks.

A solid track record of appreciating and understanding complex scientific and technological research and its potential market applications.

Strong proficiency in the latest software tools and processes.

Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities, with the ability to articulate the commercial potential of academic research to a wide range of stakeholders.

Visionary Leadership : Demonstrates a proactive and results-driven approach, with documented success in guiding and inspiring a large and diverse team.

Embodies characteristics such as :

Strategic foresight

Team empowerment

Creative problem-solving

Collaborative approach

Strategic Connector : Demonstrates acumen in linking corporate research endeavors and tech commercialization with academic talent and industry ventures, fostering dynamic and strategic partnerships that enhance collaborative innovation.

National Recognition : Respected within the domain of higher education research commercialization with a track record of leading initiatives for a nationally ranked program.

Preferred Qualifications

Executive presence with an ability to lead discussions at the highest levels of academia and industry.

Adept negotiation skills with a history of successful deal-making in the technology transfer space.

Comfort with rapid change and a dynamic environment that is characteristic of technology development and commercialization.

Awareness of the regulatory landscape related to intellectual property and technology transfer.

Experience with migrating and implementing software systems, as well as successful transition of data and functionality from legacy systems.

Experience working with international partners and a clear understanding of global market trends in technology and innovation.

Salary Range

OPEN

Working Conditions

Typical office environment

Required Materials

Resume / CV

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section;

you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply.

This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.

that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers.

Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.