Apply on Employer Site

University of California Office of the President · 1 day ago

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR INNOVATION TRANSFER AND ENTREPRENUERSHIP

Oakland, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$240K/yr - $266K/yr

10+ years exp

The University of California Office of the President is a leading institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and public service. They are seeking an Executive Director for Innovation Transfer and Entrepreneurship who will lead initiatives related to intellectual property management and technology transfer, overseeing a specialized staff and representing the UC system with external stakeholders.

EducationHigher EducationProfessional Services

Responsibilities

Systemwide Leadership, Policy, and Governance: Provides strategic leadership for UC’s knowledge transfer, innovation, and entrepreneurship ecosystem across all ten campuses, UC ANR, and the national laboratories, while establishing and overseeing institution-wide strategies for patenting, licensing, equity management, conflicts of interest, and IP governance. Exercises delegated authority for major decisions involving finance, staffing, contracts, settlements, and compliance, and works closely with the Research Policy Analysis and Coordination unit, UC Legal, and campus leadership to shape policy, resolve complex legal or operational issues, and ensure alignment across units. Represents UC nationally and internationally on matters related to IP, innovation, research security, entrepreneurship, and economic development, leads systemwide reporting and analytics for technology commercialization, serves as the principal staff officer for the systemwide Knowledge Transfer Advisory Committee (KTAC), and acts as the systemwide owner of equity and facilities-access policies. Drives initiatives to diversify the entrepreneurial pipeline and expand UC’s innovation capacity through collaboration with government, industry, investors, philanthropy, and the scientific community

UC Licensing Support Services and Reporting: In overseeing UC Licensing Support Services, provides executive leadership for systemwide licensing operations, including financial accounting, revenue collection, inventor payments, equity income, and compliance reporting of more than $120 million annually. Serves as the delegated authority for UCOP licensing transactions, supports campus-level patent prosecution and licensing activities, and ensures the integrity and optimization of UC’s IP databases and enterprise systems to support accurate reporting, Bayh-Dole compliance, iEdison submissions, and operational analytics. Leadership extends to managing UC’s annual reporting of licensing revenue, equity income, and invention activity across the system

Organizational Management and Capacity Building: Directs a highly technical unit of approximately 25 FTE—including senior managers, licensing professionals, patent specialists, analysts, and system implementation staff—providing strategic workforce planning, resource allocation, and operational leadership aligned with systemwide priorities. Establishes internal controls, standard operating procedures, and governance structures to ensure effective IP management and departmental operations while advising senior university leaders, faculty, and stakeholders on innovation, commercialization, and research partnership matters. Additionally, identifies organizational training needs and develops professional development and capacity-building programs for campus partners, technology transfer staff, faculty, and internal teams

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Partnerships: Provides leadership and strategic guidance to the President’s Entrepreneurship Network Council and strengthens relationships with industry leaders, venture capitalists, economic development organizations, and entrepreneurship partners to accelerate commercialization and startup activity across UC. Establishes systemwide guidance on incubators, accelerators, and external partner access, promotes interdisciplinary research translation and public-benefit pathways for UC innovations, and advocates for equitable access to entrepreneurship training and commercialization resources for historically underrepresented groups

Qualification

IP managementTechnology transferExecutive leadershipFinancial managementChange managementDigital transformationEntrepreneurshipContract negotiationCommunication skillsPolicy developmentEquityInclusionOrganizational trainingStakeholder alignmentTeam leadership

Required

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing IP and/or technology transfer in a university, research, or business environment

Demonstrated executive leadership of large, complex, multi-stakeholder IP and commercialization programs

Experience overseeing IP or technology transfer-related enterprise-level digital transformation, business system implementation, or technology modernization projects

Strong financial and operational management experience, including oversight of multimillion-dollar budgets and revenue portfolios

Deep understanding of the academic research enterprise, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship, and economic development

Exceptional communication skills and ability to represent the institution to diverse national and international audiences

Expert-level knowledge of IP law, technology commercialization practices, and university-industry partnerships

Demonstrated knowledge of Bayh-Dole compliance, iEdison reporting, and federal regulatory frameworks

Extensive experience leading operations support for large, centralized IP platforms in large complex organizations

Extensive experience negotiating complex license agreements, contracts, and commercial terms

Demonstrated excellence leading diverse, high-performing teams and developing staff at all levels

Experience in organizational change management and policy development

Commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within innovation ecosystems

Preferred

Certification or formal training in Organizational Change Management

Experience leading enterprise-wide technology implementations for research or innovation & entrepreneurship (I&E)

Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit: Benefits of Belonging

Company

University of California Office of the President

Glassdoor3.8

The Office of the President is the system wide headquarters of the University of California, managing its fiscal and business operations, and supporting the academic and research missions across its campuses, labs and medical centers.

Oakland, California, USA

1001-5000 employees