Director of Intellectual Property Management

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Company: Texas A&M University
Location: College Station, TX 77840

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Job Title

Director of Intellectual Property Management

Agency

Texas A&M Engineering

Department

Commercialization And Entrepreneurship

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Office of Commercialization & Entrepreneurship is searching for a Director Of Intellectual Property Management to lead the licensing team for its Office of Commercialization & Entrepreneurship.

For 100 years, TEES has performed groundbreaking engineering research and developed technology and intellectual property (IP) assets to address state and national innovation challenges. Our research activities focus on key technology needs in areas including energy systems and services, national security, healthcare, materials and manufacturing, information systems and sensors. Our other activities include industry outreach, education and training. A primary goal of the Office of Commercialization & Entrepreneurship is to foster the creation and evaluation of intellectual property e.g. patents and use those assets to catalyze the translation of TEES inventions into products and services that benefit society. These intellectual property assets support commercialization vehicles such as licensing, start-up ventures, and sponsored research to create sustainable businesses or commercial value.

The Director Of Intellectual Property Management is responsible for the development and management of the TEES IP portfolio, with a particular focus on creating a portfolio of commercially impactful IP. Key in this effort is both assessing early-stage technologies for commercial potential and identifying commercial opportunities for those early-stage technologies. The Director of Intellectual Property Management will also lead and mentor the IP Management organization and staff in the realization of these goals, and be responsible for developing and refining organizational processes.

Direct interaction with Principal Investigators (PIs) is expected in order to be able to identify and evaluate early-stage inventions, and to assess progress and value of technologies and support decisions about patent filing. A requirement of this role is the ability to interface with external companies or agencies to identify unmet needs that can be addressed by TEES technologies. This may require conducting patent searches and market research analyses to provide commercial support for research proposals.

Responsibilities:

Intellectual Property Management:

  • Lead the TEES IP program and manage the overall IP portfolio.
  • Perform patent search and analytics along with market research in support of identifying IP creation and commercial opportunities.
  • Interact with Principal Investigators (PIs) to identify and discuss early-stage inventions and assess progress and value of technology at conversion points.
  • Create processes and mechanisms for identification, management and monetization of IP.
    • Track and manage the IP budget for the organization.
    • Identify opportunities – and implement processes – for improved workflow and streamlined reporting.
    • Serve as the head of the TEES IP committee, which makes filing and maintenance-related decisions for the IP portfolio.
    • Track and report monthly on numbers of active disclosures, provisional patent applications, patent application conversions, and issued patents.
    • Conduct periodic benchmarking of comparable institutions for best practices in inventions management.

Business/Technology Development:

  • Interface with select external companies to identify unmet needs that can be addressed by TEES PIs or existing IP.
  • Participate annually as the business mentor in at least one national NSF I-Corps program or two regional NSF I-Corps programs.

Organizational:

  • Manage and mentor the IP Management team in the C&E office and ensure timely delivery on various projects and programs.
  • Develop educational content and lead IP workshops/lectures/seminars in IP-related spaces for TEES faculty and students.
  • Lead the C&E component for the TEES Compliance Plan.

Required Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Advanced degree in engineering or science strongly preferred.
  • Juris Doctorate degree with US patent bar admission a plus, but not a requirement.

Required Experience:

  • Ten years of related experience.

Preferred Experience:

  • Experience with intellectual property and its commercialization.
  • Experience in management role.
  • Deep experience with IP, and patents in particular.
  • Significant private-sector experience to the role, preferably related to product development.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Demonstrated leadership, prioritization, management and mentoring skills.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.