Director of Licensing

Hillcrest Labs, acquired by CEVA; West of England; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ceva seeks a Director of Licensing to lead licensing strategy for its semiconductor IP portfolio and to drive monetization across products and markets.

The role requires expert negotiation skills and strong business acumen, with global deal-making experience highly desirable. Occasional international travel is expected as part of licensing engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Business or Law.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Global responsibility or exposure is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead licensing strategy and execution for the IP portfolio.
• Drive complex negotiations with semiconductor manufacturers, fabless firms and system integrators.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

MBA or law/business (preferred)

Job description

About Ceva:

Ceva is the leader in innovative silicon and software IP solutions that enable smart edge products to connect, sense, and infer data more reliably and efficiently. We help the world’s leading semiconductor companies and original equipment manufacturers turn great ideas into extraordinary products. We create and license technology that powers the newest generation of smart edge devices, and provide innovative silicon and software IP solutions for artificial intelligence, computer vision, audio processing, sensor fusion, 5G and satellite communication, and wireless connectivity. With more than 20 billion devices shipped, Ceva is making the future brighter for people all around the world.

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Overview

We are seeking an experienced and commercially driven Director of Licensing to lead the licensing strategy and execution for our semiconductor intellectual property (IP) portfolio. This role is responsible for efficiently driving complex product and commercial contract negotiations with semiconductor manufacturers, fabless companies, and system integrators.

The ideal candidate combines proven experience in IP licensing (commercial and legal), technology commercialization, complex negotiation and business acumen, strategic deal making skills, with knowledge of the semiconductor industry being a plus.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Monetization & Licensing Strategy
  • Work closely with leadership in Product Divisions, Sales, Finance and Legal to develop strategies to maximize revenue from the company’s IP portfolio.
  • Evaluate opportunities for licensing expansion, renewals, and new use cases.
  • Support IP valuation, competitive analysis, and market positioning.
  • Define optimal licensing models and pricing models that support and drive sustainable and profitable growth
• Deal Structuring & Negotiation & Enforcement
  • Work closely with leadership in Product Divisions, Sales, Finance and Legal to develop and maintain commercial proposal templates and license agreement templates that increase and streamline deal process efficiencies and align with business objectives.
  • Support the Sales team globally throughout complex commercial and legal negotiations, from proposal to deal closing stages and manage contract lifecycle thereafter.
  • Coordinate with Sales, Finance and Legal teams on reporting, compliance, and enforcement of contract terms.

Requirements

• Required
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Business or Law
  • 10+ years of experience in semiconductor or tech industry in roles such as IP licensing, business operations, or business development.
  • Demonstrated hands-on success negotiating and closing technology licensing agreements.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
  • Prior global responsibility or exposure. Availability to travel is a big plus
• Preferred
  • MBA or advanced technical degree.
  • Experience working with semiconductor IP companies, EDA vendors, or fabless semiconductor firms.
  • Business experience in both startup and scale-up (or large) organizations.
  • Understanding of semiconductor IP (e.g., processor cores, interface IP, memory controllers, PHYs, etc.) is a plus.