Intellectual Property Commercialisation Lead

Step; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

STEP is advancing a bold fusion energy programme in the UK, delivering IP commercialisation across the STEP project. You will lead the identification and development of commercial opportunities, map IP portfolios to industry needs, and collaborate with internal and external teams to maximise value from IP assets.

The role requires strategic thinking, industry knowledge, and strong stakeholder engagement. You will engage with engineers and technologists to translate IP into market opportunities,

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in a Scientific or Engineering discipline.
• Experience leading IP commercialisation and technology transfer.
• Experience advising technologists and engineers on commercialisation.
• Experience managing an IP portfolio and pipeline.
• Familiarity with fusion or related sectors is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead IP commercialisation processes and identify market-ready IP.
• Map IP clusters to industry needs and engage potential licensees.
• Coordinate with STEP teams and external partners on opportunities.
• Support commercial negotiations of IP opportunities.
• Develop value scenarios for IP assets and communicate opportunities.

Skills

Commercialisation leadership

Technology transfer

IP portfolio management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical thinking

Technical background

Communication skills

Project management

Strategic thinking

Education

Graduate degree in Science/Engineering

Job description

Job Description

Fusion energy offers the potential for significant quantities of low-carbon, inherently safe, abundantly fuelled, baseload energy, supporting sustainable climate action and energy independence. While the technical challenge remains high, confidence is increasing, and the rewards of realising fusion are almost incalculable. Anticipated to come online for commercial purposes in the middle of this century, fusion offers a viable means to sustainable net zero in the UK and globally, as well as to increased energy security. The UK is currently a world leader in fusion research and development and in the drive to realise commercially viable energy from fusion, a sector with an estimated value of £tns per year.

STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is the UK’s flagship national programme to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant, targeting 2040, and a path to commercial viability of fusion. STEP is deliberately bold and ambitious and seeks people who want to be part of a world-changing endeavour and who have credible and relevant experience in delivery.

STEP is led by UK Fusion Energy Ltd. (UKFE), a company within the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) group, which has breadth and depth of expertise in fusion science, engineering and operations built over decades. UK Fusion Energy Ltd. (UKFE) will focus on the delivery of the prototype and, in so doing, the development of a UK based fusion industry. From the next government investment gate, UKFE will lead a collaborative team of industrial Whole Plant Partners who bring expertise in engineering and construction, plus UKAEA who will remain as strategic Partner providing fusion expertise.

What you’ll be doing

STEP is a bold and ambitious programme, and we are developing pioneering new technologies in order to achieve the goal. We are generating considerable intellectual property which we will use to inspire and enable the fusion industry, strengthening the UK’s leadership in the industry.

As the programme progresses and our whole plant and other partners come on board, you will have responsibility for leading on a range of intellectual property commercialisation projects designed to 1) stimulate the STEP commercial supply chain and 2) generate value from the intellectual property developed on STEP.

The role involves working alongside the IP generation team, identifying opportunities for IP commercialisation, engaging potential licensees and working alongside others in the Commercial team to generate value from IP.

Accountability 1: Stakeholder Engagement

Responsibilities:

• Stakeholder identification across UKFE, STEP programme and other bodies or entities
• Stakeholder relationship building and maintenance
• Tracking, monitoring and reporting to stakeholders

Accountability 2: Fusion industry and supply chain understanding, engagement and mapping

Responsibilities:

• Creating and maintaining an understanding of the developing fusion supply chain landscape
• Leading on mapping of supply chain IP portfolios, interests and gaps and mapping to UKFE IP portfolio
• Collaborating with other teams within STEP programme
• Attending industry events to publicise STEP and our IP commercialisation opportunities
• Building and maintaining relationships with fusion industry parties
• Working with internal and external resources

Accountability 3: Leading on the identification and development of IP commercialisation opportunities

Responsibilities:

• Leading on the IP commercialisation process in specific areas
• Identifying clusters of commercialisable IP rights
• Mapping potential use application of IP or IP clusters to industry requirements to industries and industry challenges
• Creating market engagement materials
• Working with internal and external resources

Accountability 4: Commercialisation value development

Responsibilities:

• Leadership of commercialisation value development
• Developing and understanding the potential use cases of IP assets
• Determining industry use case
• Developing an understanding of the potential value of an industry use case
• Working with internal and external resources

Accountability 5: Support commercial negotiation

Responsibilities:

• Working alongside others in the commercial function to prepare for IP commercialisation negotiation
• Leading, progressing or working alongside others in the commercial function to negotiate IP commercialisation opportunities with industry
• Working with internal and external resources

The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities, and you may be required to undertake other reasonable tasks or duties requested.

Qualifications

Essential

• Minimum of a graduate degree in a relevant topic
• Demonstrable commercialisation or technology transfer leadership experience
• Proven experience advising technologists and engineers on commercialisation and technology transfer opportunities
• Experience managing an IP commercialisation pipeline and portfolio.
• Demonstrable experience as a technology transfer or industry commercialisation expert
• Extensive working knowledge of IP, particularly patent rights
• Experience working in a high energy, busy project-based environment, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• The ability to build, collaborate and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders, ranging from technical to executive.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, priority setting and attention to detail.
• Strong technical background with a degree in Scientific or Engineering discipline

Beneficial

• Experience negotiating with industry and academia
• Familiarity with the fusion or fusion adjacent sectors
• Certified IP valuation expert
• Experience developing and presenting business use case examples

Additional Information

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and ethnic minority backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success. UKFE is committed to being accessible. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information. This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions. Whilst not required at this time, there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future. If a candidate already holds an SC clearance, that clearance can be transferred to UKFE.

As we work towards our mission and goals, guided by our principles, STEP has six behaviours that are intended to capture the spirit of how we work:

• We champion safety
• We all matter
• We act as one
• We embrace change
• We are pioneering
• We deliver

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.