Associate Director, Tech Licensing & Partnerships

University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 111,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Tuition benefits

Retirement plans

Wellness programs

Professional development

Flexible work hours

Adoption assistance

Job summary

University of Pennsylvania is seeking an Associate Director, Technology Licensing in Philadelphia, PA to lead technology transfer activities within the Provost's Center.

You will build relationships with faculty, evaluate disclosures for patent potential, and negotiate licensing agreements while guiding junior team members and engaging external partners. Attention to higher‑ed research and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Master's and 5-7 years of relevant work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience required; PhD and 3-5 years of relevant work experience in a life science field strongly preferred.
• Understanding of research environment, preferably in higher education
• Excellent customer service skills; excellent oral and written communication skills

Responsibilities

• Proactively develop, lead, and sustain strong working relationships with faculty and researchers in targeted PSOM departments.
• Meet regularly with investigators to discuss ongoing research and identify technologies with commercial potential, serving as the primary PCI point of contact for assigned investigators and/or departments.
• Evaluate assigned technology disclosures to determine their commercial potential and to develop and recommend well‑articulated, diligently justified “go/no‑go” decisions regarding whether to pursue patent protection.
• Present and support these recommendations, along with proposed IP and commercialization strategies, at weekly Patent Investment Meetings (PIM).
• Identify and actively engage with potential industry partners and investors; perform due diligence on prospective commercial partners and conduct technology valuation to inform deal strategy and structure.
• Initiate and lead the negotiation of licensing and option agreements, and assist with sponsored research and other research‑related agreements with commercial entities, as required.
• Be responsive to the needs of key internal and external PCI clients and help manage relationships with company partners following agreement execution.
• Develop commercialization strategies for assigned technologies and technology portfolios, including assessment of market need, commercial potential, competitive landscape, and appropriate commercialization pathways.
• Perform market analysis to identify commercial opportunities, including identification of and outreach to targeted commercial partners and investors.
• Prepare non‑confidential marketing materials for assigned technologies, with the assistance of PCI’s Marketing, Communications and Programs (MCP) team, as appropriate
• Participate in outreach activities to engage and educate PSOM faculty, researchers, and trainees about technology commercialization pathways and PCI resources.
• Help plan and deliver seminars, workshops, and events, and support programs designed to promote engagement with corporate partners and increase awareness of opportunities to work more closely with Penn and PCI.
• Provide mentoring and guidance to junior TLOs and other trainees.

Skills

Stakeholder relations

IP licensing

Negotiation skills

Due diligence

Market analysis

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree and 5-7 years experience

PhD with 3-5 years experience preferred

Job description

University of Pennsylvania is seeking an Associate Director, Technology Licensing in Philadelphia, PA to lead technology transfer activities within the Provost's Center.

You will build relationships with faculty, evaluate disclosures for patent potential, and negotiate licensing agreements while guiding junior team members and engaging external partners. Attention to higher‑ed research and strong communication are essential.