Director, Partnering

Jobtailor; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Nokia Technology Standards licenses Nokia's intellectual property and seeks a Director, Partnering, to drive partnering initiatives and oversee major partner relationships. You will shape strategy, negotiate complex deals, and ensure execution with cross-functional teams.

The role requires senior leadership, deal execution, and the ability to translate strategic vision into measurable value for the organization. This is a high-visibility position in a leading licensing team.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in patent licensing and/or other patent transactions.
• Strong ability in negotiating complex agreements and managing complex negotiation projects in a cross-functional context in patents and IP.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills - demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
• Excellent project and program management skills - comfortable managing multiple complex initiatives with competing priorities.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with ambiguity and evolving priorities.
• High degree of integrity, diplomacy, and negotiation savvy.
• Master's degree or higher in appropriate field, with excellent academic records.

Responsibilities

• Scout, identify, qualify, negotiate, and close new strategic partnering initiatives and manage and expand existing relationships.
• Lead deal structuring and contract negotiations in coordination with internal stakeholders, ensuring favorable commercial terms while protecting company interests.
• Contribute to the broader partnering strategy - advise leadership on partnership models, ecosystem trends and landscape, and new opportunities.
• Serve as the senior relationship owner for assigned partners and build and manage trusted relationships.
• Drive cross-functional alignment - collaborate closely with internal teams (licensing, strategy, finance, portfolio management, legal, and others) and create new processes to deliver on partnership commitments and joint initiatives.
• Define and monitor partnership success metrics, pipeline generation, and prepare executive-level reporting and insights.
• Mentor junior team members and champion best practices in partner management across the organization.

Skills

Relationship building

Negotiation

Project management

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Cross-functional leadership

Integrity and diplomacy

Education

Master's degree or higher

Job description

Nokia Technology Standards licenses Nokia's intellectual property, including patents and selected technologies. This is building on Nokia's continued innovation and decades of R&D leadership with technologies deployed in virtually all connected devices used today. We are offering an opportunity to make an impact in one of the leading licensing teams in the world!

You will be joining our Partnering team which is responsible for driving portfolio transactions and emerging revenue opportunities and for collaborating with other asset owners.

Concretely, the Technology Standards Partnering Team is seeking a Director, Partnering, to run various activities related to our partnering initiatives and projects. In this role, you will act as the primary senior point of contact for major partners, shape partnership strategy, negotiate complex deals, and ensure successful execution and ongoing value creation. This is a high-visibility role ideal for someone who thrives in building long-term, reciprocal relationships and translating strategic vision into measurable business results.

• Scout, identify, qualify, negotiate, and close new strategic partnering initiatives and manage and expand existing relationships.

• Lead deal structuring and contract negotiations in coordination with internal stakeholders, ensuring favorable commercial terms while protecting company interests.

• Contribute to the broader partnering strategy - advise leadership on partnership models, ecosystem trends and landscape, and new opportunities.

• Serve as the senior relationship owner for assigned partners and build and manage trusted relationships.

• Drive cross-functional alignment - collaborate closely with internal teams (licensing, strategy, finance, portfolio management, legal, and others) and create new processes to deliver on partnership commitments and joint initiatives.

• Define and monitor partnership success metrics, pipeline generation, and prepare executive-level reporting and insights.

• Mentor junior team members and champion best practices in partner management across the organization.

• 7+ years of experience in patent licensing and/or other patent transactions.

• Solid experience and strong ability in negotiating complex agreements and managing complex negotiation projects in a cross-functional context in the area of patents and IP.

• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills -demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.

• Excellent project and program management skills - comfortable managing multiple complex initiatives with competing priorities.

• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, matrixed environment with ambiguity and evolving priorities.

• High degree of integrity, diplomacy, and negotiation savvy.

• Excellent problem solving, strategic thinking, and analytical skills

• Master's degree or higher in appropriate field, with excellent academic records