Licence Alliance Manager

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Oxford University Innovation and its Licensing & Ventures team is known for its expedited work on the Oxford/AZ Covid 19 vaccine, creating spinouts like Mirobio who provide therapeutics for autoimmune disease, or revolutionise DNA sequencing like Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The Higher Education Business & Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey by UKRI ranked Oxford University Innovation as the country’s top performing university enterprise.
Join us and you could be part of the Oxford community managing a large IP portfolio, licensing university ideas, and establishing University spinout companies or alternative routes to create impact.

The Opportunity:
We are seeking a candidate to join our newly formed Licence and Alliance Management Team. The successful candidate will join this talented and supportive team and will focus on the management of a portfolio of existing licences and key partnerships arising from across Life and Physical Sciences.

The key responsibilities of the role are:

• Alliance and stakeholder management.
• Licence and patent portfolio management, commercial foresight, and planning.
• Negotiating appropriate licensing contracts.
• Protecting and strengthening the interests of OUI and the University.

The Applicant:
The ideal candidate will have a sciences degree (or equivalent) and be able to demonstrate a passion for science and innovation. You may currently be based in industry or academia; you may have sampled life in a start-up environment; or already be working in the technology transfer sector. Knowledge of intellectual property and additional qualifications such as a PhD or MBA, are advantageous although not essential.

Along with a commitment to integrity and sound commercial judgement, the successful candidate will also need to demonstrate:

• The ability to grasp challenging technical concepts quickly from a wide range of technology areas.
• Experience of working effectively with stakeholders, confidently influencing them and where appropriate showing tenacity and persistence.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship management, and team working skills, as well as strong verbal and written communication skills.
• A passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and enterprise.
• Working successfully and collaboratively within a team.
• Managing a portfolio of projects within a process-driven environment to successful commercial outcomes.

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying for this role, please download the application form from the OUI website and send it together with a copy of your CV and cover letter to Roy Bennett at roy@adlib-recruitment.co.uk

Information about our culture and working life at OUI can be found here https://innovation.ox.ac.uk/about/careers

Salary for this role is commensurate with experience and will be in the range of £36,000 – £40,000 per annum.
Benefits – 30 days holiday & 8 bank holidays, hybrid (50/50) working, generous pension scheme, rewards scheme and private healthcare.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
Oxford University Innovation is an Equal Opportunities Employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a supportive working, learning and social environment, in which the rights and dignity of all its staff are respected, and where everyone is able to be themselves and is empowered to reach their full potential. This commitment is linked to and reinforces the OUI values of integrity, collaboration and empowerment. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures.
Our approach to hybrid and flexible working:
We believe that our employees are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to attracting and retaining the very best talent. We also appreciate that the UK workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and includes a high percentage of parents and individuals with caring responsibilities, as well as those whose interests and aspirations impact on their time.
We recognise the importance of helping our employees balance their work and home lives by offering flexible working arrangements that enable them to balance their work commitments with other priorities. This includes hybrid working and flexible working.
The closing date is midday on Wednesday 19th March 2025
Oxford University Innovation is an Equal Opportunities Employer and accredited with the Investors in People Gold status.