Deputy Head of Licensing & Ventures – Licensing Alliance (Life Sciences)

Deputy Head of Licensing & Ventures – Licensing Alliance (Life Sciences)
Permanent contract

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Oxford University Innovation and its Life Science 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 in an exciting role managing a large IP portfolio, licensing university ideas, and establishing University spinout companies or alternative routes to create impact.

The Opportunity

The successful candidate will work within our friendly, fun, fast-moving and successful Life Sciences Group, leading a team focusing on commercialising a broad spectrum of technologies and the post deal management of agreements and relationships with licensees in the areas of drug discovery/development, biomarkers, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health innovation, biotechnology, environment (and more) developed from Life, Biomedical and Medical Sciences research at the University of Oxford.

Applicants who have significant experience and a track record in commercial settings or in other university enterprises and strong line management experience are required.

The key responsibilities of the role are:

• Demonstrate visible leadership and ensure the teams are inspired and energised to deliver high levels of performance.
• Build a strong team in which there are high levels of mutual support, encouragement, trust, motivation, and communication.
• Ensure that all direct reports and team members have a clearly delegated set of measurable objectives for which they are accountable.
• Ensure that there is a strong pipeline of commercially viable projects for the future within their teams.
• Ensure that there are high standards of administration within the team which maintain the professional image of OUI and the University
• Develop an annual budget for the team as part of the business planning process and stick to it throughout the year.
• Help the Licensing & Ventures Managers and Senior Licensing & Ventures Managers within their team manage their projects profitably by optimising revenue and controlling expenditure whilst ensuring that as much technology is transferred, and impact achieved as possible.

The Candidate will need to have excellent people skills and be a kind but strong leader with a proven track record and experience managing diverse teams. A 2:1 degree in life science, or equivalent, is required and a demonstrated passion for science, innovation, and significant experience in the pharmaceutical, life science or medical, biotech, digital innovation sectors.

You will also need to demonstrate you have the skills to work well with knowledgeable and motivated people to achieve goals as well as strong verbal and written communication skills, and a commitment to integrity and sound commercial judgement. You should be able to work autonomously and manage a large diverse portfolio effectively.

Experience in any of the following industries or sectors is relevant and helpful:

• Commercialisation and management of significant income from licenses.
• Therapeutic development, pharmaceutical or data-driven drug discovery and vaccine development.
• Biomarkers, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health and personalised diagnostics and medicine, industrial biotechnology relating to feeding, fueling, or protecting the world to meet climate change goals.

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying for this role, please download the application form from our website (www.innovation.ox.ac.uk) and send together with a copy of your CV and covering letter to Roy Bennett roy@adlib-recruitment.co.uk.

Salary for these roles is commensurate with experience and will be in the range of £65k-£70k.

Closing date is midday on Monday 30th January 2023

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. OUI is accredited with the Investors in People Silver status.

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.

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

OUI is accredited with the Investors in People Silver status.