Associate Director, Innovation Partnerships

University of British Columbia•Vancouver, BC

12d•Onsite

About The Position

Innovation UBC’s mission is to maximize the global impact of UBC’s research for the economic and social benefit of the University, the people of British Columbia and Canada. Its mandate is to recognize innovation and excellence in the development and commercialization of technologies and to negotiate and maximize effective partnerships with industry and government. The Associate Director, Innovation Partnerships is a senior position in Innovation UBC that leads the full cycle of partnership engagement, from the identification and development of partnerships to the finalization of collaborative agreements, ensuring that partner interests are aligned with UBC’s research strengths and innovation priorities. This role will drive measurable results in external research collaboration, strategic alliance development, and public-private funding opportunities, with an emphasis on large-scale, high-impact initiatives.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
Minimum of ten years of experience in sponsored research and technology transfer, including several years in a management position, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in science, engineering, business, or law preferred.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute complex partnership strategies and agreements.
Experience with Canadian and international innovation funding programs.
Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with experience managing multi-disciplinary teams.
Proven negotiation and agreement development skills.
Working knowledge of sponsored research, intellectual property, commercialization, and public-private partnership models.
Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in external engagement and internal operations.

Responsibilities

Leads the development and implementation of Innovation UBC’s external partnerships strategy, ensuring alignment with UBC Policies and innovation priorities.
Focus on large-scale strategic initiatives involving industry, government, and not-for-profit partners, often through consortia of multiple organizations.
Leverage provincial and federal funding programs in public/private innovation models to improve the value proposition for industry and amplify impact.
Holds accountability for the full lifecycle of industry and government partnerships, from initial engagement through negotiation, execution, and ongoing stewardship of collaborative agreements on behalf of the University.
Oversees environmental scanning activities to proactively identify funding opportunities and research alignment areas.
Manages a team of Partnership Managers with responsibility for recruitment, goal setting, performance evaluation, and professional development.
Develops and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the impact and effectiveness of partnerships.
Ensures coordinated internal processes across Innovation UBC units to streamline partner engagement and service delivery.
Serves as a senior relationship lead for high-value partnerships, including consortia, anchor industry partnerships, and government collaborations.
Accountable for the structuring, negotiation, and execution of complex collaborative agreements, including multi-party and public-private partnership arrangements.
Has signing authority on behalf of the University and consistent with University Signing Resolutions.
Provides senior-level leadership in resolving complex issues and conflicts arising from active partnership agreements, balancing legal, financial, academic and reputational considerations.
Engages in partner discovery and outreach activities to build long-term strategic relationships.
Represents Innovation UBC in national and international forums focused on university-industry collaboration and innovation.
Prepares and delivers presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
Promotes awareness of partnership opportunities and best practices within the UBC community.