Senior Director, Technology Transfer & Business Development

Buck Institute•Novato, CA

1d•$200,000 - $290,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Technology Transfer & Business Development leads the Buck Institute's deal-making function and plays a key leadership role in business development and alliance management. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Partnering & Administration, this individual serves as the Institute's lead negotiator for technology licenses, corporate sponsored research and collaboration agreements, and U.S. Government agreements, including Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), and is responsible for building the program and alliance management systems that carry those agreements through execution. The Senior Director works closely with Institute leadership, faculty, and external partners to structure, negotiate and execute complex agreements, oversees the processes to effectively manage these relationships following execution, including contract revisions and amendments as programs evolve. The position also provides leadership for the Institute’s core technology transfer responsibilities including protecting, managing, and commercializing Buck intellectual property in compliance with applicable law, sponsor requirements, and Institute policies.

Requirements

Advanced degree (PhD in the biological sciences or chemistry, MD, JD or MBA) or master’s degree combined with substantial directly relevant experience may be considered. A combination of scientific training with legal or business training is strongly preferred.
8+ years' of progressively responsible experience in technology transfer, licensing, business development or alliance management in the life sciences, including at least 5 years in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry setting.
Demonstrated track record as lead negotiator on license, sponsored research and collaboration agreements.
Direct experience negotiating Other Transaction Agreements or other federal agreements (e.g., ARPA-H, DARPA, BARDA, DoD) preferred.
Experience establishing or running an alliance or program management function.
Experience managing, mentoring, and developing staff.
Expert negotiator with sound judgment on when to hold a position and when to close, and the ability to preserve long-term partner relationships through difficult negotiations.
Working knowledge of intellectual property law, the Bayh-Dole Act, federal acquisition and assistance frameworks including Other Transaction authority, and contract law as applied to licensing and research agreements.
Scientific fluency sufficient to evaluate technologies and engage credibly with faculty and partner scientists across basic biology, computational biology and AI, and clinical research.
Team-oriented leader who builds durable processes and systems rather than relying on individual effort.
Outstanding drafting, written and verbal communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
Extremely well organized, with the ability to manage multiple complex negotiations and relationships simultaneously.
Exercises judgment and tact, and maintains a strict degree of confidentiality.
Interacts effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.
Highly proficient with Microsoft Office and contract or IP management databases.

Nice To Haves

Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) or Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) preferred; not required.
Strong financial acumen, including deal valuation and modeling of royalty, milestone and equity terms preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Institute's lead negotiator for exclusive and non-exclusive license agreements, option agreements, corporate sponsored research agreements, research collaborations, and hybrid license-and-collaboration structures.
Lead negotiations of U.S. Government agreements, including Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), cooperative agreements and contracts with ARPA-H, DARPA and other federal sponsors, including terms governing intellectual property, data rights, milestones, payable events and consortium or subaward arrangements.
Structure deal terms, including upfront and milestone payments, royalties, equity, diligence obligations, IP ownership, data rights, publication rights, indemnification and termination provisions, to maximize scientific impact and return to the Institute. Model deal economics and present recommendations to the EVP.
Prepare term sheets and draft, review and redline agreements through execution, engaging outside counsel as needed.
Partner with the EVP and faculty on deal origination. Qualify inbound opportunities and run the deal process, including diligence, from first contact through signature.
Support company formation and spinouts, including startup licenses, equity terms and coordination with compliance on faculty conflict-of-interest management.
Provide guidance to team members responsible for negotiating supporting agreements, including confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, data use and data transfer agreements, inter-institutional agreements, and service agreements.
Provide leadership for the Institute's program and alliance management function, including governance structures (e.g., joint steering committees and project teams), operating procedures, templates and reporting.
Ensure every executed agreement has an operating plan that tracks obligations, deliverables, milestones, payment schedules, reporting deadlines and decision points from kickoff through close-out.
Serve as, or oversee, the alliance manager for major relationships by controlling information flow, facilitating forward progress and managing stakeholders across Buck laboratories and partner organizations. Anticipate and resolve disagreements before they escalate.
Lead contractual revisions during operations, including amendments, scope and budget changes, milestone renegotiations, no-cost extensions, option exercises, assignments and terminations.
For government programs, manage milestone-based deliverables, required reporting and agreement modifications in coordination with Finance and Sponsored Research.
Implement and maintain systems for tracking agreement obligations, revenue and compliance, including a contract and IP management database.
Manage the invention evaluation disclosure process. Assess disclosures for patentability and commercial potential and make recommendations on patent filing, prosecution and maintenance, working with outside patent counsel within budget.
Work with inventors to market Buck technologies, data assets and platform capabilities to prospective licensees, corporate partners and investors consistent with the Institute's mission.
Ensure compliance with Institute intellectual property and conflict-of-interest policies.
Advise and educate faculty on intellectual property, their obligations and the Institute's, and pathways to commercialization.
Monitor licensee performance, including royalty reports, diligence milestones, sublicensing and audit rights, as needed.
Maintain and update Institute technology transfer and IP policies and stay current on legislation, federal funding mechanisms and market trends.
Lead and collaborate with a team of technology transfer, contracts and alliance management professionals. Set priorities and manage workflow across the deal and alliance portfolio.
Collaborate closely with Finance, Sponsored Research, Legal, Compliance, Philanthropy and scientists.
Provide regular reports on the deal pipeline, IP portfolio and active alliances to the EVP for use with Board committees and the Board of Trustees.
Perform other duties as required or assigned.