Vice President, Intellectual Property

Alberta Innovates / InnoTech Alberta • Edmonton, AB

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Intellectual Property is a rare opportunity to build and lead a first‑of‑its‑kind provincial Intellectual Property (IP) office from the ground up. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer of Alberta Innovates with accountability to the Board through the CEO, this role provides bold, strategic leadership for the IP office, created to strengthen Alberta’s innovation economy. As Vice President, you will shape the vision, strategy, and operations of the IP office from inception to full delivery – establishing programming, forging strong partnerships with post‑secondary institutions and Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), and developing Alberta’s provincial IP intelligence capability. Your work will directly influence how IP is understood, created, protected, leveraged, and commercialized across the province. This role is central to Alberta’s ambition to become the most attractive jurisdiction for IP‑rich companies, while ensuring Albertans benefit when publicly supported innovation succeeds. It is a leadership position for a builder and systems‑thinker – someone motivated by impact, collaboration, and the opportunity to shape a lasting provincial asset at the intersection of research, commercialization, and economic growth.

Requirements

• A builder who is energized by creating new organizations, systems, and capabilities from the ground up
• A strategic, systems‑level thinker who can connect policy, research, commercialization, and economic outcomes
• A collaborative leader who builds trust and credibility across academia, industry, and government
• Someone who is purpose‑driven and impact‑oriented, motivated by strengthening Alberta’s innovation ecosystem, is comfortable with ambiguity, influence, and shaping direction at both the provincial and national level

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Intellectual Property office, including establishing the team, governance, operating model, budget, and risk management frameworks; oversee financial performance, a digital IP platform, and a province‑wide panel of IP professionals; set performance goals and develop organizational capability.
• Deliver Provincial Intellectual Property Programming by designing and launching scalable IP education, capacity‑building, and protection programs including IP strategy, protection funding, applied skills development, and investment readiness support.
• Scale Access Through Digital Enablement by leveraging digital tools and artificial intelligence‑enabled platforms to expand reach, improve service delivery, and reduce barriers to IP support across Alberta.
• Build Post‑secondary and TTO Partnerships by negotiating and managing formal partnerships with post‑secondary institutions and Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), including capacity‑building supports, shared expertise models, and joint commercialization strategies in priority sectors.
• Build Alberta’s Intellectual Property Intelligence Capability by designing and operationalizing a provincial IP intelligence framework, delivering regular insights and reporting to the IP office Board, Alberta Innovates leadership, and the government.
• Integrate, Collaborate, and Represent by embedding IP requirements within Alberta Innovates programs, aligning co‑investment and intake processes, collaborating with national IP organizations, and representing the IP office across founder, academic, investor, and government ecosystems.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation aligned with internal classification and pay bands
• Comprehensive benefits, including health and dental coverage and pension benefits
• Vacation starting at three weeks, plus paid time-off programs that support balance
• Opportunities for learning and professional development
• A respectful, inclusive work environment that values collaboration and diverse perspectives
• Flexible work arrangements, where operationally feasible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed