Job Description Summary:
The Director of Business Development leads the Innovation Office's proactive, outbound industry engagement strategy. Where much of the office's industry activity is inbound - companies coming to Texas A&M with a defined need - the Director of Business Development goes out into the market to identify companies whose technology roadmaps, R&D priorities, and strategic gaps align with System research and IP, and to open conversations that lead to licenses, sponsored research, joint development, and other commercial engagements.
The Director builds and manages a portfolio of corporate relationships across the System's core research sectors - including energy, agriculture, semiconductors and advanced electronics, advanced manufacturing, defense and national security, life sciences, and digital technologies - and works in close partnership with the Licensing, New Ventures, and Strategic Partnerships teams to translate those relationships into signed agreements and lasting commercial outcomes.
This role is measured on results, not activity. Success is defined by the executed licenses, options, sponsored research agreements, and strategic collaborations that flow from the Director's work - not by the volume of introductions made. The Director is also the founding leader of the Business Development team and is expected to recruit, develop, and lead a growing group of sector-focused Business Development professionals over time.
Responsibilities:
- Proactive Industry Engagement
- Develop and execute a sector-based outbound engagement strategy that identifies target companies whose technology roadmaps and strategic priorities align with System research strengths and available IP.
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with corporate R&D, open innovation, corporate development, and business unit leaders at target companies.
- Develop a working understanding of corporate technology development roadmaps, unmet technical needs, and partnership preferences within each target vertical, and use that understanding to anticipate and shape commercial opportunities.
- Represent the Innovation Office at industry conferences, sector summits, and corporate innovation events, and cultivate relationships with trade associations, consortia, and ecosystem partners that expand access to target companies.
- Opportunity Development and Deal Support
- Match System technologies and research capabilities to identified corporate needs by maintaining current knowledge of the active invention, patent, and licensing portfolio.
- Advance qualified opportunities from initial interest through structured deal discussions in close partnership with the Licensing, New Ventures, and Strategic Partnership teams, and stay engaged through execution.
- Contribute to the framing, positioning, and commercial strategy of specific opportunities - including deal structure, partnership model, and market rationale - as a working member of each deal team.
- Develop sector-level marketing materials, capability briefs, and targeted outreach content in collaboration with the Marketing and Licensing teams.
- Cross-Functional Coordination
- Partner with the Director of Strategic Partnerships to ensure that outbound Business Development activity complements inbound partnership work, and that industry relationships are handed off cleanly between the two teams as opportunities evolve.
- Coordinate closely with Licensing, New Ventures, and Sponsored Research to ensure that industry conversations are grounded in an accurate understanding of the underlying technology, IP position, and commercial pathway.
- Represent Business Development in portfolio reviews and pipeline discussions with commercialization and research leadership, and align outbound engagement priorities with the office's broader commercialization strategy.
- Team Leadership
- Recruit, develop, and lead a team of Business Development professionals organized by sector or geographic territory as the function grows.
- Establish operating norms, performance expectations, and coaching practices that reinforce outcome-driven behavior and disciplined use of shared systems, including the office's CRM platform.
- Own the Business Development budget, travel plan, and conference participation strategy.
- Contribute to the leadership of the Innovation Office as a member of the Director-level leadership group, participating in strategy, budgeting, hiring, and cross-functional problem-solving.
- Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in technical or scientific field (engineering, life sciences, physical sciences, computer science, or a related discipline), or a business degree paired with demonstrated technical depth developed through professional experience.
- Eight years of professional experience, including as least five years in industry - facing roles such as business development, corporate partnerships, technology licensing, strategic alliances, or corporate R&D leadership.
- Experience using CRM systems and structured pipeline data to manage a portfolio of relationships and opportunities.
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: A demonstrated track record of closing meaningful commercial agreements - licenses, joint development agreements, sponsored research programs, or strategic partnerships - through personally cultivated corporate relationships.
- Working knowledge of the technology commercialization process, including the distinction between research-stage and market-ready technologies, the basics of patents and licensing structures, and technology development cycles in at least one major industry vertical.
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with both technical researchers and corporate decision-makers.
- High professional integrity and a commitment to accuracy when representing research and technologies to external partners.
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically and, when appropriate, internationally.
- Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree (MS, MBA, PhD, JD, or equivalent) in a technical, business, or legal field.
- Experience in a university technology transfer office, national laboratory commercialization group, corporate R&D partnerships function, or comparable innovation-focused organization.
- Familiarity with sponsored research agreements, master research agreements, cooperative research and development agreements, and other university-industry engagement vehicles.
- Prior experience recruiting, building, or leading a team in a business development, partnerships, or industry engagement function.
- Sector fluency in one or more of the following: energy, agriculture, semiconductors and advanced electronics, advanced manufacturing, defense and national security, life sciences, or digital technologies.
- An established industry network in Texas, the Gulf Coast region, or national technology sectors relevant to System research.
Other Requirements:
This is a security-sensitive position and is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents only. Only complete applications will be considered for employment at The Texas A&M System Offices. Incomplete job application data could result in your application being rejected without an option to reapply. A cover letter and resume may be required in addition to a completed employment application.
All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.
Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.
