Director Technology Development

Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) supports the commercialization of university technology through technology licensing, the development of sponsored research agreements and venture creation. JHTV serves as a business advisor to investigators at all nine schools of the university whose research has commercial potential and provides a set of specific resources to aid them, including IP protection, technology analysis, marketing and licensing support, translational and venture funding support, physical space though its FastForward innovation hubs, and professional services (e.g., mentorship, pro bono legal and accounting services, and educational programming).

The Technology Development team at JHTV was created to scout, foster, and manage high value opportunities to drive innovation and commercialization. We are seeking a Director Technology Development who will focus on therapeutics, diagnostics and application platforms and is responsible for cultivating high-potential technologies at the university through consultation with faculty and leveraging the resources internal/external to JHTV. This requires managing collaborations (from inception to completion) across JHU and JHTV as well as our external partners. The Director, Life Sciences Technology Development will manage and accelerate internal projects leveraging existing capabilities to create novel intellectual property and disruptive technology. The Director, Life Sciences Technology Development will be responsible for all aspects of project leadership and success (including project scoping, planning, execution, experimental design, and achievement of technical milestones), and will be responsible for successfully delivering on these projects and developing a clear commercialization strategy. This leader will work cross functionally to manage new business opportunities.

Specific Duties Responsibility

• Faculty engagement and relationship building: Source and connect with faculty who are conducting commercially relevant research, raise awareness about JHTV’s role as an advisor and service area, and informally advise/connect them with appropriate resources and commercialization pathways.
• Technology development: Advise faculty on technology development with a focus on value proposition creation, development of technology development project plans, and leveraging of JHTV resources (IP and licensing support, research and startup funding, mentorship, programs) to develop technologies against commercialization goals. For a set of high-value technologies, provide direct project management support to ensure that maximum value is created, working across Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures to align on strategy and resource allocation.
• Business planning & project management: For a set of high-value technologies, provide direct project management support to ensure that maximum value is created, working across JHTV to align on strategy (e.g., venture creation, exclusive licensing to industry, etc.) and resource allocation.
• Business development: With members of JHTV and members of school leadership, coordinate relationships with industry and other external parties to open new sponsored research, licensing, and venture creation opportunities with corporates and investors.

Essential Job Functions

• Works across university-with emphasis on life science areas-to support new ideas with commercial potential and entrepreneurial faculty.
• Works closely with faculty who have invented novel technologies-with emphasis on life science areas-to assist with the articulation of a commercial value; identifies key challenges proposition and market opportunities and assists with technology development plans.
• Connects faculty to JHTV/JHU and other resources including IP and licensing support, mentorship, programs, funding, venture creation expertise.
• Provides project management support for high-potential technologies.
• Assists the technology transfer team in developing technology licensing strategies and screening potential licensees that are startups.
• Interacts with potential startups including, but not limited to, business model development, mentor matching, and fundraising support.
• Collaborates with faculty leaders and department administrators to increase the culture of translation across the university.
• Assists in the development of reports to school and department leadership summarizing the status of key projects and overall translational activity.

Special Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to understand complex technologies, demonstrated by relevant technical training or industry or technology transfer experience.
• Knowledge of intellectual property, technology transfer and technology development; ideally has experience with academic conflict of interest issues.
• Venture or business development experience, preferably in a life science company. Venture funding experience strongly desired.
• Demonstrate a collegial and cooperative nature to be able to work effectively with senior and junior licensing associates, JHTV and University senior management, JHU faculty, and outside companies and entrepreneurs.
• Able to flex between strategic thinking and hands-on management of programs, projects and processes.
• Sensitive to faculty and early venture needs and work in accordance with university wide policies.
• Strategic and analytical thinking skills with an ability to solve problems and make decisions, with the ability to multi-task under deadline pressure.
• Able to network and interact, as well as support effective partner-ships with key groups and individuals.
• Strong verbal/written communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.