Director: Innovation and Contracts (Post Level 5) at University of the Free State

Duties and responsibilities

Strategic and Relationships

• Develop and execute a results-driven strategic vision for innovation, commercialisation, and incubation aligned with institutional objectives and national innovation priorities.
• Lead the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), ensuring effective Intellectual Property (IP) management, licensing, and commercialisation strategies.
• Establish sustainable funding models for Technology Transfer and Incubation, leveraging industry partnerships, grants, and venture capital.
• Oversee the commercialisation of research outputs, ensuring revenue-generating opportunities through spinouts, licensing, and contract research.
• Foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, integrating research-based ventures into the economic ecosystem.

Oversight of the Business Incubator

• Lead the university's incubator as a platform for spin-out enablement, innovation scaling, and entrepreneurial pipeline development, integrating research commercialisation, innovation acceleration, and responsible start-up governance principles.
• Develop and implement business acceleration programs, enabling spin-out companies to secure funding and market access.
• Engage with investors, industry leaders, and innovation hubs to position the incubator as a leading centre for research commercialisation.
• Ensure the incubator operates as a financially sustainable entity, attracting external funding and strategic partnerships.
• Develop incubation policies, frameworks, and key performance indicators (KPls) to measure success and impact.

Financial Strategy, Funding Development, and Third-Stream Income Generation

• Develop and implement financial strategies for innovation, commercialisation, and incubation.
• Lead strategic budgeting, agile financial forecasting, and the development of differentiated funding models that support high-impact, multi-year innovation portfolios for innovation and commercialisation initiatives, ensuring long-term sustainability and third-stream income growth.
• Provide governance oversight in research commercialisation projects, optimising resource allocation for maximum impact.

Contract Negotiations, Risk Management, and Compliance

• Lead complex contract negotiations and reviews, ensuring regulatory compliance and institutional risk mitigation while supporting high-value innovation transactions, complex partnerships, and institutional risk exposure mitigation.
• Ensure IP governance frameworks align with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (IPR Act).
• Manage risk assessment processes in commercialisation deals, spinout companies, and funding agreements.
• Develop and implement best-practice policies for technology transfer, business incubation, and commercialisation contracts.

Stakeholder Engagement and Thought Leadership

• Foster interdisciplinary innovation collaborations across faculties to drive research impact and commercialisation opportunities.
• Engage with national and global innovation funders, development agencies, and commercialisation networks to enhance the institution's innovation footprint, strengthen partnerships, and attract high­ impact investment and grant opportunities.
• Represent the university at conferences, industry panels, and government innovation forums.
• Work closely with faculty deans, research chairs, and university leadership to align innovation, incubation, and commercialisation strategies with institutional goals.

Inherent Job Requirements

• A Professional Bachelor’s degree/ Honours degree/ Postgraduate Diploma on NQF Level 8.
• A Chartered Accountant (SA).
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in senior financial and innovation management, preferably in research- intensive institutions or commercialisation platforms.
• Demonstrated expertise in research funding models, grant management, and third-stream income generation.
• Demonstrated experience at an executive level, including financial oversight, business growth, and governance.
• Demonstrated experience in contract negotiations and reviews, ensuring compliance and protecting institutional interests.
• Demonstrated experience in intellectual property management and commercialisation strategies to maximise research impact and revenue generation.
• Strong track record in strategic planning, risk management, and compliance in a research or innovation environment.

Recommendations

• ​​​​​​​Minimum eight (8) years’ progressive experience in executive level financial leadership, innovation, governance, or research commercialisation strategy.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (including financial modeling, pivot tables, scenario analysis, and dashboarding).
• Comprehensive knowledge of technology transfer and commercialisation lifecycle, including IP disclosure, valuation, protection (patents, trademarks, copyrights), licensing, spin­ out formation, and IP monetisation.
• Proficiency in using IP and contract management systems, with the ability to track innovation KPls and manage project pipelines.
• Strong working knowledge of South African regulatory frameworks, including the IPR Act, Companies Act, Higher Education Act, and Treasury Regulations, with proven experience in developing and implementing compliance frameworks and risk assessments.
• Demonstrated expertise in business incubation models, venture creation, early-stage investment readiness, and private-sector partnership structuring (including shareholder and co-investment models).
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and engage effectively across academic and industry environments, with excellent policy development, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with hybrid and remote working environments and supporting technologies (e.g., MS Teams, SharePoint, workflow automation), including successful implementation of digital coordination and cost-reduction strategies.