Director, Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization

UAF’s Director of Intellectual Property and Commercialisation is responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of the university’s intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other IP assets. This role will provide strategic leadership in IP protection, enforcement, and commercialization to ensure UAF’s innovations and brand are safeguarded and aligned with our goals.

The Director will work closely with internal teams, such as research units, marketing, and legal, as well as external partners as needed including outside counsel, government agencies, and industry associations. The Director will also ensure compliance with IP laws and regulations in all jurisdictions where UAF operates.

UAF’s Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization is a unit under the Vice Chancellor for Research. The Director will be responsible for protecting the intellectual property across all units for the university, evaluating commercial potential, and guiding the researcher/inventors at UAF through the best path forward. The OIPC Director will actively seek out potential intellectual property throughout the research and creative works communities at UAF to ensure we are meeting our IP goals.

To thrive in this role the candidate should possess knowledge of intellectual property and the laws that govern its protection and exploitation. The candidate should be able to see potential for new applications of the inventor’s concepts and designs to ensure the highest level of action is taken on their and UAF’s behalf. In addition a strong customer service focus will ensure that UAF is well served by this office. With a passion for new technologies, new concepts, and pushing the boundaries of current knowledge, this candidate will be engaged in exciting opportunities across many fields.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field and six years progressively responsible experience, or an
equivalent combination of training and experience. Advanced degree preferred.

Preferably, the appointee will have: Undergraduate degree essential. PhD, MBA, or JD highly desirable but not essential. Commercial experience in business development or other commercial roles across higher education or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and education.

Position Details:

This position is located on the Troth Yeddha' campus in Fairbanks Alaska. This is a full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 82, based on education and experience.

Applications will be accepted for review on March 4, 2025, to ensure consideration, please apply by 11:55 PM, Alaska Standard Time on DAY BEFORE REVIEW DATE March 3, 2025.

📃To view the full list of job responsibilities, please click HERE.

☎️If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Kenna Metivier, Signers' Business Office at kjmetivier@alaska.edu or 907-474-1847

*To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.  Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact UA Human Resources by phone at 907-450-8200.

UA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

*Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.  The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.  

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA: (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College - Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension) Online: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/safety. Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-786-1120 or police@uaa.alaska.edu / 907-786-1214 or uaa_deanofstudents@alaska.edu. 

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: https://www.uaf.edu/orca/files/ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-474-7300 or uaf-orca@alaska.edu.

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: https://uas.alaska.edu/equity-and-compliance/docs/clery/UAS_ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-796-6371 or emailing uas.clery@alaska.edu.