Duties and responsibilities<\/p>\n
Strategic and Relationships<\/p>\n
\tDevelop and execute a results-driven strategic vision for innovation, commercialisation, and incubation aligned with institutional objectives and national innovation priorities.
\n\tLead the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), ensuring effective Intellectual Property (IP) management, licensing, and commercialisation strategies.
\n\tEstablish sustainable funding models for Technology Transfer and Incubation, leveraging industry partnerships, grants, and venture capital.
\n\tOversee the commercialisation of research outputs, ensuring revenue-generating opportunities through spinouts, licensing, and contract research.
\n\tFoster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, integrating research-based ventures into the economic ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Oversight of the Business Incubator<\/p>\n
\tLead 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.
\n\tDevelop and implement business acceleration programs, enabling spin-out companies to secure funding and market access.
\n\tEngage with investors, industry leaders, and innovation hubs to position the incubator as a leading centre for research commercialisation.
\n\tEnsure the incubator operates as a financially sustainable entity, attracting external funding and strategic partnerships.
\n\tDevelop incubation policies, frameworks, and key performance indicators (KPls) to measure success and impact.<\/p>\n
Financial Strategy, Funding Development, and Third-Stream Income Generation<\/p>\n
\tDevelop and implement financial strategies for innovation, commercialisation, and incubation.
\n\tLead 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.
\n\tProvide governance oversight in research commercialisation projects, optimising resource allocation for maximum impact.<\/p>\n
Contract Negotiations, Risk Management, and Compliance<\/p>\n
\tLead 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.
\n\tEnsure IP governance frameworks align with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (IPR Act).
\n\tManage risk assessment processes in commercialisation deals, spinout companies, and funding agreements.
\n\tDevelop and implement best-practice policies for technology transfer, business incubation, and commercialisation contracts.<\/p>\n
Stakeholder Engagement and Thought Leadership<\/p>\n
\tFoster interdisciplinary innovation collaborations across faculties to drive research impact and commercialisation opportunities.
\n\tEngage with national and global innovation funders, development agencies, and commercialisation networks to enhance the institution’s innovation footprint, strengthen partnerships, and attract high\u00ad impact investment and grant opportunities.
\n\tRepresent the university at conferences, industry panels, and government innovation forums.
\n\tWork closely with faculty deans, research chairs, and university leadership to align innovation, incubation, and commercialisation strategies with institutional goals.<\/p>\n
Inherent Job Requirements<\/p>\n
\tA Professional Bachelor\u2019s degree\/ Honours degree\/ Postgraduate Diploma on NQF Level 8.
\n\tA Chartered Accountant (SA).
\n\tMinimum of five (5) years\u2019 experience in senior financial and innovation management, preferably in research- intensive institutions or commercialisation platforms.
\n\tDemonstrated expertise in research funding models, grant management, and third-stream income generation.
\n\tDemonstrated experience at an executive level, including financial oversight, business growth, and governance.
\n\tDemonstrated experience in contract negotiations and reviews, ensuring compliance and protecting institutional interests.
\n\tDemonstrated experience in intellectual property management and commercialisation strategies to maximise research impact and revenue generation.
\n\tStrong track record in strategic planning, risk management, and compliance in a research or innovation environment.<\/p>\n
Recommendations<\/p>\n
\t\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bMinimum eight (8) years\u2019 progressive experience in executive level financial leadership, innovation, governance, or research commercialisation strategy.
\n\tAdvanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (including financial modeling, pivot tables, scenario analysis, and dashboarding).
\n\tComprehensive knowledge of technology transfer and commercialisation lifecycle, including IP disclosure, valuation, protection (patents, trademarks, copyrights), licensing, spin\u00ad out formation, and IP monetisation.
\n\tProficiency in using IP and contract management systems, with the ability to track innovation KPls and manage project pipelines.
\n\tStrong 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.
\n\tDemonstrated expertise in business incubation models, venture creation, early-stage investment readiness, and private-sector partnership structuring (including shareholder and co-investment models).
\n\tDemonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and engage effectively across academic and industry environments, with excellent policy development, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.
\n\tFamiliarity 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.<\/p>\n
go to method of application \u00bb<\/p>\n
Apply via company website ( https:\/\/www.ufs.ac.za ) or<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_promoted":"","_job_location":"","_application":"","_company_name":"University of the Free State","_company_website":"https:\/\/www.ufs.ac.za","_company_tagline":"Picture a friendly, hip and happening university campus, nestled right in the heart of the Free State capital, Bloemfontein; a university that has produced some of the country\u2019s top thinkers and academics; a university that continues to stand out as a beacon of academic excellence. Of course, this... read more is the University of the Free State, or UFS, one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in South Africa. To our students, staff, alumni, and friends, we are known as Kovsies. Besides our Bloemfontein Campus, we also have a beautiful campus in the rural sandstone mountains of Qwaqwa in the Eastern Free State, and a smaller Open and Distance Learning Campus in Bloemfontein. On these three campuses, a multicultural and diverse student population of more than 30 000 students are educated in English and Afrikaans across seven faculties, connected not only to the rest of the continent but also to the world. Feel free to come take a stroll on campus and experience our way of life, where academic culture, critical scientific reflection, relevant scientific education, pure and applied research, community service, and the development of the total student as part of our academic culture are the building blocks in the creation of tomorrow\u2019s leaders. We also have a vibrant student life. Many cultural and sporting events make this an exciting place to be, as does our awesome student centre and the special events hosted by all our residences. University of the Free State 205 Nelson Mandela Drive Park West Bloemfontein","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_filled":0,"_featured":0,"_remote_position":0,"_job_salary":"","_job_salary_currency":"","_job_salary_unit":""},"job_listing_region":[25],"job-types":[18],"class_list":{"0":"post-15967","1":"job_listing","2":"type-job_listing","3":"status-expired","4":"hentry","5":"job_listing_region-free-state","7":"job-type-contract"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings\/15967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/job_listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"job_listing_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_region?post=15967"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/southafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-types?post=15967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}