Position Title: Senior Manager: Innovation

Requisition ID: 1227

Department: Research Contracts Innovation

City: Cape Town

SENIOR MANAGER: INNOVATION

(Permanent; Payclass 13, Peromnes 5)

RESEARCH CONTRACTS & INNOVATION (RC&I)

We are seeking a Senior Manager: Innovation to lead the team within Research Contracts & Innovation (RC&I) – this position is regarded as the head of the technology transfer office / function for UCT. RC&I also incorporates a legal team who conclude the research and innovation contracts on behalf of the university.

The person will lead a team of nine who manage intellectual property (IP), a variety of pre-seed and seed funds, technology development and conduct due diligence on investment opportunities and structure deals. With the expanded mission of UCT now incorporating innovation as a key mission, this individual will be involved in an exciting rapidly-expanding and world-class ecosystem that will be developed through the UCT Innovation District and taking innovation to the next level.

We invite applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for this permanent post.

Requirements:

A Bachelors degree in science and or engineering;
At least a Master’s degree in science or engineering, business or a related area;
A qualification (or demonstrable experience) in financial management;
A minimum of eight (8) years’ experience in technology transfer in a university environment, or at a science council or equivalent, with at least three (3) years being in a line management role;
Strong people management skills and a demonstrated ability to motivate, manage and develop a team with diverse skills e.g. ranging from IP management, commercialisation / innovation, new venture creation as well as innovation and investment funding;
Demonstrable experience of the research process and innovation from a university environment, as well as how to move a product or service through technology readiness levels;
Demonstrable experience of associated legislation relevant to technology transfer (e.g. exchange control, biodiversity act, etc.) and most importantly, practical implementation of the IP Rights from Publicly Financed R&D Act;
Experience and a proven record in technology transfer and commercialisation services with a demonstrated knowledge of intellectual property protection and management, licensing, and technology transfer in an academic or industry setting;
Demonstrable ability to successfully manage, negotiate intellectual property agreements and transactions between universities, industry and government;
Strong interpersonal skills, both oral and written;
Strong collaboration skills to work with inventors, industry, governmental organisations, investors, and entrepreneurs; and
Knowledge of the creation and incorporation of start-up companies.

Advantageous:

Preference will be given to candidates who are Recognised Technology Transfer Professionals (RTTP).
Experience in the creation and incorporation of start-up companies.

Responsibilities

The Senior Manager: Innovation, reports to the Director, Research Contracts & Innovation and is regarded as the head of the technology transfer office (TTO) for UCT. The incumbent is responsible for the administration, coordination, and disposition of all intellectual property and technology commercialisation matters at the University. This is achieved by managing a team that is focused on Intellectual Property (IP) management, technology development, spin-off company creation, IP commercialisation and marketing. Strong people management skills are required to motivate and achieve success from a team with diverse objectives / backgrounds collectively focused on innovation.

This includes proactively seeking out promising discoveries in the various faculties and working with the inventors to create commercialisation / innovation plans that encompass scientific, business and financial planning, techno-economic assessment and intellectual property protection strategy. The optimal mode of commercialisation needs to be identified: licensing, assignment, or start-up business creation and this involves drafting and negotiating licensing, collaborative research contracts and shareholder agreements and fund-raising. Technologies need to be developed by attracting innovation funding to move them through technology readiness levels often within the university, until they can be commercialised.

The Senior Manager: Innovation provides oversight of the various pre-seed, seed and investment funds available within UCT and liaises for UCT-linked external funds (e.g. University Technology Fund) as well as ensuring that annual reports are prepared for the funds and Innovation Services. They will also be involved in budget motivation, regular finance meetings to track spending and responsible for authorising IP protection expenditure, as well as the preparation of proposals to attract external funding to support RC&I’s activities and managing the projects when funding is awarded.

The incumbent is responsible for ensuring the university’s compliance with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Funded R&D Act and providing support to the RC&I contracts team. Policy development is another important activity, primarily the IP Policy to ensure that they remain relevant and are adapted to the changing landscape, work also feeds into participating in the development of other cross-university policies e.g. Innovation Policy, Research Data Management Policy, Open Publication Policy.

The position requires CEO level relationship building, strategic and tactical planning skills; project management skills; extensive knowledge of policy and law related to patenting, intellectual property transactions (reserve bank exchange control regulations), start-up business creation, licensing and sponsored research plus excellent communication and presentation skills.

The annual cost of employment, including benefits, is between R1 329 295 and R1 563 876.

To apply, please visit the UCT Jobs site to create a candidate profile and to submit your application. Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Prepare a cover letter that directly addresses each of the position’s requirements, explaining how you have met/achieved them and providing specific examples.
Three referee names which must include their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e- mail address and telephone number.
Copy of qualifications and ID.

This is an in-office position, and the successful candidate will be required to report to the RC&I office daily.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo competency assessments and references may be requested by UCT at any stage of the selection process.

Any enquiries for the position to be addressed to Ms Hlubi Ntsizi at Hlubi.Ntsizi@uct.ac.za or 021 650 3831.

Closing date: 5 January 2026

Website: http://www.rci.uct.ac.za

Reference Number: 1227

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at https://uct.ac.za/media/9482.

UCT reserves the right not to appoint.