Executive Director, Innovation & Commercialization
 University of North Texas - Denton | |
 United States, Texas, Denton | |
| 1155 Union Circle (Show on map) | |
 Feb 04, 2026 | |
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Title: Executive Director, Innovation & Commercialization Employee Classification: Exec Dir Innovation & Comm Campus: University of North Texas Division: UNT-Research & Innovation SubDivision-Department: UNT-Research & Innovation Department: UNT-Innovation & Commercialization-190300 Job Location: Denton Salary: Salary to commensurate with experience FTE: 1.000000 Retirement Eligibility: ORP Eligible About Us - Values Overview Welcome to the University of North Texas System. The UNT System includes the University of North Texas in Denton and Frisco, the University of North Texas at Dallas and UNT Dallas College of Law, and University of North Texas Health at Fort Worth. We are the only university system based exclusively in the robust Dallas-Fort Worth region. We are growing with the North Texas region, employing more than 14,000 employees, educating a record 49,000+ students across our system, and awarding nearly 12,000 degrees each year.
We are one team comprised of individuals who are committed to excellence, curiosity and innovation. We are transforming lives and creating economic opportunity through education. We champion a people-first values-based culture where We Care about each other and those we serve. We believe that we are Better Together because we foster an environment of respect, belonging, and access for all. We demonstrate Courageous Integrity through setting exceptional standards and acting in the best interest of our communities. We are encouraged to Be Curious about opportunities for learning, creating, discovering, and innovating, and are encouraged to learn from failure. Show Your Fire by joining our team and exhibiting your passion and pride in your work as part of our UNT System team.
Learn more about the UNT System and how we live our values at www.UNTSystem.edu. Department Summary The Innovation and Commercialization unit within the Division of Research & Innovation, empowers researchers to transform discoveries into products, services, and companies. The team provides university researchers with services to support navigating the intellectual property and patent processes, development of licensing agreements with strategic industry partners, mentorship in creating startups and pursuing entrepreneurship, and administering commercialization education programs that help forge paths from academic innovation to real-world application. Position Overview The Executive Director for Innovation and Commercialization serves as the "Chief Innovation Officer" at UNT, leading the Innovation & Commercialization (I&C) unit within the Division of Research & Innovation. This position develops strategic initiatives to increase the scale of technology transfer and commercialization output, as outlined in the "Look North" UNT Strategic Plan. Tasked with achieving these grow metrics, the Executive Director will implement strategies focused on: building and managing a high-performing team that provides excellent service to faculty, staff, and student researchers to help facilitate the translation of research discovery into commercially viable products; cultivating relationships between researchers and industry stakeholders to foster commercialization partnerships; and developing data-driven programming and products that support the growth of UNT's research innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Executive Director for Innovation & Commercialization reports to the Vice President for Research and Innovation, with a dotted line to the Office of the President, to also provide support for UNT initiatives that drive talent and workforce development efforts and ensures the university is competitively contributing to the continued economic growth of the North Texas region and throughout the state. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in related field and ten years of closely related professional experience; or any equivalent combination of education and professional experience. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities * Expert knowledge in intellectual property, tech transfer, patents, licensing, and startup company support within a higher education university setting Preferred Qualifications Leadership experience managing technology transfer and commercialization team within higher education setting. Job Duties
Physical Requirements
Environmental Hazards
Work Schedule Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm. Evenings and weekends as needed for work functions Driving University Vehicle No Security Sensitive This is a Security Sensitive Position. Special Instructions Applicants must submit a minimum of two professional references as part of their application. If needed, additional references can be added after the application has been submitted. Benefits For information regarding our Benefits, click here. EEO Statement The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit -and takes actions to prevent - discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking), and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application, employment practices, and facilities; nor permits race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or sex discrimination and harassment in its admissions processes, and educational programs and activities. UNT System Administration promptly investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation and takes remedial action when appropriate. System Administration also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist, or participate in a related investigation or proceeding. | |