Global Director of Research Commercialisation; Business and Enterprise

Job Posting Title
:
Global Director of Research Commercialisation (Business and Enterprise)

Salary Range: Grade 10 - Competitive

Reporting to: Deputy Principal (Research and Innovation)

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• Own the University’s global research commercialisation strategy, aligned to Strategy 2035 and to the Global Research Institutes.
• Run the Directorate across all campuses within the Strategy 2035 globally integrated research and innovation business model.
• Set and deliver ambitious multi-year targets for industry income, consultancy, licensing, equity value and spin‑out creation, benchmarked against UK HE Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey data, the Scottish Funding Council's Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund (KEIF) framework and international comparators.

• Build a strategic partnerships capability spanning market foresight, bid‑building and delivery oversight, forming bespoke teams within the Directorate and drawing in Research Engagement colleagues where opportunities span research and commercial elements.
• Grow consultancy and contract research as revenue streams that deepen industry engagement.
• Support the development of a coherent, integrated international account management so that global partners experience Heriot‑Watt as a single university, whichever campus they engage first.

• Direct the University’s IP strategy (disclosure, protection, licensing and spin‑out formation), capturing fair value while remaining a constructive, entrepreneur‑friendly partner.
• Work with the Global Director of Estates & Facilities and the Head of Global Property Strategy to drive the commercial development of the Research Park, occupancy and revenue, and to connect it to the University’s research community, start‑ups, investors and government and sovereign partners.
• Provide the commercial infrastructure that the University's entrepreneurial agenda requires, working with the Senior Associate Principal and Chief Entrepreneur, and the Converge team.

• Lead, develop and inspire the Business and Enterprise Directorate across all campuses, building a high‑performing, inclusive workforce with clear career pathways.
• Own budgets, cost and risk, and ensure compliance with research, financial, export‑control and data‑protection requirements across all jurisdictions.
• Embed consistent engagement and IP management across all Business and Enterprise pathways, supported by effective legal, marketing and digital (CRM and pipeline) capability.

• Provide dedicated, agile business development support to each GRI, closing current gaps and operating in line with the TRADE (Talent, Research, Adoption, Data and Entrepreneurship) operating framework.
• Work with the Dubai and Malaysia campus leadership to align local economic‑development priorities with the University’s global commercial strategy, including country‑specific commercial vehicles where appropriate.
• Build durable relationships with sovereign innovation agencies, ministries, free zones and economic‑development bodies in Scotland, the UAE, Malaysia and beyond, and attract inward investment and co‑located industrial R&D.

• Research Engagement Directorate: the closest working relationship, jointly managing the ideas‑to‑impact pipeline with clearly defined and separate accountabilities agreed with the Deputy Principal (Research and Innovation).
• Senior Associate Principal and Chief Entrepreneur, and the Converge team: partners on entrepreneurship and venture creation.
• Global Research Institute Directors and Schools: identifying commercial opportunities and…