Date:	August 26, 2013
Reports to (Job Title):	Associate Vice-President, Research Operations
Jobs Reporting (Job Titles):	International Industrial Liaison Officer Industrial Liaison Officer (2) Senior Manager, Industrial Research Contracts (2) Senior Manager, Government Research Contracts Manager, NSERC Research Partnership Programs Manager, Industrial Research Contracts Research Contracts Administrator (3)
Location:	Main Campus, Needles Hall
Grade:	USG 16 35 hr/wk

Primary Purpose

The Director, Research Partnerships is responsible for managing the industry - and government - funded collaborative research portfolio in the Office of Research. Collaborative research funded by industry and government at the University of Waterloo has been steadily increasing year-over-year, reaching a total of $58.8 Million in 2012-2013. This accounts for approximately 1/3 of all research income at the University. The industrial funding is of vital importance to the Institution as it can be leveraged through government programs. The Director, Research Partnerships provides leadership to the Research Partnerships group in the Office of Research. This group provides start-to-end service to the organization and its research partners in the advancement, development, administration and performance of collaborative research projects. This includes the promotion of external relationships with industry and government partners; the development of research proposals and projects; the negotiation of terms and conditions for research agreements; the secure administration of research funding; the reporting and finalization of research projects, and resolution of arising issues or conflicts with research funders/partners. The Director, Research Partnerships is accountable for the management of risk related to research, including financial, contractual, environmental, and intellectual property, as well as compliance with statutes and regulations. The University of Waterloo’s Sixth Decade Plan calls for continued increases in research funding, which requires an ongoing strategic commitment to research development. The Director, Research Partnerships provides overall leadership to the Institution in areas related to the portfolio to ensure that the University’s reputation as a leader in collaborative research is maintained and enhanced in a competitive and dynamic environment, thus preserving and increasing sponsored research activity, and promoting the commercialization of research results. The Director, Research Partnerships ensures that the Office of Research works closely with key stakeholders, both internal and external, to advance the strategic research priorities of the Institution.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Provide leadership to the Institution in the area of collaborative research with industry and government partners by:

Providing leadership, direction and strategic planning to advance collaborative research.
Developing and maintaining meaningful interactions with other support groups, both within the Office of Research, and across the University.
Leading and contributing to the identification, development and implementation of strategic projects that advance the objectives of the Office of Research and the University.
Identifying successful research collaborations and communicating with external stakeholders to raise the profile of the Waterloo Research brand.
Providing advice and counsel, as required, on issues pertaining to intellectual property and agreement terms for sponsored research.
Serving on committees, boards and advisory groups as appropriate. The Director, Research Partnerships holds an ex-officio seat on the Senate Graduate and Research Council.
Championing new projects and initiatives to improve services related to the support of collaborative research partnerships.

2. Advance the Institution’s strategic plan through leadership of campus-wide research development activities. This includes:

Coordinating a campus-wide approach to research development efforts, involving all faculties, departments, support units, and centres/institutes.
Providing direct management to the Office of Research Industrial Liaison Officer team, setting goals and expectations, ensuring that team dynamics and activities are coordinated and effective, and managing performance.
Developing and implementing strategies for increasing collaborative research intensity and impact across all faculties with innovative approaches to attracting new research partners.
Initiating and cultivating meaningful and productive relationships with potential and current research partners, personally liaising with important clients, and ensuring that the University is responsive to their dynamic needs and priorities.
Ensuring an excellent overall experience for collaborative research partners.

3. Ensure the professional and effective delivery of research administration services to University stakeholders through:

Overseeing the management of collaborative research projects through all stages of the research funding cycle, from proposal preparation to funding.
Leading, as required, the negotiation of sponsored research agreements with research partners.
Developing and implementing appropriate practices and controls to effectively manage and administer collaborative research in accordance with the Institution’s policies and procedures.
Ensuring that research administration staff are proficient in their roles; supporting the ongoing development of direct reports through continued training, mentorship and feedback.

4. Manage the Institution’s exposure to research - related risk by:

Serving as the Designated Official for the University in matters pertaining to the University’s handling of controlled goods in accordance with the Controlled Goods Regulations under the Defense Production Act.
Developing and maintaining controlled goods security plans, as appropriate.
Monitoring and controlling access to controlled goods as required by the Controlled Goods Regulations.
Serving, as required, as the Company Security Officer for the University with respect to participation in government - sponsored research contracts under the Industrial Security Program.
Developing and maintaining industrial security plans as required for government research contracts.
Delivering ongoing training and education to University stakeholders in relation to controlled goods, industrial security, and other important research-related areas, such as confidentiality, intellectual property and copyright.

Position Requirements

Education:

Advanced Degree(s): research based post-graduate degrees with additional legal and/or business degrees are preferred

Experience:

10 years in business or research administration. Experience in an academic Institution.
Effective communication skills (both written and oral), including the ability to: draft and edit legal documents; prepare and deliver presentations to large, diverse audiences.
Exceptional negotiating skills, situational awareness, and ability to compromise with competing priorities.
Outstanding interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage both internal and external relationships. Must be comfortable working with students, faculty researchers, and senior executives from small, medium and large multinational corporations.
Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify and articulate significant trends affecting economic, social and environmental priorities and how they will impact innovation and the development of technologies.
Extraordinary team management ability, including motivation, leadership, mentorship, conflict management, and intervention.
Demonstrated ability to understand and manage intellectual property issues, legal issues, risk and academic requirements in contract research.
Outstanding critical thinking and decision - making skills.
Ability to balance competing demands and manage priorities.
Understanding of the research process, and an ability to understand complex research projects to a level required to identify potential issues that may arise.

Technical:

Multidisciplinary technical knowledge and ability to recognize and develop research opportunities with potential industry partners and Principal Investigators.
Advanced technical proficiency with MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook and Adobe Acrobat.

Technical:

MS Word	Excel	PowerPoint	Other
Advanced	Advanced	Advaned	MS Outlook and Adobe Acrobat

Nature and Scope

Interpersonal Skills:

Internally

The Director, Research Partnerships:

Promotes, justifies or settles highly sensitive matters in consultation with:

President
Vice President, Research
Associate Vice President, Research Operations
Associate Vice President, External Research

Collaborates, negotiates and “sells” ideas with:

Faculty Members across the entire University
Office of Research Legal Counsel
Secretary and Associate University Secretaries
Associate Provost, Graduate Studies and Graduate Studies Office Staff
Director, Police Services
IST Directors and Information Security Officer
Research Finance Director, Managers, and Financial Analysts
Research Finance Compliance Officers
Faculty Financial Officers
Research Ethics Director, Managers and Coordinators
Funding Agencies and Non-profits Director, Managers and Coordinators
WatCo Director and Tech Transfer Officers
Waterloo International Director and staff
Finance staff
Procurement Services staff
Faculty Deans, Associate Deans Research, and Department Chairs

Presents, discusses information and problems with:

Communications and Public Affairs Directors and staff
Office of Development Directors and staff
Office of External Relations Directors and staff
Cooperative Education Directors and staff
Undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers participating in research projects

Deals with, influences or motivates employees or groups, including:

International Industrial Liaison Officer
Faculty/Department Industrial Liaison Officers
Directors of Research Centres/Institutes
Research Contract Managers and Coordinators

Obtains action, reaches agreement and negotiates with:

Students, Staff and Faculty members requiring Industrial Security or Controlled Goods security assessment

Externally

Obtains action, reaches agreement and negotiates with:

Executives and senior staff of Canadian and international companies
Legal counsel and research staff of industrial research partners
Senior staff at government and industrially-sponsored non-profit funding agencies
Senior staff at industry/trade associations, innovation incubators and accelerators
Senior staff at municipal, provincial and federal government ministries
Elected municipal, provincial and federal representatives
International diplomats and representatives
Research support staff at Canadian and international universities
Industrial Security Directorate and Controlled Goods Directorate (Public Works and Government Services Canada)

Level of Responsibility:

Provides a high level of influence/leadership to other jobs across the Office of Research and University.
Manages a University-wide function that is highly specialized with direct reports.
The job includes responsibility for oversight of casual or temporary staff

Financial Accountability:

Signing authority to enter the University into Research Agreements with value up to $200,000.
Manages budget and approves travel expenditures for direct reports (approx. $50,000/year).

Decision-Making Authority:

Independently negotiates research agreements with industrial partners (no $ limit), evaluates risk and determines acceptability of legal agreements in accordance with University policies and procedures.
Informs the Associate Vice President, Research Operations on matters related to excessive or unlimited risk exposure terms in research agreements and contracts.
Resolves conflicts arising from the performance of research agreements and independently decides on course of action
Establishes security plans for controlled goods/information and has sole University-wide decision making authority to grant access to controlled resources.

Physical and Sensory Demands:

Requires exertion of sensory effort resulting in slight fatigue, strain or risk of injury.

Working Environment:

Involves minimal physical or psychological risk resulting from unavoidable exposure to hazardous, disagreeable or uncomfortable environmental conditions.