Senior Commercial Manager, QAAFI

• Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI)

• HEW Level 9

• Full time fixed-term position for up to 3 years

• Closing date: Sunday 13th November 2022 at 11:00PM AEST

• UQ Careers Ref: R-18443

About This Opportunity  

The Senior Commercial Manager, QAAFI is a senior member of the QAAFI research partnerships team dedicated to the delivery of high-quality customer focused services to QAAFI and its external partners in the area of post-award research and consultancy agreements.

The primary role of this position is to lead contract reviews and negotiations across all types of research and consultancy agreements within their relevant research partnerships area, with a focus on complex, multi-party collaborative agreements. The Senior Commercial Manager, QAAFI is responsible for making commercially sound decisions with a high level of autonomy.

They also lead discussions with QAAFI’s researchers and other staff within the research partnerships function in support of their relevant area’s research partnerships endeavour and industry engagement. The role also has a significant task managing the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries operational elements of the QAAFI Alliance.

Key responsibilities include:

Commercial Management

• Working with the, QAAFI Director, Deputy Director (Strategy and Engagement), Deputy Director (Research) and Business Development Manager, lead the development and implementation of the commercial management strategy for research within the portfolio, ensuring that the appropriate alignment of research, commercial and risk considerations in the management of research agreements and consultancies.

• Manage the DAF Partnerships function to ensure all aspects of the DAF reporting requirements are met.

• Initiate the DAF interactions for any potential project through the defined processes. This will include interactions from initial project concepts through to executing an agreement. It will include considerations of DAF allocations on the DAF Annual
  Research Plan.

• Work closely with the QAAFI Business Development Manager to identify precedent agreements and contracts from existing partnerships to assist with project scoping and translate project specifications into contracts and agreements.

• Risk-manage major research initiative related activities to ensure adherence to contractual and other legal obligations, particularly taking into account relevant UQ policies and procedures, and to monitor UQ’s financial and commercial risk.

• Review Intellectual Property (IP) arrangements with all contract partners and present a proposed IP ownership and utilisation plan to QAAFI Management. Ensure consideration is given of DAF requirements if an Annual Research Plan allocation is made.

• In conjunction with the QAAFI BDM, engage with UniQuest Directors regarding commercialisation and intellectual property management issues resulting from research projects within QAAFI.

Staff Management and Leadership

• Provide effective leadership and management to staff in their team, including guidance, feedback and coaching on complex operational, stakeholder or policy matters to help improve capability, agility and to promote a high-performance culture.

Contracts Administration

• Triage and troubleshoot research contracts and agreements to assess requirements for legal and administrative review, in accordance with specified criteria and guidelines, and with guidance of relevant senior staff.

• Take accountability for complex and/or high value post-contractual research administration, including individually managing contract execution in line with UQ’s schedule of contract delegations and other relevant processes contractual milestone and schedule completion, and other researcher obligations on complex, high-level contracts, consultancy agreements and
  subcontracts.

• Assist the Executive Director, Research Office, with the implementation of standard operating procedures for contract execution and management to achieve performance improvements especially as it relates to the administration and of research contracts and consultancy agreements.

• Provide guidance to researchers with research budget preparation, consistent with the University’s policies and procedures and ensure researchers have an understanding of contractual milestones and other research obligations.

Stakeholder Management

• In partnership with the QAAFI Business Development Manager, build and maintain effective and productive interactions with external partners as they seek to engage with UQ and provide assistance to them in coordination activities towards finalising agreements with UQ.

• Develop and maintain relationships with functional areas of the University to ensure compliance with the University’s policies and required levels of service are maintaining on a mutual basis (including, but not limited to: Office of the Executive Director Research Partnerships, Research Office, Legal Services, UniQuest, Finance, Business Development, Insurance, Export Controls, Graduate School).

• Contribute to the Research Partnerships Community of Practice through collaborative exchange.

• Regularly engage with the QAAFI Director, Deputy Director (Research), Deputy Director (Operations) and Business Development Manager within QAAFI regarding the development and communication of QAAFI’s research partnerships and development strategy.

• Manage the operational relationship with DAF, providing project level allocations and acquittals for the associated QAAFI – DAF grant.

• Other duties as reasonably directed.

Other
 

Ensure you are aware of and comply with legislation and University policy relevant to the duties undertaken, including but not exclusive to:

• The University’s Code of Conduct .

• Requirements of the Queensland occupational health and safety (OH&S) legislation and related OH&S responsibilities and procedures developed by the University or Institute/School.

• The adoption of sustainable practices in all work activities and compliance with associated legislation and related University sustainability responsibilities and procedures .

• Requirements of the Education Services  for Overseas Students Act 2000, the National Code 2007 and associated legislation, and related responsibilities and procedures developed by the University.

About You

Selection Criteria

• Postgraduate qualifications and extensive relevant experience, including or extensive management experience; or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and/or education/training.

• Demonstrated capacity to successfully engage with stakeholders to undertake contract research negotiations involving multiple stakeholders within a complex environment, including managing relationships across a range of sectors working with a considerable degree of autonomy.

• Demonstrated experience with intellectual property management, knowledge transfer and commercialisation-related matters in a research context.

• Extensive knowledge of the higher education research funding environment.

• Demonstrated capacity to prepare instructions to and engage effectively with lawyers.

• Ability to focus on achieving outcomes while ensuring compliance with a broad policy and procedural framework and working to tight deadlines in pressured situations.

• Demonstrated experience in leading a high performing team to deliver quality, customer focussed services to clients.

What We Can Offer 

This is a Full-time, 1 FTE Fixed-term position for up to 3 years at HEW Level 9. 

The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $117,548.77 – $124,391.32 plus super of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be in the range $137,532.06 – $145,537.84 per annum. 

For further information about UQ’s benefits, please visit Why Work at UQ and review The University of Queensland’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement 2018 – 2021 . 

Questions?  

To discuss this role please contact Dr Michael O’Shea, Deputy Director, Operations; Email: [email protected] .

For application queries, please contact [email protected]  stating the job reference number in the subject line.  

Want to Apply?  

All applicants must supply the following documents:  

• Cover letter addressing Selection Criteria   

• Resume  

To satisfy pre-requisite questions and ensure your application can be considered in full, all candidates must apply via the UQ Careers portal by the job closing deadline. Applications received via other channels, including direct email, will not be accepted.  

About The Selection Process  

The University of Queensland is committed to ensuring all candidates are provided with the opportunity to attend the panel interviews, however, for those candidates who are unable to attend in person, video interview options will be available. 

Other Information  

Work Rights: You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this appointment to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.   

Background Checks:  All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits.   
 

We value diversity and inclusion, and actively encourage applications from those who bring diversity to the University. Our Diversity and Inclusion webpage  contains further information if you require additional support. Accessibility requirements and/or adjustments can be directed to [email protected] .

If you are a current employee of the University, or hold an unpaid or affiliate appointment with the University, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.