Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Technology Commercialization

The Technology Commercialization Manager provides strategic oversight and operational leadership for initiatives aimed at advancing early-stage innovations toward market and societal impact; oversees a team of Technology Commercialization Specialists and related staff, ensuring effective execution of commercialization projects, stakeholder engagement, and resource coordination; serves as a key liaison between research teams, institutional partners, and external collaborators to create a robust pipeline for technology development, de-risking, and deployment.

• In collaboration with Technology Licensing Officers and college innovation teams, seek out innovations with commercial potential across the university ecosystem of colleges, institutes, centers, incubators, and accelerators
• Identify, build, and manage a network of experienced business and technical experts to provide management and technical business guidance to startups; coordinate the University's startup pipeline and assist startups through the various stages of development.
• Oversee development of technology readiness roadmaps and ensure alignment with institutional and funding priorities
• Monitor project pipelines to identify trends, risks, and emerging opportunities for support or intervention
• Guide the formation and facilitation of consortia, advisory boards, and innovation communities
• Serve as a strategic adviser to faculty, researchers, and project teams on commercialization pathways and partnership strategies
• Oversee operational planning, project coordination, and resource allocation for commercialization projects
• Ensure systems are in place to track project milestones, manage deliverables, and support compliance and reporting requirements
• Lead initiatives to identify, catalog, and expand access to innovation infrastructure, including labs, testbeds, funding, and expertise
• Oversee development of internal and external communications, ensuring alignment with institutional branding and messaging
• Direct the promotion of commercialization programs through events, web content, publications, and social media
• Represent the institution at professional conferences, innovation forums, and stakeholder engagements
• Collaborate closely with the Office of Technology Transfer and other relevant departments to streamline commercialization processes
• Inform policy and process improvements that enable innovation and technology development within the institution
• Provide strategic direction and leadership for technology commercialization activities and staff
• Manage staff and ensure quality execution of their duties; set team goals, performance metrics, and professional development priorities

Level:

– Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates proficient ability in work design, project management, financial planning and development of goals for accomplishing unit assignments. Reviews and guides work to ensure conformity to policy and effective approaches. Evaluates employee performance and recommend development opportunities. Demonstrates ability to coach employees. Presents and communicates key university indicatives and connects it to unit contributions. Provides broad guidelines. Develops, evaluates, enhances, and/or implements quality improvement practices. Recommends innovative solutions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees a team (typically 4 or more; no fewer than 2) full
– time direct reports of individual contributors and/or first level supervisors.

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Monitors and tracks department/area budget
– May plan, forecast, and/or assist in developing budgets
– May have final signature authority for specific area

Problem Solving:

– Encounters varied and complex problems
– Helps to develop creative and/or novel approaches to resolve problems that are difficult in nature but within limited scope
– Modifies, adapts, or refines guidelines if necessary to resolve issues or problems

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on complex or strategic assignments
– Uses existing practices and advanced working knowledge to determine appropriate work methods for the team
– Reviews completed work of others for conformity to policy, and effectiveness of approach
– Delegates advanced tasks to others

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and various areas across the University
– Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and delivers to a broad variety of audiences
– Communicates key university initiatives and how unit’s work contributes to their achievement
– Presents ideas, concepts and instructions in a clear manner, and uses persuasion and negotiation to build consensus and cooperation
– Establishes and maintains networks to facilitate successful communication among units

• Comp Grade – 16
• Minimum – $123,200.00
• MidPoint – $157,100.00
• Maximum – $191,000.00

• Branding
• Business acumen
• Innovation
• Licensing
• Networking
• Operational planning
• Policy implementation
• Process improvement
• Resource management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Strategic Planning