Director, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships

Staff - Non Union Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Business Development, Level E Job Title Director, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Department Bio Products Institute | Dean's Office | Faculty of Applied Science Compensation Range $9,859.25 - $15,380.75 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date March 2, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date March 31, 2030

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

The Bio Products Institute (BPI), a UBC Global Research Excellence Institute (GREx), is a leading international research and innovation hub focusing on accelerating the adoption of bio-based materials and chemicals. It brings together researchers spanning the full spectrum of research from genetics to pilot scale bio-refineries to advanced materials research with the goal of establishing the Institute as the leading institution for scientific endeavors in bioproducts research, training, and education and the only Canadian entity capable of aligning and leading a globally-relevant scientific program that delivers a critical combination of science and technology, economic, social, and environmental advances into the bioeconomy space.

The Director, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships is the senior leader responsible for driving the business development strategy for the Bio Products Institute. This role focuses on cultivating high-impact industry research and partnerships, identifying and securing major research funding opportunities, and spearheading collaborative initiatives that position the Institute as a leading global innovation hub. The Director will proactively build and expand strategic relationships with external partners, leveraging these networks to generate sustainable revenue streams and ensure the long‑term growth and competitiveness of the Institute through business and partnership development.

The Director’s portfolio includes leading outreach and relationship‑building efforts locally, nationally, and internationally with industry, universities, government agencies, institutes, and other publicly funded organizations. The Director will drive strategic engagement between industry partners and BPI researchers, with a focus on identifying and securing joint research projects, programs, and funding opportunities. The Director will ensure that industry partners are actively engaged in research initiatives, maintain strong ongoing relationships, and foster entrepreneurial opportunities by supporting interactions among faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows, and institute members.

This senior leadership role requires flexibility to support regular evening and weekend commitments and serving as an emergency contact for the Institute when needed. It is also expected that the position requires travel to attend conferences, partner meetings, training, and other events as required to acquire and maintain proficiency in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position.

This position reports directly to the BPI Scientific Director and directly supports reporting to the VPRI and associated GREx Research and Innovation Council. The Director manages engagements between BPI, the University Industry Liaison Office, VP Research and…