Job Description

Introduction

Are you interested in increasing impact from publicly funded scientific research? Are you enthusiastic about exploring different methods and approaches for knowledge transfer and innovation? Are you passionate about working with researchers to accelerate the transfer of state-of-the-art knowledge to industry and society? If so, then CERN is looking for you!

You will join the Knowledge Transfer (KT) Group (kt.cern), which is in charge of identifying and realizing opportunities for CERN's know-how to be applied in fields other than particle physics, in order to maximize the impact of CERN technologies and expertise on society (in particular through industry).

Functions

Within the Business Development Section, you will, amongst other tasks, be responsible for initiating and managing partnerships with industrial players (and in some cases non-commercial institutes), in order to help them accelerate their innovation ambitions.

As Knowledge Transfer Officer in the Business Development Section you will:

• Scout CERN Departments for detecting know-how and technologies with applications beyond high-energy physics;
• Assess the potential societal impact of technologies and proposing the most appropriate dissemination strategies;
• Create value propositions for CERN technical domains, in order to help communicate the potential to external partners;
• Scout for companies (or institutes) in any of the CERN Member States with a strong innovation profile and potential fit with CERN’s technologies;
• Initiate discussions with R&D, innovation and technology leaders of such companies, targeting new collaborations;
• Negotiate R&D collaboration agreements, licensing contracts, consultancy agreements, including all IP aspects;
• Account management and project management activities of KT projects, and related administrative tasks;
• Support other KT Group initiatives, including those related to entrepreneurship and communication.

Qualifications

Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of in a technical or scientific domain broadly related to CERN's technical domains complemented by higher education in business and innovation (e.g. MBA). or a related field.

Experience:

Required experience in:

• Business development and creation of industrial partnerships in high tech environment;
• Leading complex projects with many stakeholders internally and externally;
• Negotiating innovation partnerships, including licensing, collaborative R&D, consultancy.

Desired experience: 

• Management of intellectual property;
• Knowhow and hands-on experience with projects in the digital science and micro-electronics field.

Technical competencies:

• Managing industry partnerships;
• Business Development, preferably in international high tech context;
• Technology commercialization;
• Digital Sciences and Micro-Electronics.

Behavioural competencies:

• Achieving results: delivering high quality work on time and fulfilling expectations.
• Managing self: working well autonomously; taking on activities and tasks without prompting; taking initiative beyond regular tasks and making things happen.
• Communicating effectively: expressing opinions, ideas and suggestions with conviction and in a logical/structured manner; keeping to the point; ensuring that information, procedures and decisions are appropriately documented.
• Learning and sharing knowledge: sharing knowledge and expertise freely and willingly with others; coaching others to ensure knowledge transfer.

Language skills:

• Fluent English: ability to understand and speak English in professional contexts as well as the ability to draft texts for publications and/or official communications and to make oral presentations.
• The knowledge of the French language or the willingness to acquire this rapidly would be an advantage.
• The knowledge of the German language would be an advantage.