This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, IP Licensing & Partnerships based in the United States.
This is a senior, high-impact leadership role focused on shaping how intellectual property, content, data, and AI-enabled capabilities are protected, licensed, and transformed into long-term strategic value. The role sits at the intersection of product, legal, technology, and commercial strategy, requiring a leader who can bridge these domains with clarity and precision. You will drive the identification, structuring, negotiation, and governance of strategic partnerships across technology, research, AI, and content ecosystems. The work spans both offense and defense: unlocking new monetization opportunities while ensuring strong IP protection, compliance, and responsible innovation. You will also help define scalable frameworks for how partnerships and licensing are evaluated and operationalized. This is a highly cross-functional role with significant executive visibility and influence over long-term product and business strategy. Success in this role requires strong judgment, commercial acumen, and the ability to operate confidently in ambiguity while building structure and alignment across stakeholders.
This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, IP Licensing & Partnerships based in the United States.
This is a senior, high-impact leadership role focused on shaping how intellectual property, content, data, and AI-enabled capabilities are protected, licensed, and transformed into long-term strategic value. The role sits at the intersection of product, legal, technology, and commercial strategy, requiring a leader who can bridge these domains with clarity and precision. You will drive the identification, structuring, negotiation, and governance of strategic partnerships across technology, research, AI, and content ecosystems. The work spans both offense and defense: unlocking new monetization opportunities while ensuring strong IP protection, compliance, and responsible innovation. You will also help define scalable frameworks for how partnerships and licensing are evaluated and operationalized. This is a highly cross-functional role with significant executive visibility and influence over long-term product and business strategy. Success in this role requires strong judgment, commercial acumen, and the ability to operate confidently in ambiguity while building structure and alignment across stakeholders.
Accountabilities:
- Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of strategic partnerships, including identification, evaluation, negotiation, launch, governance, and ongoing performance management across technology, AI, research, and content ecosystems.
- Structure and negotiate complex agreements such as licensing deals, data-sharing arrangements, co-development partnerships, vendor contracts, and platform integrations.
- Partner with Legal and Product teams to operationalize intellectual property strategy, including governance frameworks for AI usage, data rights, content licensing, and derivative outputs.
- Establish and enforce scalable IP and partnership governance models that balance innovation, risk management, compliance, and business value creation.
- Evaluate build vs. buy vs. partner decisions and provide strategic recommendations grounded in financial, operational, and product considerations.
- Define and track partnership success metrics, including revenue impact, strategic value, adoption, risk exposure, and long-term scalability.
- Translate complex agreements and strategic initiatives into actionable execution plans with clear ownership, dependencies, and success criteria.
- 8+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, licensing, product strategy, or IP-focused leadership roles within technology or platform-driven organizations.
- Proven track record of structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including licensing, data-sharing, vendor, or platform partnerships.
- Strong experience working with legal teams and external counsel on IP, licensing, compliance, and contractual frameworks.
- Deep understanding of how to evaluate third-party technologies, platforms, or ecosystem partners in terms of strategic fit, scalability, and risk.
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence executive stakeholders across product, engineering, legal, and business functions.
- Ability to operate effectively across ambiguity, translating complex strategic opportunities into structured frameworks and executable plans.
- Experience in SaaS, edtech, AI-enabled platforms, data-driven products, or similarly complex technical environments.
- Strong commercial judgment combined with operational rigor and excellent communication skills.
- Preferred: experience with AI governance, responsible AI practices, content licensing, or data-rich/AI-driven ecosystems (including video or multimodal technologies).
- Competitive salary aligned with experience and market benchmarks, including a transparent pay philosophy.
- Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision coverage, and retirement (401k) plans.
- Generous PTO and flexible work arrangements supporting work-life balance.
- Professional development opportunities and exposure to high-impact, strategic initiatives.
- Opportunity to shape foundational IP, licensing, and partnership strategy in a high-growth, innovation-driven environment.
- Executive-level exposure and the ability to directly influence product, commercial, and legal strategy.