Employment Opportunities

Commercial Development Director

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GreenCentre Canada is in search of a Commercial Development Director. In support of this search,this career profile provides an overview of the organization and the position’s scope, duties and responsibilities, required competencies, and preferred experience  and education.

About GreenCentre Canada
GreenCentre Canada is a new national Centre of Excellence for developing, de-risking, and commercializing early-stage Green Chemistry discoveries generated by academic researchers and industry. GreenCentre is dedicated to developing environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional chemical and manufacturing practices. It is governed and operated with the assistance of industry members from across the chemical value chain.

Position Scope
Commercial Development Directors report to the Director, Commercialization and are responsible for their target sectors, which include fine, bulk, or petro-chemicals as well as plastics and resins. The Commercial Development Directors work closely with GreenCentre’s multinational industry partners and in-house technical staff to identify and evaluate promising academic discoveries from across Canada. Each Director will develop and manage commercialization plans that include: product and application development, scale-up manufacturing, marketing, industry outreach, and intellectual property management.

Location
GreenCentre Canada is located in Kingston, Ontario's $21-million Innovation Park, which brings academic and industry engineers and scientists together under one roof as a means of tapping their creative energy and fostering an environment of discovery that accelerates and supports the growth of new businesses. Activities in the Park focus on advanced materials and new energy and environmental technologies, including Green Chemistry. GreenCentre’s new facilities encompass 7,000 square feet (650 m2) of purpose-built office and lab facilities. Innovation Park's main campus address is 945 Princess Street, Kingston,Ontario, K7L 3N6.

Duties and Responsibilities
Working with a variety of stakeholders, including academics, industry partners, government representatives, regulatory bodies, industry associations, strategic partners, service providers, and GreenCentre team members, the Commercial Development Directors’ duties and responsibilities include:

Project Screening and Due Diligence

• Collect the required information to evaluate project opportunities;

• Lead and/or conduct project opportunity evaluations based on a variety of technical and commercial criteria;

• Prepare and present project recommendations and supporting materials to the GreenCentre management team and industry screening committee, as appropriate.

Commercialization Plan Development and Implementation

• Develop, drive, and monitor commercialization plans to meet the objectives of assigned projects including: product and application development, scale-up manufacturing, marketing, industry outreach, and intellectual property management;

• Identify project risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies and plans;

• Work with GreenCentre's intellectual property (IP) team, ensuring the appropriate IP strategy is developed and implemented to meet project objectives;

• Manage, with support from the contract negotiation team, commercial discussions for assigned projects;

• Provide project guidance, where appropriate, to all relevant stakeholders;

• Lead and/or conduct the implementation of corrective action plans if/when appropriate;

• Lead and/or conduct interim project evaluations and implement the resultant recommendations.

Strategy and Process Development

• Act as a resident expert on the assigned industry sector;

• Provide input to the further development of GreenCentre’s strategies and processes, including budgeting and financial management;

• Assist in the creation of tools and supporting materials to support GreenCentre's objectives.

Market, Partner, and Business Development

• Assist in the identification of academic discoveries and potential market, partner, customer and/or funding opportunities through market research and networking;

• Help develop and expand GreenCentre’s external stakeholder relationships, liaising with various stakeholders, such as academic institutions, industrial partners, scientists, external labs, funding organizations, etc., to help achieve GreenCentre's objectives.

Industry Outreach and Education

• Participate in industrial/government working groups related to the assigned industry sector;

• Promote GreenCentre awareness and educate key stakeholders and other target audiences;

• Develop and maintain close links to key stakeholders in the assigned industrial sector and maintain the network of contacts;

• Support GreenCentre outreach activities through organization, attendance, and/or participation at relevant events, conferences, seminars, etc.

Required Competencies

Success in this position requires the following competencies:

Role Expertise and Industry & Market Awareness

You demonstrate critical technical knowledge and skills related to the role and have a thorough knowledge of relevant products, services and methods. You expand your technical knowledge and skills, and keep your own area of expertise up-to-date.

You seek to anticipate and respond to industry and market changes by understanding key characteristics, issues, and the factors driving them. You are aware of alternative solutions to those you are assessing.

Client Orientation

You strive to provide clients with personalized and efficient service. You anticipate clients' needs, quickly follow up on client contacts and complaints, and monitor and act on measures of client satisfaction.

Drive

You adopt an energetic approach, working towards goals and willingly tackling demanding tasks. You demonstrate capacity for sustained effort and hard work, even in the face of adversity.

Adaptability

You quickly adapt to new situations and approaches. You are open to change and readily adopt new methods in the face of shifting priorities and ambiguity. You can alter your own perspective and behaviour in order to adjust to changing demands and plans.

Commercial Acumen

You apply appropriate commercial and financial principles. You understand situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. You appreciate the commercial impact of your work on the organization's total expenses and revenues.

Information Seeking

You consult widely for business or technical advice, probe for facts, and obtain information from a wide variety of sources. You differentiate the critical from the irrelevant or trivial.

Planning and Objective Setting

You are systematic in your approach to work. You produce action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified. You plan by breaking down large task into subtasks, develop plans that anticipate obstacles, are realistic about time-scales, and build in appropriate checkpoints, milestones, and controls to ensure that desired results are realized.

Communication

You express ideas in a clear, fluent, and concise manner. Your written and oral arguments are compelling and responsive to the needs of the audience. You comprehend communication from others and respond appropriately.

Experience and Educational Requirements

• advanced degree in Chemistry and/or Chemical Engineering;

• 10-12 years experience in technology development and/or commercialization with a significant emphasis on business and technical due diligence;

• minimum of 7 years of direct industrial experience in the chemical and/or pharmaceutical industry;

• demonstrated entrepreneurial approach and experience working in high impact, cross-functional teams;

• demonstrated ability in working with academic researchers and industrial partners;

• experience dealing with technical and non-technical audiences at all levels of an organization;

• intellectual property management, technology transfer, and licensing experience is an asset.

Travel

Travel will be required to visit potential and existing stakeholders, primarily in Canada, although some international travel may be necessary. Travel demands will vary and are estimated to be 15-20%.

Remuneration and Benefits

Salary, incentives, and benefit package are commensurate with experience and qualifications. Relocation assistance will be provided to the right candidate.