Now Hiring - The Johns Hopkins University - Corporate Partnerships Specialist, Materials & Advanced Manufacturing (Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures) in Baltimore, MD

Full description of the position

Affiliated Office Address Baltimore, MD, United States Requisition ID 120591 Date Created March 06, 2026 Job Family Research Job Subfamily JHTV Job Function Program Management Exempt Status Exempt Shift Type Full Time Schedule M-F/8:30am-5pm Worksite 02-MD:Mount Washington Campus Work Modality On-site: 90-100% of hours worked on-site Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) drives the strategic expansion of corporate-sponsored research across the university by proactively identifying, cultivating, and structuring industry-funded research collaborations that accelerate innovation, deepen corporate engagement, and increase sponsored research revenue. In addition to technology licensing and venture creation, JHTV serves as the central catalyst for long-term corporate research partnerships aligned with institutional priorities and faculty strengths. We are seeking a Corporate Partnerships Specialist, Materials & Advanced Manufacturing. Reporting to the Director Business Development & Portfolio Management in JHTV, the Corporate Partnerships Specialist will be directly accountable for significantly increasing corporate-sponsored research volume, revenue, and strategic partnerships in Materials & Advanced Manufacturing, by combining deep faculty engagement, domain knowledge and market intelligence to cultivate, source, shape, and enable corporate collaborations in this domain. This role is responsible for developing and executing a domain-specific corporate research growth strategy, building multi-year master research agreements, and securing new industry funding streams aligned with JHU faculty capabilities. This new role expands the work of JHTV's Corporate Partnerships team by dedicating a resource focused on a specific domain area as a technical specialist and will also actively coordinate with other domain specialists to identify strategic cross-disciplinary research for industry funding. The position will have a dotted-line to the Whiting School of Engineering Senior Associate Dean of Corporate and Global Partnerships and will be embedded in the relevant Department within the Whiting School of Engineering. The role proactively identifies where companies are investing, sources partnership opportunities, and works alongside our worldclass researchers to shape sponsor-ready collaboration concepts, in close coordination with other teams in JHTV. This role also serves as a liaison and bridge between the relevant departments/centers of the university and the broader JHTV organization, helping to increase connectivity and identify promising intellectual property/licensing opportunities and startup ideas. Specific

Duties

&

Responsibilities

Faculty Engagement & Relationship Building

• Navigate a diverse faculty landscape where industry engagement orientation varies significantly; adapt outreach approach to meet faculty at their current level of readiness.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with faculty, researchers, and leadership across the Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and adjacent departments/academic units/Centers/Institutes.
• Conduct regular outreach and meetings with faculty to understand research priorities, emerging projects, and collaboration interests.
• Serve as a visible, accessible resource for faculty seeking industry engagement, providing guidance on partnership structures, timelines, and JHTV processes.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with high-impact researchers whose work aligns with current industry investment priorities.
• Apply a service-oriented approach to faculty relationships, recognizing that faculty trust is a prerequisite for effective corporate matching making. Market Intelligence & Opportunity Sourcing
• Monitor industry trends, competitive landscapes, and corporate R&D; priorities in Materials & Advanced Manufacturing to identify where companies are investing.
• Track relevant market signals including M&A; activity, clinical pipeline, licensing deals, and strategic activities by target companies.
• Translate market intelligence into actionable insights that inform faculty engagement and strategies for partnering opportunities.
• Identify and prioritize target companies with strategic alignment to JHU's research strengths in Materials & Advanced Manufacturing.
• Proactively source and sustain industry-funded collaborations by leveraging, scientific networks, conferences, and internal and external referrals and warm entry points. Partnership Development & Deal Shaping
• Proactively shape and scale industry-funded research programs, centers, consortium models, and master research agreements that expand total corporate research investment at JHU.
• Proactively scout faculty work and develop corporate partnership opportunities by matching faculty capabilities with industry needs.
• Shape sponsor-ready collaboration concepts, including defining value propositions, research scope, deliverables and timelines.
• Develop compelling pitch materials, research summaries, and partnership proposals tailored to prospective corporate sponsors.
• Coordinate introductions and facilitate meetings between faculty and industry partners to advance partnership discussions and provide hands-on support to ensure readiness for industry engagement.
• Support deal structure and contract negotiations by providing technical context, managing faculty expectations, and ensuring alignment on deal terms.
• Treat early stage and lower commitment engagements as deliberate on ramps to deeper partnership rather then stand alone transactions.
• Maintain active stewardship of relationships at all stages, ensuring early stage contacts are nurtured systemactically toward higher value collaboration over time. Pipeline & Portfolio Management
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records of prospects, opportunities, and active engagements in CRM and pipeline management tools.
• Track the progress of opportunities through the business development lifecycle, ensuring timely follow-up and momentum.
• Provide regular pipeline updates to the Director Business Development & Portfolio Management and The Sr. Associate Dean of Global and Corporate Partnerships, and participate in pipeline review meetings.
• Flag stalled opportunities, risks, or resource needs to ensure proactive problem-solving. Cross-Functional Coordination & Liaising
• Serve as the primary liaison between Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and adjacent departments/academic units/Centers/Institutes, and JHTV teams, including Tech Transfer and FastForward to ensure faculty connect to the appropriate JHTV resources.
• Identify and surface promising intellectual property, licensing opportunities, and startup ideas emerging from the research portfolio.
• Coordinate seamless handoffs to Tech Transfer (for disclosures/IP/licensing) and FastForward (for startup support), as appropriate.
• Collaborate closely with fellow domain-focused Corporate Partnership Specialists and other corporate partnerships team members to share best practices, identify strategic cross-disciplinary opportunities, and maintain a coherent approach.
• Partner with Research Administration and other central offices as needed to support agreement execution and compliance. Information Sharing & Reporting
• Contribute to team knowledge-sharing by documenting lessons learned, successful approaches, and market insights.
• Prepare and deliver portfolio updates, activity reports, and key metrics to JHTV and School leadership as requested.
• Participate in regular team meetings, pipeline reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Advanced Degree (PhD, MD) in directly related field.
• Seven years of experience in corporate development, business development, external innovation, translational research, R&D; strategy, or related roles in industry or academia.
• U.S. Citizen or legal permanent resident required due to Federal Export Controls.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

• Science and business fluency and able to engage academic researchers and industry leaders around a value proposition.
• Working familiarity with research/innovation translation and commercialization pathways.
• Experience supporting research collaborations in academia, industry, or similar organizations.
• Service-minded with strong stakeholder management and communication skills including oral and writing skills.
• Experience working in a matrix organization with primary responsibility for success while relying on a team of resources which are not direct reports.
• Thrive in cross-functional teams with competing priorities and incomplete information. Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency
• Business Development - Advanced
• Commercialization Expertise - Advanced
• Market and Opportunity Analysis - Advanced
• Project Management - Advanced
• Partner Relationship Management - Advanced
• Stakeholder Engagement - Advanced
• Interpersonal Skills General - Advanced
• Negotiation - Advanced
• Proposal Development and Writing - Advanced
• Data Management and Analysis - Advanced The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division or department needs. Classified Title: Business Development Lead Job Posting Title (Working Title): Corporate Partnerships Specialist, Materials & Advanced Manufacturing (Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures) Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PH Starting Salary Range: $116,600 - $204,000 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.) Employee group: Full Time Schedule: M-F/8:30am-5pm FLSA Status: Exempt Location: Whiting Shcool of Engineering Department name: Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures Personnel area: Academic and Business Centers Total Rewards The referenced base salary range represents the low and high end of Johns Hopkins University's salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, market conditions, education/training and other qualifications. Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: [please apply online] worklife/.

Education and Experience

Equivalency Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines: JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job. Applicants Completing Studies Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date. Background Checks The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre- employment background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an individual basis, the date of a candidate's conviction, the nature of the conviction and how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function. Diversity and Inclusion The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion. Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. EEO is the Law [please apply online] Accommodation Information If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Office at [please apply online]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit: [please apply online] Vaccine

Requirements

Johns Hopkins University requires all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. The following additional provisions may apply, depending upon campus. Your recruiter will advise accordingly. The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre- employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.