Since our founding in 1924, we've cut cardiovascular disease deaths in half, but there is still so much more to do. To overcome today’s biggest health challenges and accelerate this progress, we need passionate individuals like you. Join our movement, be part of the progress, and help ensure a healthier future for all. You matter, and so does the impact you can make with us.

The American Heart Association Studio Red is seeking a Director of Business Development and Strategic IP to fill two key roles at the Association!

The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

#TheAHALife is more than a company culture; it is our way of life. It embodies our commitment to work-life harmonization and is guided by our core values where our employees can thrive both personally and professionally. Discover why you will Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Valued at the American Heart Association by following us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and at heart.jobs.

The Director will collaborate closely with Studio Red and Ventures leadership and leadership across many internal departments, as well as external partners, grantees, volunteers, etc. to identify and execute strategic initiatives that advance the organization's impact-focused and financial goals.

Help guide the identification, development, and partnership of intellectual property assets across the Association; and serve as a leader/coach/internal consultant to help the organization expand the value of its know-how and created/funded products and services.

Lead partnerships and commercialization efforts for innovative healthcare ventures focused on cardiology and brain health within Studio Red. Pivotal will form and manage external relationships with potential partners (e.g., venture studios, venture capital firms, research institutions, corporations, academic hospitals, etc.) to source new projects, identify and develop commercialization and funding pathways for internal and external initiatives, and add complementary expertise to the Studio and Ventures’ teams to accelerate innovation across the organization.

Strategic IP:

• Provide guidance, training, and support to help instill a stronger and more skilled innovation culture in key areas that affect IP creation organization-wide.
• Help identify opportunities to create value and assets for the Association through patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other special know-how.
• Assist the Association’s stakeholders in effectively monitoring the competitive landscape and harvesting the value from partnerships around the Association’s IP and trade secrets to:
  • Proactively identify opportunities for the Association to develop innovative solutions from its internal and externally funded efforts
  • Find opportunities to bring association-controlled IP/trade secrets to market, including new company creation, in coordination with the Association Ventures, Mission Aligned Business, and other internal and external organizations.
  • Work with the Science/Research teams to maximize and coordinate the Association’s IP/ownership and co-creation opportunity in externally-funded research.
  • Work with the legal department to ensure effective protective measures and agreements are in place
• Develop and report on the financial impact of these efforts, with the goal of increasing the value of the Association’s investment in its overall program portfolio.
• Manage, oversee, and report on the Association’s IP Portfolio to senior leadership (as appropriate)
• Lead or co-lead IP Committee activities, material development, and leadership briefings, and provide relevant training on innovation culture and related topics.

Studio Red Business Development:

• Source, structure, and negotiate deals where needed, particularly when Studio Red seeks to license or partner around external IP

• Support the transition of projects from incubation to market, developing strategies that position ventures for successful venture funding, licensing, strategic partnerships, etc.

• Identify business opportunities by assessing market size, value-creation opportunity, and actions required to materialize the opportunity.
  • When needed, support due diligence, financial modeling, and other analyses to assess business opportunities.
• Nurture ongoing, long-term relationships with life science, medical device, and technology industry executives, investors, research institutions, etc.

• Keep abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive dynamics in cardiology and brain health across devices, diagnostics, digital, services, and therapeutics, utilizing this knowledge to inform strategic decisions and identify new opportunities.

• Represent the Association at conferences and other public forums as needed.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
  
  
• Eight (8) years of experience in health care innovation, business development, and IP-related strategy or similar role and track record negotiating business development deals with commercial partners.
  
  
• Excellent commercialization process knowledge and skills, and an understanding of what it takes to translate IP/know-how/trade secrets into a business opportunity. This is NOT a legal role nor a scientific one, but rather a role to help our entire organization translate our assets and know-how into opportunity, as well as to ensure that our internal activities help us best protect IP and operationalize these opportunities.
  
  
• Existing network and positive relationships with potential partners (e.g., investors, life sciences & medical device companies, digital health and health services organizations (payer/provider), venture studios, academic and research institutions, etc.).
• Familiarity with IP processes at academic medical centers and equivalent to inform deal-making and collaboration.
• Mission-driven entrepreneur, committed to advancing the Association’s mission by supporting and building a robust IP portfolio.
• Financial acumen and understanding, with experience in business analysis.
• Track record of success in:
  • Executing and scaling visionary, transformative opportunities.
  • Catalyzing, structuring, and closing deals.
  • Directing large, complex, strategic collaborative relationships.
  • Developing strategy, metrics, expectations, standards, process and structure to meet goals and ensure success in rolling out new or rebuilt programs; experience developing key performance indicators (KPIs) with expense and revenue implications.
  • Learning new areas of science and collaborating across multidisciplinary stakeholders to develop business opportunities.
• Scientific masters or doctoral degree plus MBA or equivalent business leadership experience preferred.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required, approximately 10% of the time.

Why Join Us?

As the Director of Business Development and Strategic IP, you will play a pivotal role in transforming healthcare by bringing cutting-edge solutions in cardiology and brain health to market and be a cross-departmental resource for strategically accelerating innovation

The American Heart Association invests in its people. Here are the main components of our total rewards package.  Visit Rewards & Benefits to see more details.

• Compensation – Our goal is to ensure you have a competitive base salary.  That’s why we regularly review the market value of jobs and make adjustments, as needed.
  
  
• Performance and Recognition – You are rewarded for achieving success by merit increases and incentive programs; this position is incentive-eligible based on achieving certain targets. This position is incentive eligible up to 10% for achieving certain targets.  
  
  
• Benefits – We offer a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program that includes an employer match and automatic contribution.  As a mark of our commitment to employee well-being, we also offer an employee assistance program, employee wellness program and telemedicine, and medical consultation.
  
  
• Professional Development – You can join one of our many Employee Resource Groups (ERG) or be a mentor/mentee in our professional mentoring program.  HeartU is the Association’s national online university, with more than 100,000 resources designed to meet your needs and busy schedule.
  
  
• Work-Life Harmonization – The Association offers Paid Time Off (PTO) at a minimum of 16 days per year for new employees.  The number of days will increase based on seniority level.  You will also have a total of 12 paid holidays off each year, which includes several days off at the end of the year.
  
  
• Tuition Assistance - We support the career development of all employees.  This program provides financial assistance to employees who wish to further their education and career in relation to their current duties and responsibilities, or for potential future positions in the organization.

The American Heart Association’s 2028 Goal: Building on over 100 years of trusted leadership in cardiovascular and brain health, by 2028 the AHA will drive breakthroughs and implement proven solutions in science, policy, and care for healthier people and communities. The greatest discoveries in health must reach everyone where they are.

At American Heart Association | American Stroke Association, our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, age, language, sexual orientation, national origin and physical or cognitive abilities.

This position not a match with your skills?  Click here to see other opportunities.

In accordance with local and state laws where applicable, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment.

EOE/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities