12 May 26 Business Development Officer (Commercialisation & Venture Support) 3 Year Fixed-Term ...

12/05/2026

To support the Company's Commercialisation agenda by supporting partner engagement, pipeline coordination, documentation, and operational delivery across licensing and spinout activities arising from Wits research and innovation outputs.

To support the development of a Commercialisation approach per innovation opportunity, ensuring a smooth handover from pre-commercialisation activities led by the Wits Innovation Centre to Commercialisation activities led by Wits Commercial Enterprise.

To support the commercial assessment of innovation opportunities transitioning from pre-commercialisation to commercialisation, including conducting preliminary commercial due diligence on market readiness, business potential, commercial pathways, and resourcing requirements.

To provide coordination and administrative support between the Company and key Wits innovation ecosystem stakeholders (Wits Innovation Centre, Wits Commercialisation Forum, Adhoc Innovation Committee, inventors/entrepreneurs, external advisors/consultants, funders, and industry partners).

To provide secretariat support to the Wits Commercialisation Forum (scheduling, document collation, minute-taking, action tracking, and data room administration) under the direction of the Business Development Manager.

To support the coordination and rollout of the Wits Researcher-to-Founder Development Programme aimed at preparing researchers for entrepreneurial and venture-building pathways.

Key Responsibilities:

• Commercialisation Pipeline Support and Documentation
• Researcher-to-Founder Programme Coordination and Rollout
• Reporting, M&E and Benefits Tracking

• A tertiary qualification / University degree (or higher) in Commerce or Science/Engineering or Innovation/Entrepreneurship
• Short courses in Innovation management, Entrepreneurship development, Technology transfer, Project management, or Venture building, will be an added advantage
• 3 years experience in Technology transfer, Commercialisation, early-stage venture or enterprise development with demonstrable exposure to at least two of the following:
• Conducting commercial due diligence of R&D and innovation outputs
• Supporting the rollout of an incubation/enterprise development programme
• Preparing pitch decks, one-pagers and market briefs
• Supporting the drafting and routing of term sheets or licence documents
• Spinout operations support (CIPC filings, basic compliance packs)
• Start-up support (meeting logistics, grant/proposal support, tracking KPIs)
• Identification and engagement of prospective Commercialisation partners
• Drafting/routing of license documents
• Establishment and aftercare of spinouts/start-ups

• Commitment to the development and Commercialisation of research-based innovations
• Working knowledge of the innovation value chain and university Commercialisation processes
• Basic understanding of early-stage funding pathways and deal documentation
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Ability to multi-task; meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to work in a team and independently
• Reporting and presentation skills
• Familiarity with CIPC compliance, Commercialisation of publicly funded R&D outputs
• Experience with basic analytics dashboards
• Event coordination and external-facing professionalism
• Initiative, curiosity, and continuous-improvement mindset