Innovation Systems Manager

Job Title

Innovation Systems Manager

Agency

Texas A&M University System Offices

Department

Texas A&M Innovation

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

The System Offices is one of several system members within the Texas A&M University System representing one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a network of 12 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M – Fort Worth and the Texas A&M - RELLIS Campus. The Texas A&M University System mission is to provide education, conduct research, commercialize technology, offer training, and deliver services for the people of Texas and beyond.

The System Offices, within the Texas A&M University System, provides an outstanding benefits package including, but not limited to: competitive health benefits; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; a defined benefit retirement plan to include an employer contribution through Teachers Retirement System of Texas (TRS); if applicable, a defined contribution retirement plan to include an employer contribution through an approved ORP vendor: additional voluntary tax deferred annuity (TDA) options; tuition assistance; and wellness programs to promote work/life balance.

Salary:

$5,667.67 - $8,333.33 per month commensurate with experience.

Job Description Summary:

The Innovation Systems Manager serves as the technical lead for data systems, integration, reporting, and automation needs for Texas A&M Innovation - working both independently and leading others in supporting work across licensing, new ventures, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, industry engagement, and impact reporting. The position will focus primarily on administration of enterprise platforms, data engineering and business intelligence. Beyond traditional systems administration, the role will also be responsible for identifying opportunities to combine reliable enterprise operations with an Al-enabled build capability, implementing Al-enabled automation using modern tools to reduce manual work and streamline workflows.

Responsibilities:
Enterprise systems administration

- Serve as the primary administrator and subject matter expert for Wellspring Sophia/Evolve and related technology transfer systems; manage system configuration, custom fields, user roles, permissions, and workflow settings.

- Lead data migration activities from legacy systems, spreadsheets, and related databases into the enterprise technology transfer platform; perform data mapping, cleansing, validation, and quality review.

- Design, build, and maintain data integrations between Wellspring and other institutional systems, including research administration platforms, CRM systems, and university financial systems, using APIs, webhooks, and modern integration tooling.

- Support CRM design and data structures for tracking industry partnerships, sponsorships, paid engagements, investor relationships, external inquiries, and follow‑up activity, and integrate those structures with the technology transfer platform.

- Coordinate database maintenance, upgrades, testing, performance monitoring, issue resolution, backup support, and recovery planning for supported environments.

- Ensure appropriate data governance, security, access controls, and usage practices to protect sensitive legal, financial, and research-related information, in alignment with TAMUS security standards. AI-enabled automation and custom tools

- Identify manual workflows and opportunities for efficiency across the office and use modern AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent) to build software that addresses them.

- Design and implement internal tools, like scripts, integrations, small web applications, and AI-powered automations, that measurably reduce manual work.

- Embed LLM capabilities into office workflows using TAMUS-approved enterprise AI services (Microsoft Copilot, or equivalent).

- Evaluate build-vs-buy tradeoffs and make recommendations considering problem, timeline, and budget, in partnership with the Director of Operations and other relevant stakeholders.

- Instrument tools and automation so their impact can be measured and reported.

Dashboards, data pipelines, and reporting

- Develop and maintain automated data pipelines and reporting structures that feed operational dashboards, executive reporting, commercialization metrics, and portfolio analysis.

- Build, maintain, and validate dashboards and reports in business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, SiSense) to monitor disclosures, agreements, licensing activity, compliance deadlines, financial performance, and other impact/KPI metrics.

- Oversee federal, state, private, and institutional compliance reporting requirements, including tracking invention reporting obligations and deadlines in iEdison and preparing information used for external reporting and benchmarking activities such as AUTM surveys.

Collaboration, documentation, and support

- Provide technical training, user support, troubleshooting assistance, and documentation for staff, administrators, and researchers using supported systems.

- Document use of tools, scripts, integrations, and automations so the work is durable and transferable.

- Prepare project status updates, problem summaries, progress reports, and other documentation for management and stakeholders.

- Provide leadership and technical direction to staff and students supporting Texas A&M Innovation data systems and reporting efforts.

- Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in an applicable field (computer science, information systems, data analytics, engineering, or related), or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Five years of related experience in software development, database administration, systems integration, business intelligence, or enterprise application support.

- Experience designing or implementing automation solutions (e.g., workflow tools, RPA, Al-assisted classification or routing)

- Strong experience working with relational databases, SQL, data validation, reporting tools, and system integrations.

- Experience developing dashboards in Power Bl, Tableau, BOBJ or similar business intelligence platforms for executive audiences, KPI monitoring, and operational performance tracking.

- Experience integrating enterprise systems such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Workday, Huron, or Kuali, via APls or SFTP.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

- Knowledge of project coordination, technical documentation, troubleshooting, and system support practices in a complex organization environment.

- Excellent written communication, analytical, interpersonal and organization skills.

- Working fluency with modern Al-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude Coda, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT. or equivalent), and experience using them to build practical scripts, automations, or small applications in a professional setting.

- Knowledge of database administration, system implemental on, data Integration, reporting architecture, and data quality management in multi-platform environments.

- Ability to design end-to end data architectures (from source systems through integration. storage, and visualization) that support reliable KPI and impact reporting,

- Knowledge of technical standards, security practices, backup and recovery procedures, data governance principles. and appropriate handling of sensitive information.

- Strong project management, mentoring, problem-solving, vendor coordination, and quality assurance skills.

- Ability to make sound judgements on build or buy decisions with software products and tools.

- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical users, including licensing professionals. administrators, and faculty researchers.

- Ability to identify process improvement opportunities and develop practical, scalable technical solutions that support innovation and commercialization operations.

- Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Advanced degree 1n computer science, information systems, data analytics. or a related field.

- Experience integrating LLM APls into production workflows.

- Experience building and deploying web applications.

- Experience with Wellspring Sophia, lnteum, or similar intellectual property or technology transfer management systems.

- Experience m higher education, research administration, technology transfer, or commercialization operations,

- Fam1harity with TX-RAMP or FedRAMP compliance standards and security protocols

- Fam11iarily with iEdison reporting requirements and AUTM survey reporting.

- Two years of experience in managing the work of and leading other staff and/or students.

Other Requirements:

This is a security-sensitive position and is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents only. Only complete applications will be considered for employment at The Texas A&M System Offices. Incomplete job application data could result in your application being rejected without an option to reapply. A cover letter and resume may be required in addition to a completed employment application.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.