Job description
Join NovaTech Innovations, a market-leading technology company, as our Intellectual Property Counsel in San Francisco. You will shape and execute the IP strategy for a fast-paced portfolio of software and hardware products, collaborating with product, engineering, and business teams to protect and monetize innovations. In this in-house role, you will manage patent prosecution, oversee trademark clearance and registration, and negotiate IP licensing agreements. You will mentor junior team members, coordinate with external patent and IP counsel, and ensure compliance with evolving IP laws and policies across multiple jurisdictions.
Responsibility
- Lead patent strategy and prosecution for core products, including drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications and managing office actions with external counsel.
- Develop and execute trademark clearance, registration, and maintenance programs for the company’s brands globally.
- Identify IP risks in product roadmaps, perform freedom-to-operate and landscape analyses, and provide strategic guidance to product teams.
- Draft, review, and negotiate IP licensing and collaboration agreements, including cross-licensing and technology transfers.
- Coordinate with outside IP counsel, manage budgets, and ensure timely delivery of IP services.
- Oversee IP due diligence for partnerships, M&A, and fundraising activities; contribute to deal terms and integration planning.
- Implement internal IP policies, training, and processes to improve IP hygiene and awareness across the organization.
Qualification
- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active bar admission in California or ability to waive through transfer rules.
- Registered patent attorney with the USPTO in good standing.
- Minimum 4+ years of hands-on Intellectual Property experience, preferably in a technology company or top-tier firm.
- Strong background in software and hardware patent prosecution, trademark law, and IP licensing.
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills; ability to explain complex IP issues to non-lawyers.
- Experience with IP diligence in partnerships, licensing, and M&A; track record of delivering practical business IP solutions.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and mentor junior team members.
- In-house IP experience and familiarity with international IP regimes is a plus.