Job description
Join NovaForge Technologies as a Senior Intellectual Property Counsel and help shape the IP strategy for a fast-growing tech company. You will partner with product, engineering, and business teams to protect, enforce, and monetize our global IP portfolio while enabling innovation.
This role offers hybrid work in a vibrant San Francisco office, competitive compensation, equity, and a culture built on ownership and impact.
Responsibility
- Lead and manage end-to-end patent strategy and prosecution across software, hardware, AI, and biotech initiatives, including directing external counsel.
- Oversee trademark strategy, brand protection, domain management, and enforcement efforts.
- Conduct freedom-to-operate and landscape analyses to guide product roadmaps and partnerships.
- Draft, negotiate, and finalise IP licenses, collaboration agreements, and tech transfer contracts.
- Advise cross-functional teams on IP risk, due diligence, and competitive intelligence for M&A and partnerships.
- Coordinate IP-related litigation support, licensing negotiations, and enforcement actions as needed.
- Mentor and develop junior IP staff, implement scalable processes, and drive best practices across the organization.
Qualification
- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and active bar admission in the United States (CA bar preferred).
- Minimum 6 years of in-house or law-firm experience in intellectual property, with a track record in patent prosecution and trademark management.
- Strong technical background in software, AI, hardware, or biotechnology; experience with complex technologies.
- Proven ability to manage external counsel, budgets, and cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent analytical, drafting, negotiation, and communication skills; comfortable presenting to executives.
- Deep knowledge of USPTO patent processes, PCT national phase filings, and global trademark practices.
- Ability to think strategically about IP portfolio management, licensing, and risk mitigation.
- Committed to ethical practice, confidentiality, and high professional standards.