About This Role

At Apeel Sciences, we look to nature to help the global food system improve quality, reduce waste, and ensure an abundant future for our planet. We are seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and creative attorney to develop and manage our intellectual property portfolio. You will report jointly to the General Counsel and VP of Technology and work closely with Apeel’s technology team to identify IP opportunities, assess their value, research the competitive landscape, and protect our inventions and products.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop in-depth expertise in Apeel’s technology and products (e.g. analytical sciences, biological sciences, engineering, formulations, and software)
• Serve as a member of the legal leadership team and as the primary legal representative for the company’s technology team
• Develop and implement strategies for the company’s global patent and trademark portfolios
• Provide guidance on patent strategy to groups of scientists, engineers, and product developers/managers
• Implement processes, procedures, and policies for identifying and protecting the company’s valuable IP
• Conduct and direct freedom-to-operate and patentability assessments
• Prepare, file, and prosecute patent and trademark applications
• Manage the activities of outside patent and trademark counsel and create and maintain budgets with respect to those activities.
• Provide periodic reports regarding the company’s IP portfolio to others within the company
• Review, draft, and negotiate various IP-related agreements

 What You’ll Bring:

• A JD degree
• Admission to practice law in a U.S. state, admission or registration to practice law in California, and registration to practice before the USPTO
• An advanced degree in a technical field is required (PhD preferred)
• 5+ years of experience in patent prosecution
• 8+ years of total legal experience (preferred)
• Experience in the chemical, material, biotechnology, and/or food science/agriculture industries (ideal)
• Law firm experience (in-house experience also preferred)
• Experience managing, building, and leveraging global IP portfolios
• Experience managing outside counsel for patent and trademark prosecution and litigation
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a wide variety of IP-related commercial contracts
• Ability to balance competing priorities and multitask in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in cross-functional teams
• Strong client service orientation

Apeel believes that the scale of our impact is determined by the teams that work with us. As such, we seek to build high-performing teams of people from various experiences and backgrounds who can collectively push our company into new realms. We seek a diverse pool of applicants and consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, ancestry, color, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, Veteran status, marital status, or any other protected status. If you have a special need or disability that requires accommodation, please let us know.

Please note that Apeel Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the event of a recruiter or agency submitting a resume or candidate without a signed agreement being in place, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire such candidates without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted directly to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Apeel Sciences.