Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks two attorneys with an IP focus.* "Guidance, Solutions, Integrity" describes the Legal Team's approach to providing responsive legal guidance supporting the implementation of the foundation's strategies. The Legal Team offers creative solutions that accomplish programmatic objectives, develops and implements efficient legal processes to streamline the foundation’s grant making and contracting practices, and applies preventive legal strategies and compliance policies to minimize risks and safeguard the foundation’s reputation.
Responsibilities and Qualifications:
• Work as part of the Legal Team to provide advice and counsel on a broad range of legal issues critical to the foundation’s mission, including grantmaking in the foundation’s Global Health and/or Global Development programs.
• Review and participate in preparing grant agreements, review proposals, concept notes and contracts, and identify intellectual property issues related to proposed projects.
• Assist in providing guidance in developing and implementing intellectual property guidelines serving the foundation’s goal of global access (making project technology available at no or a reasonable cost in the developing world and promoting broad dissemination of information).
• Evaluate and assist in the negotiation of collaborative research agreements, commercialization and supply arrangements, intellectual property licensing arrangements, and transfer of technology rights.
• Provide guidance in the due diligence process to assess business structures and intellectual property rights of potential grantees.
• Train and educate foundation personnel regarding laws and best practices applicable to private foundations generally as well as IP and other issues that are unique to its Global Health and Global Development programs.
• Keep current on new and emerging laws and policy developments impacting tax-exempt organizations generally and in particular, private foundations.
• Provide support in other grant matters or foundation policies and issues as needed, providing counsel and creative problem solving on a broad range of issues.
Requires Juris Doctor with a minimum of 3 years experience in the practice of law with expertise in intellectual property and business negotiations (including collaborative agreements and licensing arrangements), and experience providing legal advice to clients on intellectual property issues. An undergraduate degree in fields generally related to the foundation’s Global Health and Global Development programs is desirable.
Contact:
Please visit www.gatesfoundation.org/jobs, requisition 2639BR, for further information and to apply.
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background check. It is the policy of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons.
Additional Info:
Employer Type: Non-Profit
Job Location: Seattle, Washington
*Note that the foundation will be hiring two positions, one for the Global Health and one for the Global Development team.