Gilead Sciences is seeking a Counsel II (Patent Preparation & Prosecution) to work in its Foster City, California headquarters. This position will report to a senior patent attorney of the Intellectual Property department and will be responsible for a relatively heavy patent docket with primary responsibilities of drafting and prosecuting global patent portfolios directed to at least one of Gilead's current therapeutic areas: anti-viral, respiratory, oncology/inflammation and cardiopulmonary. In addition to working on all aspects of patent application preparation and prosecution, the position will work closely with R&D to monitor the progress of Gilead's in-house research, evaluate freedom to operate with respect to third party patent rights, and advise research groups on a variety of IP issues, including patentability assessments and assessment of third party patent rights.
This is an individual contributor position that provides the successful candidate with the opportunity to work on a wide range of IP issues in a growth-oriented pharmaceutical company. The successful candidate should be able to independently identify all of the legal issues in their day-to-day activities and be able to identify many of the legal and business issues associated with increasingly complex matters and, in doing so, begin to develop expertise in specific areas of the law and contribute effectively to legal and cross functional projects.
Essential Duties and Job Functions:
• Draft patent applications and their prosecution in the US and foreign patent offices.
• Collaborate with outside US and foreign patent counsel handling patent prosecution matters including appeals.
• Maintain a detailed understanding of products and technical developments through relationships within the Company and professional growth and development via seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations.
• Conduct patentability reviews.
• Conduct freedom-to-operate reviews
• Review and assist in drafting nondisclosure, research, license and other agreements involving the use, transfer, or ownership of IP
• Counsel scientists and management regarding IP portfolio and strategy
• Provide IP support for in-licensing and acquisitions
• Through analysis and application of legal guidelines, supports IP project representatives on cross-functional projects.
• Responsible for independently researching routine issues with visibility to senior Company management with the ability to analyze and defend analysis.
• Frequently interacts with other functions to optimize collaboration between legal and other functions.
• May participate in briefings with more senior members within legal regarding the process for delivering against assigned tasks and responsibilities.
• Bachelors degree in chemistry, or a chemistry-related subject such as medicinal chemistry. A Ph.D. or M.Sc in chemistry, or a chemistry-related subject, is a plus. Other academics will be considered.
• Juris Doctorate, admitted to at least one State Bar, preferably California, with at least 5-8 years experience as an attorney with a law firm or in industry.
• Registered before the USPTO with at least five (5) years of small molecule patent preparation and prosecution experience in the pharmaceutical industry
• Experience in the pharmaceutical industry is preferred although experience in related industries will be considered.
• This position requires demonstration of Gilead’s core values: Teamwork, Accountability, Excellence and Integrity.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are necessary, including the ability to fluently speak, write and understand English. The ability to work collaboratively and efficiently with others and the ability to work well with a variety of different personalities is absolutely critical to be successful in this position.
• The successful candidate will be given considerable responsibility, and the ability to work independently is essential.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment is essential. Willingness to take initiative and be proactive; good people skills are a must.
• Works collaboratively with other members of legal department as well as internal client departments.
• Sets appropriate priorities with clients and delivers results within the established timelines.
• Contributes to multidisciplinary and/or cross-functional projects and take responsibility for legal aspects of complex to moderately complex projects within the IP Legal team.
• Develops solutions and solve problems with ongoing input and oversight from more senior members of the IP Legal team.
• Demonstrate good judgment for completing assigned projects and for providing patent legal advice in an efficient and accurate manner.
• The candidate must be proficient in MS Office-based applications. The ability to conduct computer-based prior art searches, and patent family searches, is a plus.
• Travel Requirements: occasional business trips within the U.S. or abroad may be required. While occasional, reasonable requests for telecommuting will be accommodated, a regular out-of-office telecommute schedule is not Gilead’s policy and is not a viable option for this position.
Contact:
We are an equal opportunity employer. Apply online today by visiting this link: https://www.gilead.apply2jobs.com/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=11339&CurrentPage=1.
Additional Info:
Employer Type: Small Corporation
Job Location: Foster City, California
Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company's mission is to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.