Director, Intellectual Property

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide leadership mentoring development and priorities to IP staff under direct supervision to ensure customer groups are supported in all matters involving intellectual property management.
• Review invention disclosures and guide patenting decisions.
• Work with outside counsel in preparation filing and prosecution of patent applications.
• Investigate product development status and commercialization plans to develop patent filing strategies.
• Lead and supervise the IP support of new product development by with right to use analysis.
• Investigate patent utilization commercial offensive and defensive value to help make patent annuity/maintenance fee decisions
• Lead patentability right to use and state of the art patent analyses.
• Lead and/or support third party business development M&A due diligence and integration as needed.
• Initiate/Lead continuous improvement of the IP departments systems and procedures to ensure effective/ efficient operations.
• Support IP litigation team with aspects of patent assertions and defenses as needed.

Work location and travel

• This position is posted as hybrid. Any location in proximity to Kalamazoo MI office is preferred.
• Travel percentage up to 25%

Education

• Bachelors Degree required in Mechanical Engineering Biomedical Engineering Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering/Science or equivalent technical degree.

Qualifications and Experience

• 10 years experience managing intellectual property matters.
• 5 years of experience managing direct reports preferred.
• 5 years of experience in the medical device medtech or related industry that is highly regulated.
• Registration before the USPTO is strongly preferred.
• Experience and demonstrated expertise leading and managing all aspects of intellectual property including invention disclosures IP harvesting patent landscape patent prosecution & preparation right-to-use studies and IP training.
• Demonstrated ability to work with the business to develop and execute on strategies aligned with the business initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvements across a range of responsibilities.
• Demonstrated leadership skills ability to think strategically communicate effectively and influence others within and external to the Global Intellectual Property department.
• Exceptional responsibility accountability initiative and demonstrated ability to make difficult decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently collaboratively and inclusively.
• Demonstrates and drives a commitment to integrity and accountability.
• Maintains highly sensitive and confidential information.