Director, IP Counsel

The role

The Director, IP Counsel will lead the intellectual property function and build a global IP strategy. This person will protect a small molecule pipeline and an AI-driven discovery platform.

What you will do

• Draft, file, and prosecute patent applications
• Manage outside counsel on the global portfolio
• Own filing strategy and the IP budget
• Conduct freedom-to-operability, patentability, and landscape analyses
• Run the invention disclosure process with research and computational teams
• Build and maintain a trade secret program for AI models, data, and know-how
• Advise on open source and data licensing
• Lead IP diligence and negotiate IP terms in collaborations and licenses
• Make AI tools central to the IP function
• Oversee publication review, lifecycle and exclusivity planning, contested proceedings, trademarks, and IP-related SEC disclosures

Required qualifications

• J.D.
• Active membership in good standing of a U.S. state bar
• USPTO registration
• 8+ years of life sciences patent experience, including law firm and in-house biotech/pharma
• Recent hands-on experience personally drafting and prosecuting small molecule patent applications
• Experience conducting FTO analyses and handling IP in pharma collaborations and licensing
• Regular use of AI tools in IP practice

Nice to have

• Ph.D. in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a related field
• Experience in computational or AI/ML fields
• Experience building an in-house IP function

Benefits

• Company-paid medical coverage
• Flexible spending accounts
• Voluntary life insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Flexible time off
• Community gym
• Dining

About the company

Iambic Therapeutics (Nasdaq: IAM) is a technology and clinical-stage life sciences company headquartered in San Diego. The company utilizes molecular superintelligence to address the totality of drug discovery and development.