Senior Counsel, IP

The role

The Senior Counsel, IP will own the strategy and development of the IP function. This person will manage the patent portfolio end to end and partner with scientists and engineers to identify patentable work.

What you will do

• Own the patent portfolio end to end, including invention harvesting, filing strategy, prosecution management, and lifecycle decisions.
• Partner with scientists and engineers to identify patentable work and run invention disclosure and review.
• Direct and hold accountable outside patent firms and foreign associates.
• Run freedom-to-operate and clearance analyses to inform product strategy and launches.
• Serve as the IP voice in commercial, collaboration, and corporate transactions.
• Build and maintain the broader IP program, including trade secret program and trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement.

Required qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) or equivalent law degree
• Admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• 7+ years of substantive intellectual property law experience
• Significant depth and expertise in patent law
• Strong technical fluency to engage with PhD-level physicists, chemists, and machine learning researchers

Nice to have

• A combination of in-house and Big Law experience
• USPTO registration / patent bar admission
• An undergraduate or graduate degree in a STEM field — physics, chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, or similar
• Experience with AI/ML, life sciences, or computational chemistry subject matter
• Experience with Section 101 eligibility strategy for software and algorithmic inventions
• Experience or interest in building an IP program from an early stage
• Experience with government-funded contracts
• Trade secret program design
• Litigation or contested-proceeding exposure (IPR, PGR, oppositions)
• Demonstrated use of or specific interest in AI tooling to accelerate legal work

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
• Retirement savings with company matching
• Paid parental leave
• Inclusive family-building benefits
• Flexible paid time off
• Company-wide seasonal breaks
• Support for flexible work arrangements
• Access to internal learning and development programs

About the company

SandboxAQ is a high-growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital-backed company in 2022.