Senior Associate Counsel, Intellectual Property

Company: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical
Location: Cambridge
Posted on: April 4, 2021

Job Description:

At Ultragenyx, we fundamentally believe that taking real impactful action to care for the needs of patients and our people is always the right thing to do.--To achieve this goal, our vision is to lead the future of rare disease medicine. For us, this means going where other biopharma companies won't go - challenging the status quo and creating a new model that advances our field so more patients and caregivers can benefit from life-changing treatments. We do this by following the science, applying a novel rapid development approach, making innovative medicines at fair and reasonable prices, and creating a collaborative ecosystem to reach patients in ways that are most meaningful for them.-- Our commitment and care for patients extends to our people, so culture is an essential cornerstone for Ultragenyx. We remain continuously focused on creating a supportive and inclusive environment of profound learning and growth - so employees can thrive in all areas of their lives, in and outside of work. -- Ultimately, we want to be an organization where we would be proud for our family, friends and children to work. If you want to have a meaningful impact, do the best work of your career, and grow a lot, both professionally and -- personally, come join our team.-- During the COVID-19 Outbreak,--we are committed to our hiring process. The health and safety of our employees and prospective employees take priority which means at this time our--approach--will include--video discussions, interviews, and--onboarding. Position Summary: ultrafocused - Work together to fearlessly uncover new possibilities This is an exciting opportunity to join a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel products for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. Reporting to the Vice President of Intellectual Property, the selected candidate will work closely with inventors and Ultragenyx's senior leadership to manage and contribute to the Company's extensive and growing intellectual property portfolio and help shape its global patent and trademark strategy. In this position, you will be responsible for formulating prosecution strategy, drafting patent applications and office action responses, supervising outside patent and trademark counsel, conducting due diligence reviews, and performing patentability, invalidity, non-infringement, and freedom-to-operate assessments. This newly-established position will provide the selected candidate with a tremendous opportunity for development and advancement in a rapidly growing organization. This role will work directly and collaboratively with the Vice President of Intellectual Property to secure and/or strengthen protection of the Company's diverse array of pre-clinical, clinical, and commercial products. Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and manage Ultragenyx's patent portfolio covering a wide range of therapeutic modalities, including traditional biologics, AAV gene therapies, mRNA therapeutics, antisense oligonucleotides, siRNAs, and small molecules
• Collaborate with inventors and R&D teams as well as outside patent counsel to prepare invention disclosures, draft patent applications, and formulate responses to office actions
• Attend technical meetings to identify new sources of Ultragenyx intellectual property
• Serve as the primary liaison to multiple groups of outside patent counsel and manage external relationships to ensure successful, cost-efficient outcomes
• Develop and monitor patent prosecution goals, objectives, and metrics
• Educate senior management, inventors, and R&D teams regarding best practices for optimally protecting Ultragenyx technology
• Provide prompt and actionable responses to general intellectual property questions from Ultragenyx's R&D, clinical, regulatory, commercial, and business teams
• Evaluate and implement processes for improving Ultragenyx's patent prosecution organization and workflow
• Partner with Ultragenyx's business development team to review, assess, and evaluate third-party intellectual property portfolios
• Conduct freedom-to-operate, non-infringement, invalidity, and patentability analyses in support of diligence activities, licensing efforts, and risk assessment
• Provide legal, technical, and strategic support in potential or actual intellectual property litigation
• Review proposed manuscripts and presentations for potential relevance to Ultragenyx's intellectual property
• Work collaboratively with outside trademark counsel to secure global brand protection for Ultragenyx's products and product candidates
• Maintain documentation of Ultragenyx's trade secrets and continually evaluate and implement improved processes for optimizing protection of Ultragenyx's trade secrets and know-how
• Develop a thorough understanding of the Company's current and planned business activities, products, markets, and competitors
• Establish collaborative relationships with external partners at universities, research organizations, government institutions, and other technology companies
• Monitor international trends in intellectual property protection and adjust Ultragenyx's practices as appropriate
• Occasionally perform special business-critical legal assignments or projects, without significant supervision
• Influence and build relationships with executives, project teams, and peers across Ultragenyx Technical Requirements & Skills:
  • JD degree (or foreign equivalent)
  • Membership in good standing of the Massachusetts State Bar or the California State Bar (or member in good standing of another state bar)
  • Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
  • 3+ years of life sciences/biotechnology patent prosecution experience
  • Thorough understanding of U.S. and foreign patent systems
  • Strong IP-specific financial acumen
  • Ability to understand complex IP issues, assess risk, and provide concise business-focused legal advice
  • Dynamic self-starter with a sense of urgency, ability to multi-task, and ability to work well under pressure with tight deadlines to ensure timely and appropriate responses to issues
  • Ability to manage ever-changing priorities in a fast-past environment and a willingness to oversee multiple projects simultaneously
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Highly attentive to detail
  • Enthusiasm for learning new technologies, particularly those in the life sciences, with a proven ability to gain competence quickly and independently
  • A demonstrated ability to lead change
  • Good judgment in working with business partners and occasionally under ambiguous or challenging circumstances
  • Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information #LI- JT1 #LI- 4 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical is an equal opportunity employer & prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin/ancestry, age, disability, marital and veteran status. Reasonable accommodation will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities and for qualified disabled veterans in job application procedures, as required by applicable law. If you have any difficulty using our online application system and need an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact--Talent Acquisition--by calling:--(415) 483-8800--or by--emailing--us at--talentacquisition@ultragenyx.com . For electronic email and mail inquiries, please include a description of your requested accommodation, your name and contact information. Note to External Recruiters: All candidate activity and open positions are managed strictly through our Human Resources Department. Our Human Resources Department kindly requests that recruiters not contact employees/hiring managers directly in an attempt to solicit business and present candidates. Please note that failure to comply with this request will be a factor in determining a professional relationship with our organization. Submission of unsolicited resumes prior to an agreement set in place between the Human Resources Department and the recruiting agency will not create any implied obligation. Inquiries on developing a recruiting relationship with us, may be directed to:--talentacquisition@ultragenyx.com .

Keywords: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Cambridge , Senior Associate Counsel, Intellectual Property, Legal , Cambridge, Massachusetts