IP Services Lead

IP Services Lead

Vevey, CH

Vevey, CH

Position Snapshot

Location: Vevey, Switzerland
Company: Société des Produits Nestlé 
Type of contract: Permanent
Act. Rate: Full-Time, 100%

Position Summary

Legal R&D, part of the Nestlé Group Legal & Compliance function, is the legal and IP business partner for Nestlé R&D globally. Legal R&D is accountable for driving and implementing the IP strategy for Nestlé R&D, enabling and protecting through pragmatic legal services and business-driven IP protection.
 

As IP Services Lead, you will be responsible for the patent paralegals and IP analytics function in Legal R&D as well as for its patent management system. You will be responsible for a team of patent paralegals and have end-to-end accountability for patent formalities procedures across all phases and patent offices for Nestlé’s patent portfolio. You will proactively provision IP analytics, search and IP-based competitive intelligence services to Nestlé through a team of IP analytics, in particular to the Legal R&D patent counsels’ function and implement and enable new ways of working within Legal R&D as well as in R&D, through a pragmatic acceleration of services.
 

A day in the life of an IP Services Lead

• Lead and manage a team of patent paralegals, IP analysts and patent management system experts reinforcing a culture of service, innovation, efficiency and speed.


• Ensure docketing and deadline management as well as formalities for procedures before regional and national patent offices throughout the lifecycle of Nestlé’s patent rights


• Ensure management of formalities procedures with outside counsels.


• Deliver on time required patentability, FTO and invalidation searches as well as business-relevant IP landscapes and analysis.


• Ensure efficient access to state-of-the art patent information databases, including solutions for access to foreign language databases.


• Identify, select and implement new electronic processes and technical IP analytics solutions to accelerate and/or increase the value-add of paralegals and patent information to Nestlé (data mining, AI, correlation with other data sources).


• Identify and implement procedural opportunities and new business intelligence opportunities leveraging IP databases.


• Operate, and ensure quality assurance and continuous improvement for Nestlé’s patent management system and optimization for efficient use by experts and non-experts


• Integrate Legal R&D KPI’s and business alignment into patent management for ease of management and access/extraction.


• Train, develop and lead a team of in-house qualified paralegals and IP analytics professionals, as well as in-sourced resources from third party service providers.


• Manage vendors for all the above services and continuous monitoring and identification of potential vendors, to maintain optimal price and quality for Nestlé and leverage new technological opportunities.


• Manage cost and invoicing in close collaboration with Nestlé Group Legal & Compliance Financial Controller.
   

What will make you successful

• Technical or scientific education, or a legal or patent paralegal qualification.


• 10+ years professional experience in either patent procedures or IP analytics, preferably with prior experience in both areas.


• Proven knowledge of and experience with patent procedures in a relevant jurisdiction


• Proven experience in team management and leadership


• Service orientated with leadership skills and ability to communicate complex analysis and processes in a clear actionable and business-relevant way


• Proven ability to handle multiple projects and effectively manage priorities to meet tight deadlines


• Technology-savvy, curious for innovative uses of IP information and procedural tools and ability to implement new processes and tools


• Fluent in English, any other language is an asset
   

The Nestlé Group is the world’s largest food and beverage company with 92.6 billion Swiss Francs in sales in 2019. It is present in 187 countries around the world, has 403 factories and its 291’000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy.

Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago. Learn more about our Group and reasons to join us on www.nestle.com

Position Snapshot

Location: Vevey, Switzerland
Company: Société des Produits Nestlé 
Type of contract: Permanent
Act. Rate: Full-Time, 100%

Position Summary

Legal R&D, part of the Nestlé Group Legal & Compliance function, is the legal and IP business partner for Nestlé R&D globally. Legal R&D is accountable for driving and implementing the IP strategy for Nestlé R&D, enabling and protecting through pragmatic legal services and business-driven IP protection.
 

As IP Services Lead, you will be responsible for the patent paralegals and IP analytics function in Legal R&D as well as for its patent management system. You will be responsible for a team of patent paralegals and have end-to-end accountability for patent formalities procedures across all phases and patent offices for Nestlé’s patent portfolio. You will proactively provision IP analytics, search and IP-based competitive intelligence services to Nestlé through a team of IP analytics, in particular to the Legal R&D patent counsels’ function and implement and enable new ways of working within Legal R&D as well as in R&D, through a pragmatic acceleration of services.
 

A day in the life of an IP Services Lead

• Lead and manage a team of patent paralegals, IP analysts and patent management system experts reinforcing a culture of service, innovation, efficiency and speed.


• Ensure docketing and deadline management as well as formalities for procedures before regional and national patent offices throughout the lifecycle of Nestlé’s patent rights


• Ensure management of formalities procedures with outside counsels.


• Deliver on time required patentability, FTO and invalidation searches as well as business-relevant IP landscapes and analysis.


• Ensure efficient access to state-of-the art patent information databases, including solutions for access to foreign language databases.


• Identify, select and implement new electronic processes and technical IP analytics solutions to accelerate and/or increase the value-add of paralegals and patent information to Nestlé (data mining, AI, correlation with other data sources).


• Identify and implement procedural opportunities and new business intelligence opportunities leveraging IP databases.


• Operate, and ensure quality assurance and continuous improvement for Nestlé’s patent management system and optimization for efficient use by experts and non-experts


• Integrate Legal R&D KPI’s and business alignment into patent management for ease of management and access/extraction.


• Train, develop and lead a team of in-house qualified paralegals and IP analytics professionals, as well as in-sourced resources from third party service providers.


• Manage vendors for all the above services and continuous monitoring and identification of potential vendors, to maintain optimal price and quality for Nestlé and leverage new technological opportunities.


• Manage cost and invoicing in close collaboration with Nestlé Group Legal & Compliance Financial Controller.
   

What will make you successful

• Technical or scientific education, or a legal or patent paralegal qualification.


• 10+ years professional experience in either patent procedures or IP analytics, preferably with prior experience in both areas.


• Proven knowledge of and experience with patent procedures in a relevant jurisdiction


• Proven experience in team management and leadership


• Service orientated with leadership skills and ability to communicate complex analysis and processes in a clear actionable and business-relevant way


• Proven ability to handle multiple projects and effectively manage priorities to meet tight deadlines


• Technology-savvy, curious for innovative uses of IP information and procedural tools and ability to implement new processes and tools


• Fluent in English, any other language is an asset
   

The Nestlé Group is the world’s largest food and beverage company with 92.6 billion Swiss Francs in sales in 2019. It is present in 187 countries around the world, has 403 factories and its 291’000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favourites. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy.

Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago. Learn more about our Group and reasons to join us on www.nestle.com