IP Strategy and Portfolio Management Expert (m/f/x)

Your Talent, our Vision – together we see beyond. Your start at ZEISS Vision Care. As a leading manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses, we help people around the world achieve a clearer vision – sustainable and with focus on the future. 

Our products are as diverse as the career paths we offer, from tailored lenses to award-winning measurement systems. Become part of our team and shape a future in which clear vision and professional success go hand in hand.

• Collaboration: Work closely with R&D, marketing, business development and procurement teams worldwide to enable and protect innovations effectively. Cooperate with legal & patent & trademark teams worldwide.

• Market Research: Monitor industry trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes to enlarge and manage the IP portfolio as well as to mitigate risks.

• IP Strategy Development: Improve and implement comprehensive IP strategies that support new business goals in technology and medically regulated fields.

• Portfolio Management: Conduct prior art searches and support technical experts in drafting notifications of inventions and industrial designs. Assist in drafting and prosecuting patent and design patent applications. Advise management and technical experts in protecting patents, industrial design patents, and trade secrets, ensuring alignment with strategic business objectives. Support in trademarks and copyright, in particular software-related matters.

• Risk Management: Conduct freedom-to-operate and invalidity searches. Identify potential IP risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure freedom of third-party rights. Prepare and initiate invalidation actions such as third party observations and oppositions, and prepare for drafting foreign patent attorney’s invalidity opinions. Support to ensure compliance with industry regulations.

• Enforcement of IP Rights: Identify 3rd parties infringing ZEISS IP rights, initiate and lead enforcement activities worldwide

• Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including patent and legal counsels, to ensure alignment on IP matters. Prepare templates for board decision-making in collaboration with and in support of the Head of Strategic IP Coordination & IP Management.

• Training and Education: Provide training and guidance to internal business teams on IP best practices, policies, and procedures.

• Master’s degree, diploma or preferably PhD in a technical or a nature scientific study with long term practical experience in said area

• A German or European Patent Attorney; or an Attorney-at-Law with experience in representing clients in patent litigation matters

• Advanced experience in intellectual property (IP) strategy, IP portfolio management, or related fields, preferably in high-tech or medically regulated industries in an international and diverse setting

• Profound knowledge of IP laws and regulations (German and European law is a must), including patent, trademark, and copyright law

• Proven experience in developing and executing successful IP strategies and managing diverse IP portfolios in emerging business areas

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills and additionally used to work in a precise, structured and process driven manner

• Fluent written and spoken business German and English

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