Job Summary: Ecolab Inc. is a global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that provide and protect, clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments. With $16 billion in sales, Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to the food, energy, healthcare, industrial and hospitality markets in more than 170 countries.
Join a stable, growing, global Fortune 500 company as an experienced Senior IP Counsel to help protect our valuable portfolio of patents and trade secrets and advise the business on intellectual property matters regarding our important technologies. This person will be an integral member of the Legal team.
Position Details:
- Position Location: Eagan, MN (Hybrid)
- 60% (3 days per week) in our Eagan office
- Option to work remotely 40% (2 days per week)
What’s In It For You:
- The opportunity to help protect the innovations of a global sustainability leader taking on some of the world’s most meaningful challenges, including offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and the resources vital to life, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water conservation and energy use.
- The ability to make an impact and shape your career with a company that is passionate about growth.
- The support of an organization that believes it is vital to include and engage diverse people, perspectives and ideas to achieve our goals and make a positive impact on the world.
What You Will Do:
- Manage global patent clearance, prosecution, and enforcement activities for Ecolab’s businesses and technology areas relating to energy, digital, and controls.
- Advise and consult with clients in all levels of the organization, including senior leadership, to identify and assess critical patent and trade secret legal matters, including guidance regarding protection, enforcement, and risk mitigation.
- Responsible for patent related due diligence for M&A matters and post-acquisition integration activities.
- Work with members of various internal and external teams on negotiations and drafting of licenses, acquisitions, and other business and settlement agreements.
- Develop and provide global in-house training and education on patents, trade secrets, and intellectual property related agreements.
Minimum Qualifications:
- JD degree with strong academic performance.
- Chemistry and equipment related education and/or technical experience.
- Admitted to practice law and in good standing.
- Registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
- Possess 7+ years of experience, preferably at top law firms and/or in-house, with at least 4 years of law firm practice managing global patent prosecution and portfolio strategy.
- Experience with efficiently and effectively conducting patent clearance searches and FTO analyses.
- Strong knowledge of US and international patent procedures, prosecution, clearance, and enforcement.
- Experience managing patent paralegals and directing foreign counsel.
- Ability to form strong relationships with business leaders and communicate with them effectively.
- Exemplary organizational skills and impeccable attention to detail.
- Ability to proactively manage a high volume of tasks with competing deadlines through time management and establishing priorities.
- Resourcefulness, sound judgment, and tact to appropriately handle requests from all levels, including senior management.
Annual or Hourly Compensation Range
Benefits
Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits.
If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here.
Potential Customer Requirements Notice
To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer-facing roles may need to:
- Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.
Skills Required
- JD degree with strong academic performance
- Chemistry and equipment-related education and/or technical experience
- Admitted to practice law and in good standing
- Registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- 7+ years of experience, with at least 4 years in law firm practice managing global patent prosecution and portfolio strategy
- Experience conducting patent clearance searches and freedom-to-operate (FTO) analyses
- Strong knowledge of US and international patent procedures, prosecution, clearance, and enforcement
- Experience managing patent paralegals and directing foreign counsel
- Experience performing patent-related due diligence for M&A and post-acquisition integration
- Experience negotiating and drafting licenses, acquisitions, and settlement agreements
- Ability to build strong relationships with business leaders and communicate effectively
- Exemplary organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage high-volume competing deadlines
- Resourcefulness, sound judgment, and tact in handling requests from all levels of the organization
Ecolab Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ecolab and has not been reviewed or approved by Ecolab.
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Retirement Support — Feedback suggests the company provides strong retirement programs, including a 401(k) with employer matching and a pension, alongside options like an employee stock purchase plan. Offerings such as retiree healthcare benefits and diverse investment choices reinforce long-term financial support.
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Healthcare Strength — Feedback suggests medical coverage is broad, with HSA plan options and company contributions, prescription benefits, dental and vision, and virtual care and mental health support. Company-paid wellness programs and income protection (short- and long-term disability, life and accident) further strengthen core coverage.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-focused programs include fertility support, adoption assistance, and paid parental leave, complemented by counseling and resource services. These offerings are positioned as supportive of employee well-being across different life stages.
Ecolab Insights
What We Do
A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. With annual sales of $12 billion and more than 44,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions, data-driven insights and personalized service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. For more Ecolab news and information, visit www.ecolab.com, or follow us on twitter.com/ecolab, facebook.com/ecolab or instagram.com/ecolab_inc.
