Patent Agent

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines.

Our Culture

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You'll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Free medical coverage for employees* via the Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with high employer contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor's degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

As a Patent Agent, you will provide legal services and resolve legal matters for assigned responsibilities or clients. You will support the businesses in the achievement of business objectives by communicating advice of the Legal Department and managing legal risks to the corporation.

Key Responsibilities

• Working with little supervision, assess competitor patent portfolios relative to current and future Abbott medical device products and develop corresponding IP strategy.
• Provide patent support for Abbott medical device businesses, including prosecuting patent applications, assessing and landscaping technologies and patent portfolios, managing outside counsel, and effectively communicating advice to relevant stakeholders.
• Work with cross-functional team to assess threats to Abbott products.
• Manage litigation support, working directly with litigation team, including patent office post-grant challenges in the US and EU, developing strategies to impact litigation or pre-litigation, acting as an internal subject matter expert, and leading a legal support team.
• Coordinate and conduct Freedom to Operate projects.
• Draft and prosecute strategic patent claims.
• Determine priorities, define what work should be accomplished, and decide how work should be accomplished.

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Possess a Bachelor's degree or higher in science or engineering.
• Be a registered patent agent with the USPTO.
• Have 5 years of relevant industry experience.
• Have minimum 5 years of experience with patent prosecution.
• Have minimum 5 years of experience with assessing competitor products and IP.
• Have minimum 5 years of experience analyzing competitive intelligence and developing corresponding IP strategy.

We are looking for candidates with:

• Experience working in-house in a highly matrixed environment.
• Medical device or other healthcare business experience.
• Ability to understand applicable FDA regulations and company operating procedures, processes, policies, and tasks.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor, and to perform successfully in cross-functional teams.

To succeed in this role, you will need to demonstrate:

• Good judgment, expertise, and sound judgment.
• Collaboration and ability to integrate information from a number of sources to achieve business results.
• Anticipation and ability to adapt approach as necessary to manage risks effectively and mitigate issues before they arise.
• Influencing skills and ability to build strong relationships with business partners to drive desired outcomes.