Associate VP-Assistant General Patent Counsel IP Transactions

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

Associate VP-Assistant General Patent Counsel IP Transactions:

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We are looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced, collaborative, meticulous Associate VP-Assistant General Patent Counsel to join our IP Transactions Team within Lilly Legal.  In this role, you will lead and manage a broad range of IP-related corporate business development transactions from due diligence to an executed agreement. This role reports to the Vice President, Assistant General Patent Counsel IP Procurement, IP Transactions, and Strategy.  We prefer that this attorney be located in Indianapolis, Indiana, but will consider remote applicants.

Responsibilities

• There are two principal components of this IP Transactions role
• (1) Provide IP legal advice for manufacturing/supply chain transactions relating to innovative technologies for commercial supply chains to advance supply chain resilience across Lilly’s global manufacturing network; this includes drafting, reviewing, and negotiating scientific and IP-related provisions in a range of manufacturing/supply chain agreements.
• (2) Provide IP legal analysis and advice to cross-functional deal teams that facilitate external innovation. Responsibilities include drafting, reviewing, and negotiating scientific and IP-related provisions in a variety of agreements, including complex IP licenses, research collaborations, mergers/acquisitions, material and data transfers, and clinical trial agreements. 
• Both of these principal components require substantive IP due diligence, including freedom-to-operate analyses, patentability assessments, analyses of third-party licenses, and related IP issues to inform deal terms, negotiations, and strategy. The role will also advise senior leadership and management in manufacturing, business development, therapeutic business units, and Lilly Research Labs and facilitate and coordinate post-execution integration.

Basic Qualifications:

• Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
• Seven or more years of post-JD experience as a practicing patent attorney with significant transaction negotiation experience, including in-licensing, out-licensing, divestures, and acquisitions of platform technology to clinical assets to manufacturing innovation to commercial products, in a law firm or industry. Preference may be given to those with experience with commercial supply chain transactions and risk assessment.
• Substantial IP due diligence experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology fields.
• Presently admitted to practice law in at least one US jurisdiction and presently licensed to represent clients in patent matters before the USPTO; in good standing in each state and in the USPTO; no discipline issues on record. Significant patent prosecution experience is highly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a scientific field that together with prior work experience, provides essential background for effective communication with scientists and management about scientific aspects of discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of all aspects of pharmaceutical products, including small molecule, antibody, conjugates, radiolabeled ligands, siRNA, gene therapy, cell therapy, and gene editing products.
• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Additional Skills/Preferences:

• High learning agility; creative problem solver; ability to deal with complexity; high curiosity; continuous improvement of self and Lilly; accepting and leading change; agility to adapt and evolve.
• Ability to make complex legal and scientific issues understandable and usable to non-IP legal colleagues and to business leaders.
• Exceptional patent law acumen.
• Demonstrated business acumen with the ability to balance legal risk with strategic business objectives.
• Sensitivity to others; composure under stress; ability to respond to and provide coaching and feedback.
• Ability to organize self to effectively work on and prioritize multiple complex projects simultaneously, to complete projects with deadlines on time, and to direct others.
• Effective as individual contributor, team member, and leader.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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