Legal

Head of Intellectual Property

ArsenalBio, a privately held, clinical-stage programmable cell therapy company engineering advanced CAR T therapies for solid tumors, is seeking a talented Head of Intellectual Property to work Remote based in our South San Francisco office.

ArsenalBio’s mission is to develop efficacious and safe cellular therapies for patients with chronicdiseases, initially cancer. With our programmable and computationally driven approach, our team is engineering living medicines to attack cancer’s inherent multi-faceted nature and overcome the challenges of addressing solid tumors with cell therapy.

Driven by a collective of diverse experts across immunology, synthetic biology, molecular biology, automation and computational biology, we are united in purpose to deliver radical breakthroughs for people with cancer, and prioritize the team’s outcomes over individual goals to achieve our company mission – together.

We are seeking a Head of Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel to manage the in-house IP function in our growing preclinical/clinical stage company. The primary focus of this role will be leading the intellectual property patent portfolio strategy for our unique platform for oncology. This individual will be responsible for carrying out freedom to operate analysis, supporting business development due diligence efforts, drafting and prosecuting patent applications, and designing and implementing IP strategy. This person will also manage our trademark portfolio, and oversee copyright and trade secrets activities and issues. The IP Counsel will work closely with scientists, and legal and business colleagues, supported by external counsels to execute ArsenalBio’s strategy. This is a senior role that will report directly to our General Counsel

What You Will Do:

Take the leading role in the ongoing design of ArsenalBio’s intellectual property portfolio development strategy.

Manage, protect and develop ArsenalBio’s patent portfolio, including working closely with research & development, manufacturing and clinical functions and outside counsel(s) to proactively identify and develop patentable intellectual property and to prepare, file and prosecute related patent applications.

Approach IP with a strategic mindset by anticipating future business, competitive and legal risks, and identify creative solutions and opportunities.

Oversee and coordinate relevant intellectual property legal matters handled by outside counsel and build enduring productive relationships with our third party collaborators.

Negotiate, draft and review agreements such as licenses, research agreements, clinical trial agreements, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, supplier agreements, consulting agreements and material transfer agreements. Manage outside counsel and in-house transactions counsel in such matters.

Provide advice to management regarding proposed transactions and compliance with existing contractual obligations, regulations, company policy and legal case law, rules or regulations before the US Patent & Trademark Office as well as other relevant jurisdictional IP offices.

Counsel and train internal clients, including senior management and members of research & development, manufacturing and clinical functions and business development teams, on IP awareness and its implications on various functions within the organization, as well as, on IP risks and opportunities.

Conduct IP due diligence for business development activities and manage patentability, freedom-to-operate, infringement, validity and regulatory exclusivity analyses.

Develop a solid understanding of ArsenalBio with the ability to evaluate and balance both legal and business factors when providing advice.

Be involved in potential other legal activities as needed

What Will You Bring:

A minimum of 10 years relevant professional experience in biotech/pharma intellectual property portfolio creation, strategy, and counseling.

An advanced degree in the biological or chemical sciences, or other areas relevant to biotechnology/pharmaceutical IP practice is required. A Ph.D. is a plus.

A United States law degree (JD) with a current “good standing” admission to at least one US state bar and admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are required.

Transactional or licensing experience (negotiating and/or drafting IP related agreements) is preferred.

Successful candidates should have demonstrable skills in evaluating new technologies and seeing such technologies through the patenting process from invention disclosure to patent issuance.

Experience with U.S. and foreign patent systems, including the patent development, filing and prosecution processes, invention review, patent searching, freedom-to-operate analysis, and patent challenge proceedings.

Experience managing outside counsel.

Ability to facilitate and contribute to collaborative decision-making processes and work effectively on cross-functional teams.

Outstanding interpersonal, communication, negotiation and presentation/public speaking skills.

The ability to operate with transparency, professionalism, emotional intelligence, and integrity.

A history of self-motivation, working independently on projects, meeting aggressive deadlines, and prioritizing multiple matters.

What We Will Offer You:

ArsenalBio has a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes but is not limited to medical, dental, and vision as well as mental health resources, virtual and telehealth options, coaching, infertility treatment, parental leave and health savings accounts. We also offer flexible work schedules and flexible time off, which includes two extra “Arsenal Days of Rest” every quarter for employees to recharge.

We have a robust mentorship program, and comprehensive development tools to help employees take control of their career paths and grow into their best selves. ArsenalBio believes in investing in the well-being of our employees - both at work and at home, as they are our greatest asset. They bring scientific talents in molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology, protein chemistry, computational biology, automation, genome engineering, software and other fields to make the future happen now.

ArsenalBio prioritizes the providing of a safe and healthy workplace that is consistent with COVID-19 public health guidance and legal requirements. In order to protect our employees and visitors, we require all visitors (candidates) and employees to present proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when coming onsite.

We are committed to hiring the best talent from diverse backgrounds. A diverse workforce engenders richness of thought, creativity and discovery. We invite individuals who embrace intellectual achievement to bring their unique personal and professional journeys and together we will build transformative cell therapies for cancer patients.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

The estimated base salary offer for the preferred primary location of San Francisco Bay area ranges from $244,900–$300,000.

Salary ranges for other locations may vary from this range. Base pay offered may vary depending on job related knowledge, experience, education, and location. In addition to these factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current employees as part of any final offer.

To all recruitment agencies: ArsenalBio does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, or ArsenalBio employees. ArsenalBio is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Apply

ArsenalBio was formed by its investors and scientific founders to discover, develop and commercialize curative and safe cellular therapies for patients with life threatening diseases, initially cancer.

We believe the most productive and secure route to achieving this goal is to build scaled platforms of technologies challenged with scientific questions to yield informative data from hypothesis driven, well controlled experiments. These data will inform the design of ambitious, best-in-class, lead compositions. Our leads will be rigorously evaluated and honed until we are convinced our matured leads, called development candidates, can be prepared for testing in needy, and vulnerable patients.

Our products will be designed to speed the transition of cell therapy from hospital-based to outpatient treatments, increasing access to more patients at lower cost to patients, health systems, and insurers.

To achieve this mission, we are building diverse teams of talented, curious, and caring individuals who believe in our mission and our vision to be sustainable in our business plan, our work habits, and our personal lives.

Our values create: a foundation for mutual respect, an engaging harmony from many voices, and unselfish behavior to aid our colleagues.

This is ArsenalBio.
This is our Company.

Ken Drazan, MD
Founding CEO