Intellectual Property Operations Manager

Schneider Electric has an opportunity for an IP Operations Manager in Boston, MA, Raleigh, NC, Paris, France, Grenoble, France or London, UK.

As the IP Operations Manager of a Global IP Operations Team, you will join a talented and collaborative global group of in-house lawyers and legal professionals to provide operations support and work directly with global legal internal stakeholders, IT support, and department leadership to implement and optimize legal operations processes, such as contract, patent or trademark filing, knowledge management and e-billing. Collaborate on IT roadmap planning, data analysis, and Global Business Legal Department services. This position will manage all the software tools pertaining to Intellectual Property.

What will you do?

1. Manage and oversee IP Department’s tools and technology portfolio and identified roadmap, including vendor selection, implementation, testing, global roll out and training for new software and tools for IP Groups.
2. Assure IP data integrity and consistency by managing the technology portfolio, collaborating with IP Dept. teams, tracking system performance, leveraging technology solutions, and contributing to internal practice and procedure documentation.
3. Be the lead liaison and an active project team participant for work with corporate IT team dedicated to Intellectual Property, including reviewing/assessing potential new technology solutions, Requests for Information to Request for Proposal, new system launches, data migrations, system upgrades and product enhancements.
4. Track the progress and performance of the Intellectual Property Software system IT integrations in close coordination with the corporate IT team.
5. Identify opportunities to leverage technology solutions to resolve business challenges including reduce workload, increase data quality, increase AI/data analytics and adoption, increase sustainability, increase accessibility and collaboration.
6. Create self-help tools (dashboards, toolkits, on-demand trainings/FAQs, etc.) to support knowledge management throughout the function.
7. Document existing policies, procedures and guidelines; develop one-stop shop for online resources and training and formulate education plan around such policies/processes.
8. Advance the IP department’s digital and operational strategic priorities and efficiency; and manage critical IP projects and processes to support legal and business objectives.
9. Identify core and extended project team with the right level and type of experience. Communicate with the project team and stakeholders to ensure specific tasks and deliverables are clearly identified and assigned. Convey clear parameters, costs, expectations, and timing.
10. Manage Vendors for IP initiatives, projects, and tools.

What qualifications will make you successful for this role?

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) with a focus in Business or Technology preferred.
• 8-10 years prior relevant experience in IP Operations and IP Software. Experience working with large, geographically dispersed team preferred.
• Professional experience in private practice and in-house multinational environments.
• Strong experience in project management; leading large-scale projects/programs, preferably in a Legal or IP department or firm; understanding of full project lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of patent, design and trademark filing procedures and docketing practices.
• Strong technical skills; proficient in all Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with IP technology (IPMS, Patent Analytics and Searching, TM and Patent Watch).
• Working knowledge of corporate finance/budgeting practices. Experience with fiscal and budget management and general project management in a technical environment; drafting business cases/ROI analyses.
• Experience with vendor and tool contract terms and conditions.
• Experience managing IP projects in complex global environments.
• Experience with migrating from one IP Management System to another including implementation, configuration and data migration.
• Experience with configuring an e-billing system (Legal Tracker).
• Strong commercial and strategic acumen to understand the business intention and translate to data and process mapping, contract process and associated risks to the contract terms, and actionable guidance for operational teams.
• Experience managing people, both in direct manager responsibility and managing team through collaboration and influence.
• Strong organizational and analytic skills with an attention to detail.
• Strong English communication skills, written and verbal.

What skills and capabilities will make you successful?

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement policies and standards across diverse organizations.
• Experience developing strategic or departmental planning materials that required consensus gathering from multiple stakeholders. Strong business partnering skills.
• Demonstrated ability to direct and manage external counsel and vendors.
• Strong relationships with legal operations community including CLOC, LegalOps.com, PLI and others.
• Strong communication skills, integrity mindset, high-energy, can-do attitude, tenacity, team spirit and attitude, proactive and collaborative in multi-cultural environment.
• Lifelong learner mindset with a hunger to stay current on legal, technology and business trends, intellectually curious, willing to take on new responsibilities and try new challenges.
• Strong commitment to serving as an engaged partner to the legal team on all elements of projects and operational needs. Ability to work on own initiative, independently and collaboratively.
• Strong relationship management skills -- able to succeed in highly complex global environments often with a high degree of ambiguity and change. Demonstrated ability to influence and work effectively with global teams at all levels (including senior leadership) within a highly matrixed organization.
• Strong project management skills with the attention to detail, to innovate, and simplify processes.
• A genuine interest and ability to connect with, build and maintain relationships with people at all levels and across organizational and geographic boundaries.
• Strong analytic skills to identify risk, evaluate associated risk mitigation actions and clearly summarize complex topics and needs.
• Ability to define creative and flexible solutions to support global project with a global team and balance risk, resources, and compliance.
• Ability to work on own initiative, independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
• Commercial and strategic acumen.

Let us learn about you! Apply today.

You must submit an online application to be considered for any position with us. This position will be posted until filled.