Counsel, IP

Waymo•Mountain View, CA

17h•$251,000 - $310,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company focused on building the Waymo Driver and expanding access to mobility while reducing traffic crashes. Its Legal team advises on legal issues related to autonomous driving technology and supports the business from technology ideation through commercial deployment. The team collaborates with public policy, safety, security, privacy, engineering, product, strategy, and operations teams on regulatory matters, intellectual property, transactions, compliance, and litigation. In this hybrid role, the Counsel, IP will report to an Assistant General Counsel and strategically build and manage global patent portfolios for key technology areas, including lidar, radar, camera, and compute. The role covers the patent lifecycle, from harvesting inventions and reviewing disclosures to filing decisions, global prosecution, portfolio maintenance, and strategic analysis, as well as oversight of outside patent counsel. The Counsel will advise business and technical teams on IP issues and transactional terms, collaborate on IP provisions in agreements, review public disclosures for IP risks and confidentiality, and manage IP-related communications and potential acquisition or licensing opportunities.

Requirements

JD degree with a strong academic record.
State bar membership.
Admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
At least 6 years of relevant legal experience.
Solid technical background or understanding of technology used in autonomous vehicles, sensor hardware, or semiconductors.
Experience managing a global patent portfolio and conducting patent analysis.
Experience providing direct counseling to engineering and research teams.
Experience advising on IP terms in commercial or collaboration agreements.
Ability to understand cross-functional perspectives and navigate ambiguity.
Ability to identify and create streamlined processes to support a growing company.
Strong execution, interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills.
Experience presenting to senior management and technical teams.
Willingness to work in a startup environment as a flexible individual contributor in a fast-paced, dynamic, and emerging industry.

Nice To Haves

Prior in-house experience working alongside engineering, product, partnerships, marketing, and leadership teams to identify, address, and advise on IP issues.
Experience developing integrated IP strategies that support business goals across patent prosecution, technology licensing, and patent litigation.
Experience with patent acquisition, licensing, litigation, or handling third-party demands.
Experience advising on and negotiating agreements with government agencies and universities.

Responsibilities

Build and manage global patent portfolios for key technology areas, including lidar, radar, camera, and compute.
Manage the full patent lifecycle, including patent harvest sessions, disclosure reviews, strategic filing decisions, global prosecution, portfolio maintenance, and strategic portfolio analysis.
Manage outside patent counsel to ensure timely, high-quality, and targeted work product.
Advise business teams, product managers, engineers, and researchers on intellectual property issues.
Counsel on IP terms in transactional matters.
Collaborate with legal, partnerships, product, and technical teams on IP issues in agreements with partners, suppliers, vendors, and academic institutions.
Review publications, presentations, marketing, and other public disclosures, providing guidance to manage IP risks and protect confidential information.
Manage responses to IP-related communications across legal and business teams, potentially evaluating acquisition and licensing opportunities.