Director / Senior Director, Intellectual Property, Life Sciences

Lila Sciences • San Francisco, MA

4d

About The Position

Lila Sciences is seeking a life sciences patent lawyer to own intellectual property strategy for its life sciences programs, which span early research through candidate selection and may involve external partners. This is a strategic role rather than a docket-management position: the Director / Senior Director will determine what to file, how claims should be structured, and how IP positions support commercial agreements. The work combines global patent portfolio development and prosecution with advice on the IP terms of collaborations, licensing, and financings.

The successful candidate will be the senior life sciences IP voice on a small, high-leverage team and will have scope to build the function. The role includes directing outside counsel, advising on commercial transactions and third-party technology use, mentoring junior legal team members, and potentially building and managing the life sciences IP function over time.

Requirements

• J.D. and active bar admission, with USPTO registration.
• At least 12 years of substantive life sciences patent experience in a law firm, in-house, or a combination.
• Technical degree in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular or cellular biology, immunology, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ownership of global patent portfolios for biopharmaceutical products, with direct responsibility for claim strategy.
• Experience across a range of therapeutic modalities.
• Track record producing patentability, validity, and freedom-to-operate assessments that supported business decisions.
• Experience advising on IP aspects of collaborations, licensing, acquisitions, or financings, including diligence and negotiating provisions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with option-based or milestone-based collaboration structures.
• Experience maintaining portfolio positions across related programs and partners.
• Familiarity with structure-based similarity and analog definitions as used in contracts.
• Experience with PTAB post-grant proceedings or district court and ITC litigation support.
• Exposure to AI or computational drug discovery, including related inventorship questions.

Responsibilities

• Own global patent strategy for therapeutic programs, including composition-of-matter, formulation, delivery, method-of-use, and platform claims.
• Direct outside counsel on patent drafting and prosecution across major jurisdictions, setting claim strategy.
• Design claim architecture to protect programs through each stage of their life cycle.
• Lead patentability, validity, and freedom-to-operate analyses and translate findings into go/no-go and design-around recommendations.
• Serve as IP lead on collaboration, option, license, and services agreements, including related IP terms.
• Run IP due diligence for financings and partner transactions, including portfolio schedules, chain of title, and license obligations.
• Advise on inbound licenses for third-party software, data, models, and research tools, and build a clearance process to support compliant use.
• Mentor junior legal team members and, over time, build and manage the life sciences IP function.

Benefits

• Competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity.
• For full-time U.S. employees: medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company-wide holidays; paid parental leave; educational assistance; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office-based employees; and a company-subsidized lunch program.
• For full-time employees outside the U.S.: a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree