AGC - Intellectual Property

Coherent

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Serve as an embedded IP business partner to assigned Business Units (BUs), attending engineering, product, roadmap, and sales reviews regularly. Develop deep technical fluency in supported product lines to contribute substantively in technical discussions. Partner with BU leaders on go-to-market strategy, competitive positioning, partnerships, and customer engagements where IP is a value driver or risk. Triage non-IP legal issues (commercial, employment, trade compliance, export, privacy, antitrust, trade secrets) and route them to appropriate Legal & Government Affairs (L&GA) Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Drive patent claim strategy designed to read on competitor products and roadmaps, leading competitive teardowns and reverse-engineering with engineering and outside vendors. Conduct infringement and Freedom to Operate (FTO) analyses, setting filing, continuation, and abandonment strategies aligned with business objectives. Identify monetization opportunities such as Strategic Patent (SEP) declarations and licensing, assertion campaigns, defensive cross-licensing, and divestiture candidates. Direct and supervise outside counsel on U.S. and foreign drafting, filing, and prosecution, managing budgets and quality; draft personally for strategically critical inventions. Lead invention harvesting, coach inventors, and adopt AI tools across invention identification, prior art/FTO search, drafting, and portfolio analytics. Support patent litigation and pre-litigation matters with outside counsel, and lead clearance and FTO for new products and acquisition targets. Support IP aspects of commercial agreements (NDAs, JDAs, supply agreements, licenses, M&A diligence) with the commercial legal team.

Requirements

• JD from an accredited U.S. law school
• Admission to at least one U.S. state bar
• USPTO registration
• Minimum 6 years of patent law experience; mix of law firm and in-house preferred.
• Technical degree (BS required; MS or PhD strongly preferred) in materials science, chemistry, chemical or electrical engineering, applied physics, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in competitive claim drafting, FTO opinions, and patent monetization (SEP, licensing, or assertion); materials teardown experience a plus.
• Operates as a business partner — not a service provider — to product, engineering, and commercial leaders.
• Strategic mindset on patents as competitive and monetization instruments; technical fluency in the assigned domains.
• Strong outside counsel and project management across geographies; excellent communication with executives and non-legal stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred depth in SiC, crystal growth, thermal management materials, or advanced ceramics; comfort engaging materials-science R&D and process engineering.

Responsibilities

• Serve as embedded IP business partner to assigned BUs; attend engineering, product, roadmap, and sales reviews on a recurring cadence.
• Develop deep technical fluency in supported product lines sufficient to contribute substantively in technical discussions.
• Partner with BU leaders on go-to-market strategy, competitive positioning, partnerships, and customer engagements where IP is a value driver or risk.
• Triage non-IP legal issues (commercial, employment, trade compliance, export, privacy, antitrust, trade secrets) and route to appropriate L&GA SMEs.
• Drive patent claim strategy designed to read on competitor products and roadmaps; lead competitive teardowns and reverse-engineering with engineering and outside vendors.
• Conduct infringement analyses and FTO analyses; set filing, continuation, and abandonment strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Identify monetization opportunities: SEP declarations and licensing, assertion campaigns, defensive cross-licensing, and divestiture candidates.
• Direct and supervise outside counsel on U.S. and foreign drafting, filing, and prosecution; manage budgets and quality; draft personally for strategically critical inventions.
• Lead invention harvesting; coach inventors; adopt AI tools across invention identification, prior art / FTO search, drafting, and portfolio analytics.
• Support patent litigation and pre-litigation matters with outside counsel; lead clearance and FTO for new products and acquisition targets.
• Support IP aspects of commercial agreements (NDAs, JDAs, supply agreements, licenses, M&A diligence) with the commercial legal team.

Benefits

• Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards
• ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards
• Company’s values (ICARE): Integrity, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect, Enthusiasm

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior