Program Manager, Technology Partnership Development

Copper•Berkeley, CA

6h•$160,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Copper is seeking a Program Manager to manage the operational core of its business development and licensing efforts. This role will primarily focus on coordinating the partnership pipeline and licensing program, which includes tracking deals, researching prospects, supporting negotiations, and keeping leadership informed. A secondary responsibility involves coordinating activities related to the company's patent portfolio, such as invention disclosures and prosecution tracking, to ensure alignment between protected intellectual property and licensing/partnership activities. This is an execution and coordination role, requiring a solid technical background in the company's domain for evaluating technical fit with partners and understanding patent claims against hardware designs.

Requirements

3–5+ years of experience in some combination of licensing, partnerships, &/or IP/patent operations, ideally in a hardware or electronics environment.
Fluency and experience with a range of licensing structures.
Experience preparing pitch materials for potential business partners.
Comfortable working with technical and legal material (partnership/license agreements, patent claims); able to translate between engineers and legal/business counterparts fluently.
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, or a related technical field.
Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills.
Ease in working cross-functionally with all departments and all levels of the company.
Strong organization and coordination skills.
Track record managing multiple concurrent workstreams and deadlines across different stakeholders.
Comfort in an always-changing start-up environment.
Willing to step into whatever project or situation needs your assistance.
Calm under pressure. You bring clarity when things get chaotic.
Comfortable operating in a program that spans multiple functions and isn't fully standardized yet.
Low ego, high accountability. You collaborate cross-functionally with openness.
Mission-driven. You care about electrification and building products that truly serve customers.

Nice To Haves

Legal training in patent law and/or licensing.
Advanced engineering degree.
Ability to communicate in multiple languages.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the partnership and licensing deal pipeline — tracking active conversations, deal status, next steps, and deadlines across business development efforts.
Research potential customers, partners, licensees, and licensors; prepare briefing materials and target lists for leadership.
Support negotiations by preparing materials, tracking deal terms, and coordinating redlines with outside counsel.
Manage deal logistics (NDAs, meeting coordination, data room management) across business development activity.
Maintain licensing program tracking: royalty payments and license compliance.
Coordinate with Finance on royalty invoicing, revenue recognition, and forecasting.
Track and report on program-wide metrics (pipeline health, deal velocity, revenue) for leadership visibility.
Support invention harvesting by coordinating with engineering teams and helping capture invention disclosures.
Track patent applications through prosecution — deadlines, office actions, and continuation/divisional opportunities — in coordination with outside patent counsel.
Maintain the internal portfolio map (what's filed, issued, pending) and how it connects to active or prospective deals.
Help prepare claim charts and technical summaries used in licensing or partnership discussions.
Build and maintain shared tracking systems and dashboards across business development workstreams and patent portfolio activities so leadership has one clear view of program status.
Manage relationships and follow-ups with external partners as needed.
Identify and implement process improvements as these functions grow and formalize.
Prepare research, analysis, and materials that support senior leadership in strategy discussions and negotiations.