Senior Counsel- Intellectual Property USA

First Solar•Perrysburg, OH

18h•Onsite

About The Position

First Solar is seeking a skilled and strategic Senior Intellectual Property Attorney to join their growing legal team. This role will play a pivotal role in safeguarding the company’s innovations. The position reports to the Chief Intellectual Property Counsel and will involve a wide range of intellectual property and transactional matters. The focus will be on building the patent portfolio, driving transactional matters with a deep understanding of business goals, partnering with technical teams on complex IP issues, and offering risk-based advice in the context of business needs. A successful candidate will possess excellent business judgment, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle multiple complex tasks.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school with a license to practice in one or more jurisdictions.
Registered U.S. Patent Attorney.
Technical degree (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) in electrical engineering, physics, or related field with the ability to become well versed in new technologies.
At least 6-8 years of experience in patent law, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications, assessing freedom to operate, and transactional IP work.
Demonstrates a continuous improvement mindset by (identifying and/or contributing to improvements in specific processes, systems, or workflows).
Apply Kaizen principles by (participating in, leading, or supporting improvement initiatives, events, or problem-solving activities).
Exhibits a learning mindset by (seeking opportunities to expand knowledge, develop skills, and stay current in relevant areas).
Leverages technology, including AI and automation tools, to (enhance efficiency, decision-making, analysis, or operational outcomes as applicable to the role).
Shows curiosity and adaptability by (responding to change, adopting new tools/processes, or supporting innovation initiatives).

Responsibilities

Offer strategic guidance to internal stakeholders on making informed and risk-based decisions regarding intellectual property issues.
Develop and grow a technologically challenging patent portfolio.
Partner with technical teams to identify and harvest intellectual property assets.
Search, understand, and explain complex inventions at the Patent Committee and make recommendations in the context of our business needs and product development goals.
Assess the competitive IP landscape and provide guidance to business leaders.
Draft and negotiate complex IP agreements and other agreements having IP sensitive provisions.
Partner with members of development engineering, global supply chain, manufacturing engineering, and other company associates to assist in the company’s efforts to develop, acquire, and sell IP assets.
Advise the business as an expert on all aspects of IP (patents, technical data, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks) regarding strategies, enforcement, protection, avoidance, and collaborations.
Manage outside counsel during the drafting of patent applications to create a strong and defensible patent portfolio.
Drafting patent applications may also be part of the responsibilities of this position.
Provide strategic and cost efficient management for a large patent docket of intellectual property assets.
Provide advice on a wide variety of intellectual property topics for the engineering and business teams, including assessment of specific IP assets and the potential impact on business outcomes.
Other duties as assigned.