Senior Scientist - Intellectual Assets

Kimberly-Clark • Neenah, WI

17d • Onsite

About The Position

Senior Scientist - Intellectual Assets Job Description You were made to do this work: exploring uncharted questions, engineering innovative solutions, advancing scientific understanding, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. You want to be part of a performance culture dedicated to solving real-world problems with purpose and precision. You want to work in an environment that promotes sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development. In this role, you’ll help us shape the future and improve lives for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU. In this role, you will: Be accountable for intellectual asset management for Kimberly-Clark’s Personal Care Team (specifically focused on Adult and Feminine Care Research and Development). This role requires an individual who has excellent communication skills, enjoys working in a team, is self-directed, and can influence others. The ability to interact with stakeholders, to provide guidance on key Intellectual Asset (IA) processes, and to lead effective delivery of IA solutions for the enterprise is also required.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree or preferably an advanced degree in a technical discipline (e.g. Chemical, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) and 2+ years of experience managing intellectual assets and intellectual property.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of IA/IP law, and IA/IP management.
• Knowledge of the IA management system (ANAQUA) and external Patent & Trademark Office processes for protection of Kimberly-Clark inventions.
• Demonstrated competence in searching and analyzing patent art.
• Competency and experience in understanding the issues and aspects associated with developing and obtaining patents and enabling inventors to create intellectual property.
• Global patent experience.
• Strong collaboration, decisiveness, and communication skills required to interact effectively and independently with all levels of the enterprise.
• Model Kimberly-Clark’s leadership behaviors and the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience with intellectual assets for FDA regulated medical devices.

Responsibilities

• Patent Strategy Development – Identify gaps in existing Kimberly Clark and competitive patent portfolios. Recommend potential technical programs to fill gaps. Support the identification of opportunities to strengthen Kimberly-Clark patent estates and the development of relevant projects. Identify competitive patents that should be opposed.
• Patent Applications – Work effectively with global inventors to develop comprehensive invention disclosure submissions and drive invention disclosure evaluation processes. Assess technical merits of inventions and level of fit with the technology and business strategy and benefits the invention could bring if protected on a global basis. Answer questions on the benefit the invention delivers, the value of the benefit, breadth of claims and ability to police the invention. Assess differentiation of the invention from prior art. Make recommendations for responses to Office Actions.
• Patent Estate Development – Assess Kimberly-Clark and competitive patent estates to understand, “What technologies do we own and what do our competitors own.” Assess competitive patent estates to identify opportunities to expand Kimberly-Clark patent estates into gap areas and guide technology protection map efforts. Contribute to the review of Kimberly-Clark patent estates and determine areas of opportunity to further shelter technologies for Kimberly-Clark.
• Training – Identify training needs and collaborate with the Legal team to develop and implement training. Facilitate communication and complementary interaction between R&D, Legal, Procurement and Business Teams. Facilitate training for all IA processes to Global R&D teams.
• Drive an inventive culture and mindset – Work with R&D teams define inventions over prior products/documents and assist in drafting actionable invention disclosures. Maintain a working knowledge of Kimberly-Clark products, manufacturing processes, Kimberly-Clark patent estate, and competitive patent estates.
• Interact with a Globally Diverse team – Work directly with attorneys, subject matter experts, R&E team members and business leaders to make and implement intellectual asset decisions. Facilitate patent filings, oppositions, foreign filing decisions, competitive patent reviews, publication and trade secret processes.
• Intellectual Asset Strategy - Provide training for an IA strategy process and ensure development of cross functional Global IA Strategies for key projects and programs.
• Intellectual Asset Reviews - Lead a global Intellectual Asset Review Committee (IARC). Assist teams with the creation of Intellectual Assets through facilitation of ideation sessions and through leadership of invention disclosure initiatives, helping to recognize protectable inventions, patent and prior art searches, and assisting legal during the prosecution of patents.
• Third Party Agreements - Maintain a basic understanding or third-party contact agreements and ensure Service Agreements and Joint Development Agreements are established as part of IA Strategies.

Benefits

• Great support for good health with medical, dental, and vision coverage options with no waiting periods or pre-existing condition restrictions.
• Access to an on-site fitness center, occupational health nurse, and allowances for high-quality safety equipment.
• Flexible Savings and spending accounts to maximize health care options and stretch dollars when caring for yourself or dependents.
• Diverse income protection insurance options to protect yourself and your family in case of illness, injury, or other unexpected events.
• Additional programs and support to continue your education, adopt a child, relocate, or even find temporary childcare.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees