Vice President, Patents

Revolution Medicines•Redwood City, CA

8h•$354,000 - $408,000•Onsite

About The Position

Revolution Medicines is a late-stage clinical oncology company developing novel targeted therapies for patients with RAS-addicted cancers. The company’s R&D pipeline comprises RAS(ON) inhibitors designed to suppress diverse oncogenic variants of RAS proteins. The company’s RAS(ON) inhibitors daraxonrasib (RMC-6236), a RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor; elironrasib (RMC-6291), a RAS(ON) G12C-selective inhibitor; zoldonrasib (RMC-9805), a RAS(ON) G12D-selective inhibitor; and RMC-5127, a RAS(ON) G12V-selective inhibitor, are currently in clinical development. As a new member of the Revolution Medicines team, you will join other outstanding professionals in a tireless commitment to patients with cancers harboring mutations in the RAS signaling pathway. We are seeking an accomplished and highly strategic patent attorney to lead intellectual property strategy for our patent portfolio. This role is designed for a senior expert who can operate at the intersection of sophisticated patent prosecution and patent disputes within one of the most competitive areas in oncology. Reporting to the VP of IP, this individual will serve as our patent portfolio lead, with responsibility for developing and integrating global prosecution and challenge (both offensive and defensive) strategies. The role will function as a key strategic partner to the VP and a trusted advisor to senior leadership, with a primary focus on strengthening the durability and value of company assets worldwide, anticipating competitive threats, and identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. This position may include management responsibility for members of the IP team, such as those handling patent prosecution. However, people management is not required for success in the role; the emphasis is on strategic leadership, sound judgment, effective communication, and technical excellence.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited US law school and member in good standing of a US State Bar.
Degree in a life science discipline required; advanced degree in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or similar strongly preferred.
Registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.
15+ years of patent experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech sector, with significant in-house experience within a pharmaceutical/biotech company.
Deep and creative expertise in small molecule patent prosecution, including assessing obviousness-type double patenting risks and lifecycle strategy.
Significant experience with patent disputes, including oppositions, IPRs/PGRs, and/or litigation.
Demonstrated ability to integrate prosecution and dispute strategies into a cohesive, forward-looking IP approach.
Strong understanding of global patent systems.
Demonstrated successful experience advising senior management on complex IP issues, including risk assessment and strategic decision-making.
Ability to operate as a senior individual contributor and strategic leader, with or without formal people management responsibilities.
Excellent judgment, strategic thinking, and communication skills.
Collaborative, flexible, positive and pragmatic work style.

Nice To Haves

Experience in oncology and/or RAS biology.
Advanced degree in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or similar.
Global therapeutic launch experience or commercial product experience.
Track record of managing or influencing complex, high-value patent estates under significant competitive pressure.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end IP strategy for our complex patent portfolio, carefully integrating global prosecution and third-party considerations into a cohesive and forward-looking approach.
Develop and oversee execution of advanced and creative patent prosecution strategies, including incorporation of competitive considerations, to maximize innovation protection.
Thoughtfully embed dispute-readiness into prosecution strategy, including drafting and amendment approaches designed to withstand post-grant proceedings and litigation.
Play a central role in third-party challenges and challenge preparation, both offensively and defensively, while coordinating with outside counsel, including European oppositions and appeals, US post-grant proceedings (IPRs, PGRs), and litigation (e.g., US, Europe, China).
Partner with the VP of IP on broader portfolio-level prioritization and risk assessment, while maintaining primary ownership of patent strategy.
Drive competitor intelligence efforts and freedom-to-operate analyses, translating insights into actionable IP strategies.
Identify gaps, risks, and whitespace opportunities across composition of matter, manufacturing, and method of use innovations, and ensure coordinated coverage and prosecution.
Collaborate closely with internal subject matter leads and, where appropriate, provide mentorship or direct management to team members aligned with patent workstreams.
Review manuscripts, presentations, press releases, corporate disclosures and other publication materials for clearance.
Proactively communicate opportunities, strategies, risks and progress updates to senior leadership.
Support business development, due diligence, and executive-level discussions as a subject matter expert in asset IP.
Serve as a key advisor to senior leadership, clearly communicating complex IP risks, trade-offs, and strategic options to inform business decisions.
Manage and direct outside counsel globally to efficiently deliver high-quality, strategically aligned work product.