Counsel, Intellectual Property

The Role:

At Moderna we believe that the vaccines and therapeutics we develop will help to make the world a better place. As an established pioneer in mRNA, with a broad pipeline of development candidates, our integrated approach means we can think, act and move quickly – and from investigational cancer treatments to a potential COVID-19 vaccine, we are turning innovation into impact, every day with a mission to bring transformative medicines to patients.  Join our diverse, dedicated and productive team and contribute to our important mission to advance the field of mRNA science and improve treatment options for patients.

Moderna is seeking an experienced patent attorney to assist the Intellectual Property Team in building, managing, defending and enforcing the company’s patent estate.  This person will be responsible for the capturing of innovation, development of the patent estate and counseling of the internal client groups with regards to due diligence efforts, patentability, freedom-to-operate and other intellectual property-related matters.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on a wide range of intellectual property issues in a rapidly-growing, disruptive biotechnology company. The successful candidate will develop deep expertise in the mRNA therapeutics field to assist in all aspects of patent portfolio development and management.  The qualified applicant will thrive in a fast-paced, proactive culture and competently handle the intricacies of a complex ecosystem of platform, therapeutic area and corporate partner intellectual property needs.  They will capable of performing independently but will, importantly, function well as a team player in their role in supporting the advancement of critical patent and intellectual property goals of the company.

Here's What You’ll Do:

• Help develop creative, strategic patent portfolios protecting both platform technologies and products at various stages of development

• Facilitate patent preparation and prosecution work with outside counsel to establish and expand a strong patent portfolio

• Interact with the Moderna Platform and Therapeutic Area scientists to capture innovation and serve as an expert conduit of information to outside counsel to produce high-quality patent applications

• Frame legal arguments to support U.S. and foreign prosecution efforts

• Interact with, and provide guidance to, scientists critical to advancing Moderna’s efforts in mRNA engineering and delivery, as well as those developing products in Moderna’s pipeline

• Direct patentability and freedom-to-operate searches and analyses around platform technologies and products

• Provide competitive intelligence analyses of third-party competitors, including intelligence gathering and analyses of key contenders in the mRNA therapeutic space

• Support Corporate transactional initiatives, negotiating complex Intellectual Property issues

• Contribute creative input into corporate strategic IP initiatives

Here’s What You’ll Bring to the Table:

• JD and admitted to practice in at least one state required, Massachusetts preferred.

• At least 5+ years in-house and/or law firm experience.

• B.S. degree in biological sciences with an advanced degree or a Ph.D. preferred. 

• Experience with biotechnology innovation is critical with experience in immunology, oncology and rare disease, genomics, gene editing, and/or regulation of gene expression preferred  Some chemistry experience desired.

• Registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office

• Experience in patent preparation and prosecution, IP due diligence, patentability and freedom-to-operate assessment required

• Demonstrated scientific accomplishment demonstrating ability to rapidly understand therapeutic technology

• Ability to be flexible in thinking about issues and open to new ways of working

• Excellent analytical, written and verbal communication skills

• Service-oriented focus with ability to work as part of cross-functional teams and drive results

• Highest integrity, judgment, and the ability to recognize and effectively communicate legal issues

Moderna is pleased to provide you and your family with a comprehensive and innovative suite of benefits, including:

• Highly competitive and inclusive medical, dental and vision coverage options
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Lifestyle Spending Account funds to help you engage in personal enrichment and self-care activities
• Family care benefits, including subsidized back-up care options and on-demand tutoring
• Free premium access to fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness classes 
• Exclusive preferred pricing on Peloton fitness equipment
• Adoption and family-planning benefits
• Dedicated care coordination support for our LGBTQ+ community
• Generous paid time off, including:
  •    Vacation, sick time and holidays
  •    Volunteer time to participate within your community
  •    Discretionary winter shut down 
  •    Paid sabbatical after 5 years; every 3 years thereafter
• Generous Paid Leave offerings, including 18 weeks of 100% paid parental leave for all new parents
• 401k match and Financial Planning tools
• Moderna-paid Life, LTD and STD insurance coverages, as well as voluntary benefit options
• Complimentary concierge service including home services research, travel booking, and entertainment requests
• Free parking or subsidized commuter passes
• Location-specific perks and extras!

Candidates should be aware that Moderna currently maintains a policy requiring all US-based employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive a booster shot once eligible. Newly hired employees must be vaccinated and boosted prior to their employment start date. Moderna is an equal opportunity employer and will provide a reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated or receive a booster where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law.

About Moderna

In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna's capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna's mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and autoimmune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past seven years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free work environment.

Moderna is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person’s race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Moderna will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

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