SVP, Intellectual Property

The Role:
Moderna is seeking a highly seasoned and motivated, experienced patent attorney to serve as Senior Vice President (SVP), Intellectual Property. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the SVP, Intellectual Property will use his or her deep understanding of intellectual property law, the biopharmaceutical industry, and Moderna’s corporate vision to drive strategies that advance our broad portfolio of investigational medicines, clinical and commercial products, and protect the company’s business interests.

The ideal candidate will have proven expertise in building, developing and managing a high-performing team that has deep experience in the IP space.  Moderna is looking for someone with extensive patent prosecution and strategy experience, strong analytical and communication skills, experience working directly with key stakeholders, including R&D, technology development and business development on all intellectual property and related legal matters. The SVP, Intellectual Property, will directly impact the company’s success through their strategic development and management of all aspects of intellectual property.

Here’s What You’ll Do:

• Oversee all aspects of intellectual property for programs, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets world-wide

• Manage an extensive bench of outside counsel, driving and ensuring efficient execution of Moderna’s patent strategy

• Work closely with research and development to advise and guide intellectual property development and strategy

• Collaborate and coordinate with scientific, technical and clinical leadership and staff to build strong patent portfolios around key assets to ensure long-term competitive advantage

• Provide guidance/leadership to outside counsel and internal IP Team to perform competitive patent intelligence

• Respond to patent office challenges instituted by third parties, including U.S. inter-parties’ reviews and European oppositions and inter-parties review

• Support outside and in-house litigation counsel asserting and defending against patent infringement and other intellectual property legal claims

• Partner with internal corporate counsel on contracts and agreements, including in partnership with the business development team on licensing and collaboration opportunities and other transactional work

• Work cross-functionally with other senior legal team members, departments and project teams (securities, commercial, clinical, government engagement, regulatory) to deliver on corporate goals

• Partner with business development on in-licensing and out-licensing transactions

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

• J.D. from a major accredited law school,

• Advanced degree in biochemistry, immunology, molecular or cellular biology or similar discipline required.

• Ph.D. degree preferred. Master’s degree (MS) will be considered for candidates with extensive experience and particularly relevant background.

• Registration to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• Over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, with extensive prior experience as a patent practitioner

• Prior experience as an associate or partner at a reputable intellectual property law firm, or within an experienced intellectual property department within a significant general practice law firm

• Prior experience as a member of an in-house pharmaceutical company experience, including management of a complex patent portfolio and experience managing high volume intellectual property workflow

• Proven track record developing and implementing patent strategies with demonstrated success securing meaningful patent protection for products and technology platforms.

• Extensive expertise with U.S. patent law and thorough understanding of foreign patent laws in major countries

What Core Capabilities Do You Bring?

• Strong executive presence and the ability to interact confidently with the Board of Directors and Moderna’s Executive Committee members is required, coupled with the ability to explain complex matters in a simple way that is easily understood.

• Ability to work with senior management both in a strategic high-level counseling and advising mode, as well as tactically, to achieve daily, short-term and long-term company goals

• Adept at balancing risk and opportunity and highly accountable environment where you can make a clear impact

• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple matters simultaneously, in a fast-paced environment, and to respond quickly, clearly and pragmatically to urgent situations and rapidly shifting priorities in ambiguous or challenging situations

• Excellent, communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills and an ability to develop relevant and realistic plans, programs, and recommendations to influence great outcomes.

• Ability to learn the Moderna culture and to actively role model the Moderna Mindsets

• A desire to be part of a high-growth, transformational company that is Bold, Relentless, Curious, and Collaborative

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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