Senior IP Specialist

ABOUT ORGANOX:

OrganOx is a commercial stage organ technology company dedicated to developing technologies to improve outcomes for patients with acute or chronic organ failure. The company was established as a spin out of the University of Oxford in 2008 and is now part of the Terumo Group. OrganOx is a pioneer in normothermic machine perfusion (NMP). It's flagship platform, metra, is available for use in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia. It has been utilized in over 10,000 liver transplants to date to keep donor livers in a metabolically active state outside the body enabling longer preservation times and functional assessment of the organ prior to transplant, leading to an increased number of organs available for transplant. Founded in 1921, Terumo Corporation (TSE:4543) strives to fulfil its mission of “Contributing to Society through Healthcare” by providing a comprehensive range of solutions in the fields of therapeutic procedures, hospital operations, and life sciences in more than 160 countries and regions.

Position Summary

The Senior IP Specialist is responsible for defining and executing the IP strategy for OrganOx, aligning with our R&D and business objectives.

As OrganOx’s standalone Intellectual Property professional, this role has accountability for the development, protection, maintenance and strategic exploitation of OrganOx's global IP portfolio. The Senior IP Specialist operates with a high degree of autonomy, acting as the principal internal authority on IP matters and provides input to R&D, commercial, regulatory and business development decisions.

This is an onsite position at OrganOx’s UK office in Oxford, with flexibility.

Listed below are the major responsibilities of the role and a brief description of some of the key tasks to be performed. This list is not totally exhaustive.

Major Responsibilities

Reporting to the SVP Business Development & Partnerships, the Senior IP Specialist will take responsibility for:

• IP strategy development, aligning with R&D and business objectives, including ownership of the IP portfolio and patent filing strategy

• Promoting an innovation culture by increasing awareness of IP value across the R&D team and establishing processes to increase invention disclosure activity
• Encouraging regular filing of new invention disclosures to ensure timely capture of new ideas, with responsibility for maintaining a sustainable pipeline of patentable innovations
• Assessment of the novelty and inventiveness of new invention disclosures, with support from industry standard IP tools
• Prioritisation of ideas for patent protection, based on technical merit, novelty, inventiveness, strategic alignment and agreed IP budget
• Management of the drafting and filing of new patent applications, in partnership with external IP counsel
• Management and maintenance of OrganOx’s existing patent and trademark portfolio, including the tracking of prosecution timelines, renewal deadlines and jurisdictional requirements to ensure continuous IP protection and avoid loss of rights
• Providing freedom-to-operate guidance to the R&D team during product development, with accountability for identifying and escalating material IP risks that may affect product development and commercialisation
• Supporting responses to IP challenges and disputes (e.g. oppositions, third-party assertions) in coordination with external counsel
• Monitoring competitor patent filings and IP activity, providing regular IP landscape reports and recommendations to Senior Leadership
• Supporting the Business Development department in IP due diligence for licensing and acquisition opportunities, including assessment of portfolio strength, valuation drivers and freedom-to-operate constraints
• Supporting the IP aspects of external R&D collaborations and agreements, ensuring clarity on ownership, licensing rights and access to improvements
• Management of the annual IP budget and external patent counsel spend, ensuring disciplined control of prosecution costs, prioritisation of filings and cost-effective use of external counsel
• Primary internal point of accountability for all patent, trademark and IP-related matters, advising Senior Leadership on strategic IP opportunities and risks
• Develop, implement and continuously improve IP governance processes, policies, metrics and reporting frameworks
• Provide regular portfolio performance reporting, including filing activity, portfolio strength, prosecution outcomes, competitor activity, spend against budget and IP risk exposure
• Adhere to the letter and spirit of OrganOx’s Code of Conduct and all other company policies

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in Intellectual Property management within the medical device, biotech or life sciences sector, including responsibility for developing and executing IP strategy
• Demonstrated specialised experience in independently managing patent drafting, prosecution and portfolio management across major jurisdictions, including Europe & US, with direct responsibility for managing multiple patent groupings and external counsel relationships
• Strong understanding of patentability assessment, prior art searching, and freedom-to-operate analysis
• Experience working closely with R&D teams in a product development environment, with ability to translate technical innovation into IP strategy
• Competent experience managing external patent counsel and coordinating filings through external patent firms, including budget responsibility and evaluation of external counsel performance
• Demonstrated strong ability to analyse competitor IP landscapes and derive actionable insights for product and filing strategy
• Proactive in supporting IP aspects of commercial transactions, including licensing, technology evaluation or due diligence
• Strong analytical and technical interpretation skills
• Ability to operate at the interface of science, patent law and commercial strategy, translating these interfaces for non-specialist audiences
• Excellent communication skills, particularly with non-IP specialists
• High level of attention to detail and deadline management
• Track record of generating measurable business value through IP activities
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously as the IP subject matter expert, within a dynamically innovative organisation, balancing strategic priorities, legal risk and commercial objectives
• Experience establishing or improving IP processes, governance frameworks, invention disclosure programs or innovation capture systems would be highly advantageous

Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant scientific or engineering (STEM) discipline

At OrganOx, we value innovation, evidence, integrity, teamwork, respect, and passion. We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including healthcare and retirement plans. We support work-life balance and provide opportunities for ongoing professional development.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation race, or any other characteristics protected by law.