Patent Counsel

**Position Snapshot**

Location : Konolfingen, Switzerland
Company: Société des Produits Nestlé, S.A.
Act. Rate: Full-Time Act. Rate 100%
Type of contract: Permanent contract

Genuine opportunities for career and personal development
Dynamic international working environment
Attractive additional benefits

**Position Summary**

Part of the Nestlé Group Legal & Compliance function, Legal R&D enables and protects Nestlé R&D innovations through pragmatic legal services and business-driven technical intellectual property protection.

As a Patent Counsel for Nutrition, you will have responsibility for all technical intellectual property-related activities for the Nutrition business covering invention identification, drafting and prosecution, opposition and litigation. You will be based at Nutrition NPTC (Nestlé Product technology Center) and you will be responsible for the strategic IP protection and management for certain Nutrition categories & platforms, and for providing IP support in business development and building R&D collaborations.

The Nutrition “Strategic Business Unit” (SBU) is part of the Nestlé Group. Our mission is to nurture a Healthier Generation. We will achieve this by leading the way in research and development of science-proven nutrition solutions and by partnering with parents and healthcare professionals around the world. At the heart of our mission is the knowledge and understanding that nutrition in the first 1 000 days of life, from conception, through pregnancy and throughout the child’s first two years of life - has a direct and significant impact on health and performance in later life. Our product portfolio includes such trusted and well-recognized brands as NAN, NIDO, LACTOGEN, NESTOGEN, GERBER, CERELAC, SMA and ILLUMA.

**A day in the life of a Patent Counsel for Nutrition**
- Ensure technical IP protection for the Nutrition business categories & platforms
- Lead business-driven patent drafting and prosecution, freedom to operate assessments and oppositions of 3rd party patents, as well as defend against 3rd party oppositions.
- Manage worldwide patent and opposition portfolio whilst maintaining business-alignment and rigorous cost management.
- Perform technical IP due diligences for potential acquisitions or R&D collaborations.
- Advise on technical IP matters in R&D collaborations and licensing agreements, including contributing to the drafting of contracts.
- Enable new and accelerated approaches to develop consumer-centric products, while ensuring adequate protection under tight timelines.
- Promote passion for IP across Nutrition, through awareness, training and communication
- Drive awareness and enforcement of Nestlé technical IP through our markets

**What will make you successful**
- Fully qualified EP patent attorney with a scientific background in life sciences (e.g. chemistry, biochemistry, food technology, pharma).
- A minimum of 5 years post-qualification professional experience within patent drafting, prosecution, oppositions and FTO assessment experience.
- Experience in international filing and enforcement strategies and leveraging IP rights beyond patents (e.g. trade secrets, utility models).
- Experience with IP due diligences under mergers and acquisitions (M&A) projects.
- Experience in R&D contract drafting, in particular IP-related clauses
- You are service-oriented, pragmatic and hands-on, as well as a true team player able to successfully collaborate with Legal R&D colleagues around the globe.
- Leadership experience is an asset
- Fluent in English, any other language is an asset

At Nestlé, we want to help shape a better and healthier world, inspire people to live healthier lives and deliver impact at a scale and pace that makes a difference. We do this by fostering a diverse, friendly, supportive, and collaborative environment, that creates positive disruption, embraces innovation, and empowers people and teams to win.
We aim to hire friendly, respectful, inspiring people who care about the people’s lives that we touch every single day.