Patent Counsel

**Position Snapshot**

Location: Lausanne and Orbe, Switzerland
Company: Nestlé, R&D Legal Department
Act. Rate: Full-Time Act. Rate 100%
Type of contact: Permanent contract

**What we offer at Nestlé**

Flexible work policies in terms of core hours and working from home. Please talk to us during the recruitment process about what flexibility could look like for you
Genuine opportunities for career and personal development
Modern “smart office” locations providing agile & collaborative workspaces
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 IP protection.

As **Patent Counsel for Packaging**, you will contribute to developing, implementing, and delivering the IP strategy related to Nestlé’s packaging innovations. Nestlé’s R&D on packaging aims at accelerating development of functional, safe, and environmentally friendly packaging solutions to the market and to address the global challenge of plastic packaging waste.

In this role you will be closely involved and collaborate in the IP strategy for capsules technology and machine integration for our Systems, focused to our various beverage systems.

This position is based in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

We offer a dynamic, inclusive, and international working environment with many opportunities across different companies, functions, and regions. Don’t miss the opportunity to join us and work with different teams in an agile and diverse context.

**A Day in the Life of a Patent Counsel - Packaging**
- Partner with the different technical teams in packaging in order to identify protection needs, establishing an IP protection strategy for each of the technical projects
- Lead business-driven patent filling and prosecution, freedom to operate assessments and oppositions of 3rd party patents, as well as defend against 3rd party oppositions
- Manage the assigned patent portfolio with business-alignment and rigorous cost management
- Prepare and continuously maintain IP Protection Plans for the various assigned technical projects
- Contribute to developing, implementing, and delivering on the Packaging IP Strategy and collaborate on the Systems IP Strategy, together with the R&D Counsels and IP Analysts, and in close partnership with the R&D teams
- Advise on IP matters in R&D collaborations, including contributing to the drafting of R&D agreements
- Enable new and accelerated approaches to develop new systems and devices, while ensuring adequate protection under tight timelines

**What will make you successful**
- Fully qualified Patent Attorney in a main jurisdiction, with a background in Materials, Packaging, Engineering or Physics
- Between 4 -8 years if professional experience with patent drafting, prosecution. FTO assessment and oppositions preferably in relation to packaging technology
- 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
- 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.