Patent Attorney

Legal, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

About the job

Patent Attorney, Research & Innovation

Join our Research & Innovation Center in Utrecht as a Patent Attorney!

As a Patent Attorney, your mission will be protecting and impacting business and innovation with the aim to create value and competitive advantage for Danone. Main contribution includes building the protection and the protection strategy of the division at global level, with a focus on patent protection, patent strategy and freedom to operate versus third party patents.

You will guide Danone to reinforce the ownability of our products, science, services and process and manages patent related (freedom to operate) risks and opportunities.

As a Patent Attorney you’ll actively engage internal and external stakeholders, working in close cooperation with R&I and other functions within Danone. Depending on the project these can for example include purchasing, regulatory, merger & acquisition, legal functions, marketing, tax etc). You will contribute to co-building ownable R&I program/project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Patent Attorney responsibilities include the implementation of patent strategy of a product category or business line at global level. Your main tasks will include:

• Overseeing the strategic development and management of a patent & opposition portfolio aligned with business needs
• Invention harvesting
• Freedom to operate risk assessments
• Ensuring review of competitor patents in product category/business line
• Portfolio management (drafting-, filing- and prosecuting, defending and divesting patents)
• Assessment of novelty and patentability of our products, science, processes, services
• Handling defensive and offensive oppositions or other patent invalidation actions globally
• Identify and manage risk and opportunities (freedom to operate risk analysis, patent infringement actions, etc.)
• Leading, guiding and/or expertise contribution on (i) patent infringement topics (offensive and defensive); (ii) patent licensing topics (in- an out-licensing); (iii) transfers and assignments, aligned with business decisions and resources.

The Patent Attorney contributes to patent department visibility and efficiency by for example educating stakeholders on patent related matters, being involved in devising and improving (patent) procedures within Danone, designing IP aspects in partnerships, reviewing contracts, prior use rights.

The Patent Attorney can contribute to legal, commercial and financial aspects connected to protection, such as patent budget management, tax aspects, patent communication on pack, biodiversity laws, M&A, protection aspects & strategies in supplier contracts, know-how protection, inventorship topics, trade secret protection, data protection, protection models in open innovation, intra group assignments and licenses.

The Patent Attorney can manage one or more of patent information specialist, patent administrator/support officer, patent attorney.

Meet your future manager! You’ll be joining the team of Frederik Te Hennepe, Director Patents Platform.

About you

You work independently and take initiatives to lead Danone in patent protection topics. You are a team player contributing actively to the joined learning, organisation and functioning of the patent team and being a constructive member of transversal teams. You are responsible for keeping an up to date knowledge level in the relevant international patent field. You also bring the following qualifications:

• Technical scientific knowledge on food products/packaging, composition and production (MSc, PhD from technical university discipline)
• You are Qualified* Patent Attorney (*in Europe passed European Qualifying Exam for patent attorneys)
• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of effectively engaging with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• You are fluent in English.

About Danone

At Danone we are committed to our mission “bringing health, through food to as many people as possible”. Working together to make sure that our brands, like Hipro, Nutricia, Alpro, Activia, Nutrilon and Evian, create real benefits for people, communities and the planet. You will be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps™ in the world. Being B Corp means to be part of a select movement of companies verified to be meeting the highest standards of social and environmental criteria and using business as a force for good. One Planet. One Health.

We Offer

All Danoners receive a complete package of benefits. This includes a competitive salary and yearly bonus, a premium free pension, 30 days of annual leave (with the opportunity to purchase more) and you will receive a monthly health care allowance. In addition, you can get discount on your gym membership, and we offer initiatives focused on nutrition, physical, and mental health. We provide continuous learning opportunities through workshops, online courses and training sessions.

In the Netherlands we also offer a hybrid working environment which enables each team to meet our people's desire for flexibility. You can work from one of our People Hubs in Hoofddorp, Utrecht and Rijswijk or you can work from home.

“We put people at the center of everything we do. Bring your unique perspective, ambitions and ideas to the table – the impact you could make might surprise you. We are committed to embrace diversity, nurturing an inclusive workplace where every individual is valued; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is deeply embedded in Danone's DNA.” Elif Oruc, Senior Talent Manager

Job details

Dedicated to bringing health through food to as many people as possible, we are a leading global food & beverage company built on four businesses: Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Waters, Early Life Nutrition and Medical Nutrition.