Job Description

Working at Freudenberg: We will wow your world!

Responsibilities:

Patent Strategy and Prosecution (Global Portfolio)

• Manage and support the Company’s global patent portfolio, including preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Review, assess, and manage invention disclosures from North America–based business groups, including evaluations of novelty, patentability, and strategic importance.
• Develop and implement patent preparation, filing, and prosecution strategies in coordination with the global IP team and outside counsel.
• Conduct and/or supervise novelty, freedom-to-operate (FTO) and patent landscape searches and analyses to provide risk assessments in support of product development and commercialization.

Trademark Strategy and Management (Global Portfolio)

• Manage and support the Company’s global trademark portfolio, including clearance, registration, prosecution, and maintenance.
• Coordinate global trademark filing and prosecution efforts through outside counsel and foreign associates.
• Advise marketing, branding, and business teams on trademark selection, usage, and risk mitigation.

Outside Counsel Oversight and Budgeting

• Select, manage, and oversee outside IP counsel and foreign associates worldwide for patent and trademark matters.
• Coordinate closely with the Director of Intellectual Property (Global) on outside counsel strategy, workload allocation, and performance.
• Develop, manage, and monitor IP budgets and forecast costs, ensuring efficient and cost-effective use of external resources.

Business Partnership and Cross-Functional Support

• Serve as the primary IP legal contact for North America–based business, R&D, and innovation teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor to engineering, product, marketing, operations, and leadership on intellectual property matters.
• Ensure that regional business needs are aligned with the Company’s global intellectual property strategy.

Training and Education

• Develop and conduct training programs for Company’s North America teams on patents, trademarks, invention disclosure processes, clearance procedures, and intellectual property best practices.
• Promote IP awareness, compliance, and consistent processes across business groups and regions.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active registration to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. state.
• Minimum of five (5) or more years of experience practicing intellectual property law.
• Demonstrated experience with patent preparation, filing, and prosecution, and trademark clearance and registration.
• Prior in-house intellectual property counsel experience is preferred.
• Experience managing outside intellectual property counsel is preferred.

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The Freudenberg Group is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion. Employment opportunities are available to all applicants and associates without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Freudenberg North America Limited Partnership