Intellectual Property Business Partner / Patent Engineer (Belgium or Switzerland)

Your future job

As an Intellectual Property Business Partner at Melexis, you will drive intellectual property into Melexis’ various programs and product lines in form of patent generation and prosecution as well as competitor monitoring.

More specifically, you will lead the following activities for a certain number of product lines:

IP Strategy

• Translate product and product line strategies into patent strategies aiming to identify products/technologies for patenting and take adapted IP rights protection initiatives 

• Identify future business opportunities with the BU and give direction for the generation of patents to development

• Lead regular IP reviews within Business Unit(s) in order to ensure the follow up of the selected IP strategy per Business Unit / Product Line

IP Creation

• Identify opportunities to obtain IP rights together with the BU
• Conduct regular reviews with the development teams of the respective product lines to give them direction for future IP development and to harvest their ideas
• Drive pre-patent filing review to come to the final joint decision on invention disclosures

IP Portfolio Management

• Develop and manage the patent portfolios for your product lines including the evaluation of existing patents and the identification and assessment of threats and opportunities

IP Intelligence

• Conduct continuous monitoring of the external patent landscape and technology trends in close cooperation with BU stakeholders, identify threats and opportunities and initiate appropriate legal action if needed   
• Coordinate IP clearance for new products
• Evaluate the impact of competitors’ patents on Melexis products
• Lead technical analyses of patents for IP litigation case

IP Culture

• Contribute to the development of new processes and use of new tools
• Reinforce the IP policy on all levels at Melexis
• Contribute to the creation of an IP culture at Melexis

Your profile

• An engineering Master degree in electronics or Master degree in physics
• Having a curious and analytical mindset to understand a broad range of technologies and their challenges
• 5 years of prior success in working with patents (drafting/ management/ litigation)
• Experience as a patent engineer or patent examiner is a plus
• Ability to negotiate/moderate frequently opposing interests
• Effective verbal and written communication skills in English

We offer

• A challenging job in a dynamic high-tech international environment
• The opportunity to take ownership of your professional passion in order to contribute to the success of the company
• An enjoyable, team-oriented and professional atmosphere in a flat-structured organization
• Versatile development opportunities