Technical Programme Leader – IP & Patents

The Change Innovation Services Ltd; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Change IP is seeking an experienced technical leader to manage real-world innovation projects and actively develop and write patents. You will work directly with inventors, engineers and technical teams to extract inventions and draft strong patent applications, while coordinating with external experts and patent attorneys.

The role combines technical leadership with hands-on patent work and project management across diverse industries, ensuring a clear IP strategy and successful client

Qualifications

• Background in research and development with a track record in technical programme management.
• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary teams across engineering, science and external contractors.
• Strong understanding of patentability, novelty and inventive step.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical IP and R&D projects from initial investigation through delivery.
• Identify potentially patentable innovation within real products, processes and technologies.
• Work directly with inventors, engineers and technical teams to extract and develop inventions.
• Draft and develop patent applications and supporting technical documentation.
• Structure invention disclosures and technical evidence.
• Carry out or coordinate technical and prior-art investigation.
• Translate complex engineering and scientific concepts into clear patentable propositions.
• Manage project plans, milestones, budgets, risks and client expectations.
• Identify where specialist expertise is required.
• Brief and manage external engineers, academics, scientists and other technical contractors.
• Coordinate with patent attorneys or legal specialists where appropriate.
• Integrate specialist input into one clear technical and IP strategy.
• Present findings and recommendations clearly to clients.
• Maintain ownership of the overall project outcome.
• You should have background in R&D, technical programme management and manufacturing or industrial tech.

Skills

Technical IP management

R&D project management

Patent drafting

Technical writing

Stakeholder management

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Problem solving

Job description

The Change IP is looking for an experienced technical leader to manage real-world innovation projects and take a hands‑on role in identifying, developing and writing patents.

This is not a purely advisory IP role.

You will work directly with businesses, engineers, inventors and technical teams to understand how products, processes and technologies work, identify where genuine innovation exists, develop the technical case for protection, and help turn that innovation into strong patent applications.

You will also manage the wider programme around each project, bringing in specialist engineers, academics, scientists, patent professionals and contractors where additional expertise is required.

What you’ll do

You will:

• Lead technical IP and R&D projects from initial investigation through to delivery


• Identify potentially patentable innovation within real products, processes and technologies


• Work directly with inventors, engineers and technical teams to extract and develop inventions


• Draft and develop patent applications and supporting technical documentation


• Structure invention disclosures and technical evidence


• Carry out or coordinate technical and prior‑art investigation


• Translate complex engineering and scientific concepts into clear patentable propositions


• Challenge assumptions around novelty, technical differentiation and inventive step


• Manage project plans, milestones, budgets, risks and client expectations


• Identify where specialist expertise is required


• Brief and manage external engineers, academics, scientists and other technical contractors


• Coordinate with patent attorneys or legal specialists where appropriate


• Integrate specialist input into one clear technical and IP strategy


• Present findings and recommendations clearly to clients


• Maintain ownership of the overall project outcome

The type of person we’re looking for

You are likely to have a background in:

• Research and development


• Technical programme management


• Manufacturing or industrial technology

You should be technically credible, highly organised and naturally curious. You need to be comfortable moving between different industries and technologies, asking detailed questions, investigating how something works and identifying what may genuinely be innovative.

You do not need to be the deepest technical specialist in every project.

You do need to know how to:

Understand the problem.

Identify the innovation.

Develop the patent opportunity.

Write the technical case.

Bring in the right expertise.

Manage the project.

Deliver the outcome.

We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Strong technical project or programme management


• Experience writing, drafting or developing patents


• Practical understanding of patentability, novelty and inventive step


• Experience working with inventors, engineers or R&D teams


• Strong technical writing skills


• Ability to understand unfamiliar technologies quickly


• Experience managing multiple technical workstreams


• Experience coordinating specialist consultants or contractors


• Strong client‑facing and stakeholder‑management skills


• Confidence challenging technical assumptions constructively

It would be beneficial if you have experience in:

• Mechanical engineering


• Manufacturing


• Materials


• Construction technology


• Energy or cleantech


• Prior‑art searching


• University or academic collaboration


• R&D consultancy

A patent attorney qualification is not essential. We are more interested in someone who combines strong technical thinking, patent‑writing capability and project leadership with the ability to work on practical innovation in real businesses.

Why this role is different

Much of the innovation we work with is not theoretical. It may be found in a manufacturing process, a component, a material, a piece of machinery, a construction product, a software‑enabled system or a better way of solving an existing technical problem. Sometimes the client already knows what the invention is. Sometimes your job is to help them discover it. You should enjoy getting close to the technology, understanding the problem and working out where the real value lies.

What matters to us

We are looking for an Agent of Change.

Someone who is:

• Curious.


• Pragmatic.


• Technically credible.


• Comfortable challenging assumptions.


• Able to work with specialists without needing to be the specialist in everything.


• Focused on delivering something useful in the real world.

If your experience sits at the intersection of engineering, R&D, patents and technical project leadership, we’d like to hear from you.