Associate General Counsel, Ip Litigation

Gilead Sciences Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 281,000 - 364,000; Full time

Job summary

Gilead Sciences Inc. seeks an Associate General Counsel, IP Litigation to lead high-stakes patent litigation and related IP matters in the pharma and life sciences space. The role requires strategic advisory support to senior leadership and collaboration across functions to advance business objectives.

The candidate will oversee case strategy, discovery, trial preparation, and post-trial activities, while mentoring junior attorneys and coordinating with external counsel globally.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of relevant patent litigation experience in pharma/biotech/life sciences.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to at least one US state bar.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex patent litigation, licensing disputes, and IP matters globally.
• Develop and drive litigation strategy with internal/external counsel.
• Supervise and mentor junior attorneys within the IP litigation group.
• Advise senior leaders on litigation risk and strategy.

Skills

Patent litigation

Pharma/Life sciences

Leadership

Mentoring juniors

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Bar admission in at least one US state

Life sciences background preferred

Job description

At Gilead, we're creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we've tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer - working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world's biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference.

Every member of Gilead's team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we're looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact.

We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Gilead and help create possible, together.

Associate General Counsel, IP Litigation

We are seeking a strategic and experienced IP litigator to join Gilead's IP Litigation team. In this role, you will lead and manage complex, high-stakes patent litigation, licensing disputes, and other IP-related matters, while serving as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on litigation strategy, risk management, and business-critical intellectual property issues. The successful candidate will bring deep experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences patent litigation, strong business judgment, exceptional collaboration and communication skills, and a demonstrated ability to mentor junior attorneys and partner effectively across multiple functions to advance Gilead's strategic objectives.

Essential Functions

• Lead and manage complex, high-stakes patent litigation, licensing disputes, and other IP-related matters in the United States and globally.
• Develop and drive litigation strategy in partnership with internal and external counsel, ensuring alignment with business objectives and risk tolerance.
• Oversee all phases of litigation and adversarial proceedings, including case assessment, discovery, witness preparation, expert strategy, dispositive motions, trial preparation, trial, and appeal.
• Advise Gilead's senior leaders on litigation strategy and risk management.
• Provide strategic freedom-to-operate, validity, exclusivity, and due diligence assessments to support business, licensing, development, and commercialization decisions.
• Conduct IP portfolio assessments, including preparation for potential generic and biosimilar challenges.
• Provide input on how to improve our client services in an ever-changing and challenging legal and political environment, including responses to changing government landscape that implicate our IP.
• Serve as a thought leader on a substantive area of intellectual property law.
• Supervise and train more junior members of the IP litigation group.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills

• Minimum 12 years of relevant patent litigation experience, either in private practice or in-house, with a primary focus on pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or other life sciences industries. An undergraduate or advanced degree in biology, chemistry, pharmacy, immunology, or a related life sciences discipline is strongly preferred.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to at least one U.S. state bar required. Admission to practice before the USPTO is a plus.
• Demonstrated commitment to Gilead's core values: Teamwork, Accountability, Inclusion, Excellence, and Integrity.
• The candidate will be expected to:
  • Establish appropriate priorities with clients and deliver results within established timelines in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
  • Exercise good judgment in identifying, evaluating, prioritizing and elevating issues as appropriate.
  • Demonstrate the ability to independently identify issues, goals, needs and solutions, with input and oversight from more senior members of the Legal team.
  • Exhibit excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to clearly and concisely communicate key points and to present to a variety of internal clients.
  • Apply legal analysis in a business context with the goal of identifying solutions to clients' needs.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to work effectively across functions and build relationships with diverse stakeholders throughout the organization.
• Travel Requirements: Occasional domestic and occasional international travel associated with litigation-related activities will be required.

People Leader Accountabilities

• Create Inclusion - knowing the business value of diverse teams, modeling inclusion, and embedding the value of diversity in the way they manage their teams.
• Develop Talent - understand the skills, experience, aspirations and potential of their employees and coach them on current performance and future potential. They ensure employees are receiving the feedback and insight needed to grow, develop and realize their purpose.
• Empower Teams - connect the team to the organization by aligning goals, purpose, and organizational objectives, and holding them to account. They provide the support needed to remove barriers and connect their team to the broader ecosystem.

The salary range for this position is: $281,010.00 - $363,660.00. Gilead considers a variety of factors when determining base compensation, including experience, qualifications, and geographic location. These considerations mean actual compensation will vary. This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package. Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans*.

For additional benefits information, visit: https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing

* Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

For jobs in the United States:

Gilead Sciences Inc. is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive work environment comprised of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Employment decisions regarding recruitment and selection will be made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability,genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status, or other non-job related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state and local laws.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the 'Know Your Rights' poster.

NOTICE: EMPLOYEE POLYGRAPH PROTECTION ACT
YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

Gilead Sciences will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, (c) consistent with the legal duty to furnish information; or (d) otherwise protected by law.

Our environment respects individual differences and recognizes each employee as an integral member of our company. Our workforce reflects these values and celebrates the individuals who make up our growing team.

Gilead provides a work environment free of harassment and prohibited conduct. We promote and support individual differences and diversity of thoughts and opinion.