Director, IP Counsel: Global Patents & AI Platform

Iambic Therapeutics, Inc; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 280,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid health insurance

401K matching

Uncapped vacation

Onsite gym and facilities

Job summary

Iambic Therapeutics, Inc is seeking a Director, IP Counsel to lead the global IP strategy for a growing small molecule pipeline and AI-driven discovery platform. The role requires hands-on drafting/prosecution and managing outside counsel while aligning with business goals from the San Diego headquarters.

Ideal candidates have a J.D. with USPTO registration and 8+ years in life sciences patents, plus a Ph.D. preferred. Strong leadership and AI-enabled IP tooling experience are a plus.

Qualifications

• J.D., active membership in good standing of a U.S. state bar, and USPTO registration.
• Advanced degree (Ph.D. preferred) in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a related field; experience in computational or AI/ML fields a plus.
• 8+ years of life sciences patent experience, including law firm and in-house biotech/pharma; experience building an in-house IP function preferred.
• Recent hands-on experience drafting and prosecuting small molecule patent applications, plus global portfolio strategy.
• Experience conducting FTO analyses and handling IP in pharma collaborations and licensing.
• Regular use of AI tools in IP practice, with sound judgment on confidentiality and verification of AI-assisted work.
• Willingness to work directly in a lean team; ability to give clear, practical advice to scientists and executives.

Responsibilities

• Draft, file, and prosecute patent applications, and manage outside counsel on the global portfolio (U.S., PCT, EP), deciding what is handled in-house; own filing strategy and the IP budget.
• Conduct and lead freedom-to operate, patentability, and landscape analyses, engaging outside counsel for formal opinions as appropriate.
• Run the invention disclosure process with research and computational teams, including inventorship determinations.
• Build and maintain a trade secret program for our AI models, data, and know-how, and advise on open source and data licensing.
• Lead IP diligence and draft and negotiate IP terms in collaborations, licenses, and other transactions; set IP positions for commercial contract playbooks.
• Make AI tools central to the IP function (searching, drafting, office action responses, analytics), consistent with Iambic’s AI-use and confidentiality policies and USPTO guidance.
• Oversee publication review, lifecycle and exclusivity planning, contested proceedings, trademarks, and IP-related SEC disclosures.

Skills

Patent drafting

Patent prosecution

IP strategy

AI tools in IP

Communication with scientists

Education

J.D. with USPTO registration

Ph.D. in chemistry or related field

Tools

AI platforms for IP

Job description

Iambic Therapeutics, Inc is seeking a Director, IP Counsel to lead the global IP strategy for a growing small molecule pipeline and AI-driven discovery platform. The role requires hands-on drafting/prosecution and managing outside counsel while aligning with business goals from the San Diego headquarters.

Ideal candidates have a J.D. with USPTO registration and 8+ years in life sciences patents, plus a Ph.D. preferred. Strong leadership and AI-enabled IP tooling experience are a plus.