Director, Product & Patent Counsel

DICK'S Sporting Goods; Coraopolis (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

DICK'S Sporting Goods seeks a Director, Corporate Counsel – Product & Patents to lead IP clearance and patent strategies for product innovations across the company.

You will conduct freedom-to-operate, patentability, prior-art analyses, draft clearance opinions, manage the patent portfolio, and coordinate outside counsel. The role partners with product, design, engineering, and business teams to translate complex IP issues into actionable business guidance.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to at least one U.S. state bar and in-house eligibility.
• 3–5 years patent/IP experience in law firm or corporate setting.
• Experience drafting patent applications and clearance opinions.

Responsibilities

• Conduct prior-art, freedom-to-operate, patentability, and landscape searches for new and developing products.
• Draft design and utility patent applications and help identify protectable product features.
• Manage patent portfolio, prosecution strategy, deadlines, records, and outside counsel.
• Provide guidance to product, design, engineering, and business teams on IP matters.
• Support patent disputes, demand letters, litigation holds, and NPE matters.
• Develop practical IP frameworks and launch checklists for product teams.
• Partner with Legal teams on IP, Privacy, and Regulatory matters.
• Provide patent landscape and competitive intelligence analysis.

Skills

Patent analysis

Legal research

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Tools

PatSnap

Derwent

Job description

DICK'S Sporting Goods seeks a Director, Corporate Counsel – Product & Patents to lead IP clearance and patent strategies for product innovations across the company.

You will conduct freedom-to-operate, patentability, prior-art analyses, draft clearance opinions, manage the patent portfolio, and coordinate outside counsel. The role partners with product, design, engineering, and business teams to translate complex IP issues into actionable business guidance.