Executive Director, Patent Counsel

Alnylam; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. seeks an Executive Director, Patent Counsel to provide strategic IP leadership and oversee a team of IP professionals in Cambridge, MA.

You will lead prosecution on key programs and collaborate across business development, research, and regulatory teams to maximize value and lifecycle management. The role involves hands-on patent strategy development for novel modalities and platform technologies, with a focus on commercial products and late-stage programs.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in biochemistry, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, or related life sciences.
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and current bar in good standing.
• Admitted to practice before the USPTO.
• Minimum of 14 years of in-house or law firm patent prosecution experience.
• Experience leading BD transactions, strategic collaborations, alliance management, and IP negotiations.
• Proven patent strategies for commercial products, late-stage pipelines, platform technologies, and modalities.
• Demonstrated people leadership spanning attorneys, patent agents, and IP professionals.
• Strong business acumen to assess IP issues across scientific, legal, commercial, and strategic lenses.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute IP strategies across assets at various development stages.
• Partner with R&D, regulatory, commercial, and BD teams to protect innovations.
• Drive IP strategy for emerging technologies, modalities, and delivery platforms.
• Establish processes for portfolio prioritization, competitive intelligence, patent analytics, governance.
• Advise on BD transactions, collaborations, licenses, and alliance matters.
• Lead, manage, and contribute to patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for key programs.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of patent attorneys and IP professionals.

Skills

People leadership

Strategic thinking

Business development

Education

MS/PhD in life sciences

Juris Doctorate (JD)

Bar admission in qualifying states

Tools

USPTO admission

Patent prosecution experience

Legal research databases

Job description

Overview

The Executive Director, Patent Counsel will provide strategic leadership for intellectual property initiatives, lead a team of IP professionals, and serve as a key advisor on business development, collaborations, and enterprise-wide IP strategy. In addition, the Executive Director will maintain an active patent prosecution practice and serve as a lead patent attorney for significant company programs and technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute intellectual property strategies across assets at various stages of development, integrating patent protection, freedom-to-operate considerations, competitive positioning, exclusivity planning, and lifecycle management objectives.
• Partner with research, development, regulatory, commercial, and business development teams to identify, protect, and maximize the value of innovations throughout the product lifecycle.
• Drive intellectual property strategy for emerging technologies, new modalities, delivery platforms, and future innovation initiatives.
• Establish and oversee processes for portfolio prioritization, competitive intelligence, patent analytics, and intellectual property governance.
• Serve as IP advisor on business development transactions, strategic collaborations, licenses, and alliance management matters.
• Serve as lead patent counsel for key programs, providing hands-on management of patent prosecution and portfolio strategy from early research through commercialization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of patent attorneys and IP professionals.

Qua lific ations

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred) in biochemistry, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, or a related life sciences discipline.
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and a current member of good standing of at least one state bar and in good standing in all states where admitted.
• Admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Minimum of 14 years of in-house or law firm experience in patent prosecution, with in-house experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading business development transactions, strategic collaborations, alliance management activities, and related intellectual property negotiations.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing patent strategies for commercial products, late-stage pipeline programs, platform technologies, and emerging modalities.
• Proven people leadership experience, including management and development of attorneys, patent agents, and other intellectual property professionals.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to assess intellectual property issues through scientific, legal, commercial, and strategic lenses.

About Alnylam

We are the leader in RNAi therapeutics - a revolutionary approach with the potential to transform the lives of people with rare and common diseases. Built on Nobel Prize-winning science, Alnylam has delivered the breakthroughs that made RNAi therapeutics possible and are just at the beginning of what's possible. Our deep pipeline, late-stage programs, and bold vision reflect our core values: fierce innovation, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, open culture and commitment to people. We're proud to be a globally recognized top employer, where an authentic, inclusive culture and breakthrough thinking fuel one another.

At Alnylam, we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equal employment opportunity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their sex, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, pregnancy status or related conditions, genetic information, veteran or military status, marital or familial status, political affiliation, age, or any other factor protected by federal, state, or local law. Alnylam is an E-Verify Employer.

#LI-MH1 #LI-Hybrid

The pay range below reflects the full-time base salary range we expect to pay for this role at the time of posting. Base pay will be determined based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, and education. This role is eligible for an annual short-term incentive award (e.g., bonus or sales incentive) and an annual long-term incentive award (e.g., equity).

Alnylam's robust Total Rewards package is designed to support your overall health and well-being. We offer comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a lifestyle reimbursement program, flexible spending and health savings accounts and a 401(k)with a generous company match. Eligible employees enjoy paid time off, wellness days, holidays, and two company-wide recharge breaks. We also offer generous family resources and leave. Our commitm