Senior Director - Intellectual Property

HB Fuller; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K contributions

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Incentives and recognition programs

Job summary

H.B. Fuller, a global leader in adhesives, seeks a Senior Director of IP to manage the worldwide patent portfolio and oversee trademark, trade secret, and IP transactions.

You will partner with the Chief IP Counsel to shape strategy, enforcement, and commercialization of IP assets across business units. Responsibilities include leading IP strategy, supervising patent professionals, managing budgets, and coordinating with legal, R&D, and business teams to advance strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Registered to practice before the USPTO.
• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related.
• 10–15 years of intellectual property experience in a law firm, corporate legal department, or a combination thereof.
• Demonstrated experience managing patent portfolios and providing strategic intellectual property counseling.
• Experience supporting business, technology, and innovation organizations.
• Strong writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven people and project management experience, including complex strategic intellectual property initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Manage a global patent portfolio across invention harvesting, drafting, prosecution, and portfolio optimization.
• Oversee trademark portfolios and protection strategies; coordinate with outside counsel.
• Develop and maintain trade secret protection programs and advise on confidential information governance.
• Lead IP due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic transactions; negotiate technology licenses and agreements.
• Assist in leading the IP department workflows, metrics, and integration of acquired assets.

Skills

Writing

Communication

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

USPTO registration

Job description

As the largest pureplay adhesives company in the world, H.B. Fuller's (NYSE: FUL) innovative, functional coatings, adhesives and sealants enhance the quality, safety and performance of products people use every day. Founded in 1887, with 2025 revenue of $3.5 billion, our mission to Connect What Matters is brought to life by more than 7,100 global team members who collaborate with customers across more than 30 market segments in 150 countries to develop highly specified solutions that enable customers to bring world-changing innovations to their end markets. Learn more at www.hbfuller.com.

At H.B. Fuller, we embrace a shared set of beliefs and competencies that guide how we operate and achieve success. We strive to hire talent who demonstrate our commitment to Innovation, Accountability, Performance Excellence, Change and Risk Taking, Customer Focus, and Teamwork.

The Senior Director - IP serves as a key leader within H.B. Fuller's global intellectual property organization. In addition to managing a significant intellectual property portfolio, this role partners closely with the Chief IP Counsel to oversee the Company's intellectual property function, including a portfolio of more than 700 patent assets, 1,500 trademark assets, trade secrets, and related intellectual property matters. This position supports strategic business objectives through the development, protection, enforcement, and commercialization of intellectual property assets while providing leadership across patents, trademarks, trade secrets, licensing, transactions, and intellectual property operations worldwide.

Primary Responsibilities

20-30% Patent Portfolio Management

• Manage a global patent portfolio, including invention harvesting, patent drafting, prosecution, and portfolio optimization.
• Collaborate with technical and business leaders across all segments to develop patent filing and protection strategies.
• Supervise outside patent counsel and manage associated budgets.
• Conduct patentability, freedom-to-operate, infringement, validity, and competitive landscape assessments.
• Support patent enforcement activities, disputes, oppositions, and third-party challenges.
• Handle a personal docket of strategic patent matters, including drafting and prosecution activities.

10-20% Trademark and Brand Protection

• Manage global trademark portfolios and trademark protection strategies.
• Advise business and marketing teams regarding trademark selection, clearance, registration, maintenance, use, and enforcement.
• Coordinate trademark prosecution and enforcement activities with outside counsel.
• Support brand protection initiatives and online enforcement efforts.
• Lead trademark due diligence efforts for acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic transactions.

10-15% Trade Secret and Confidential Information Protection

• Develop and maintain trade secret protection programs and processes.
• Advise business and technical teams regarding protection of confidential and proprietary information.
• Support implementation of confidentiality, information security, and intellectual property governance practices.
• Assist in investigations and risk assessments involving trade secret protection and potential misappropriation.
• Partner with Human Resources, R&D, Compliance, and Legal teams on trade secret-related issues.

15-25% Strategic IP Counseling and Transactions

• Lead IP due diligence activities involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and technology assets.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.
• Advise transactional attorneys on intellectual property provisions in commercial and strategic agreements.
• Negotiate and advise on:
• Joint development agreements
• Technology licenses
• Research collaborations
• Material transfer agreements
• Confidentiality agreements
• Intellectual property ownership and commercialization matters
• Assist in the development of infringement, non-infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions.

20-35% Intellectual Property Department Leadership

• Assist the Chief IP Counsel in leading the Company's intellectual property function.
• Manage intellectual property department workflows, processes, and operational initiatives.
• Supervise patent paralegals, patent coordinators, and other intellectual property professionals as assigned.
• Track and report intellectual property metrics and trends.
• Manage intellectual property-related processes, including:
• License payment administration
• Patent annuity reviews
• Competitive patent watch activities
• Inventor remuneration programs
• Business portfolio reviews
• Technology and competitive landscape monitoring
• Lead integration of acquired intellectual property assets.
• Provide training and guidance to business leaders, inventors, scientists, engineers, and legal colleagues on intellectual property matters.
• Serve as a mentor and resource to less experienced members of the intellectual property organization.

Minimum Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
• 10-15 years of intellectual property experience in a law firm, corporate legal department, or a combination thereof.
• Demonstrated experience managing patent portfolios and providing strategic intellectual property counseling.
• Experience supporting business, technology, and innovation organizations.
• Strong writing, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven people and project management experience, including complex strategic intellectual property initiatives.

Preferred Requirements

• In-house intellectual property experience.
• Significant experience supporting chemical, adhesives, materials science, construction products, health and hygiene, or medical technology businesses.
• Experience with trademark portfolio management and enforcement.
• Developing and implementing trade secret protection programs.
• Conducting intellectual property due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.
• Negotiating technology licenses and strategic technology agreements.
• Managing intellectual property disputes and litigation through outside counsel.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior business leaders and influence strategic decision-making.

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Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, and geographic location.

The salary for this role is $200,000 - $220,000.

In addition to your salary, H.B. Fuller offers employees a competitive total rewards package including comprehensive benefits, incentive and recognitions programs, health & wellness benefits, 401K contributions, paid time off and paid holidays. Eligibility may vary.

H.B. Fuller is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and proud to have created a collaborative culture where employees around the world are seen, heard, and respected. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or marital status or status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected classification.

H.B. Fuller does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with H.B. Fuller, a written service agreement must be executed by Human Resources prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed service agreement, H.B. Fuller shall not be obligated for payment of any fee or compensation.