Senior Director, Sr. Corporate Counsel, IP

Jazz Pharmaceutical; Penn (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 259,000 - 389,000; Full time

Job summary

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a global biopharma company seeking a Senior Director, Corporate Counsel, IP, to craft and execute robust global patent and IP strategies across products and platform technologies.

This role will align IP initiatives with corporate growth and partner with Corporate Development, R&D, and senior leadership to inform deal structures and post-transaction integration. The position reports to the VP of Legal & IP and requires leading IP due diligence, portfolio

Qualifications

• Qualified US Patent Attorney or Agent with 10+ years of relevant IP experience in biopharma, including in-house corporate development support.
• Experience leading IP due diligence for acquisitions, licensing, collaborations, and strategic transactions.
• Demonstrated ability to maximize value of acquired or licensed IP portfolios and assets.
• Deep expertise in patent portfolio development, lifecycle management, exclusivity strategies, and FTO analyses.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and influence senior executives.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills; translates complex concepts into business terms.

Responsibilities

• Advise corporate development on IP strategy for acquisitions, licensing, collaborations, joint ventures, divestitures, and other strategic transactions.
• Lead IP due diligence including freedom-to-operate evaluations and risk identification.
• Prepare and present actionable diligence findings to executives and deal teams.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to develop post-transaction integration plans and portfolio optimization.
• Develop and execute global patent strategies to maximize asset value.
• Build and manage high-value patent portfolios from invention capture to issuance.
• Provide input into transaction documents and integration provisions.
• Manage outside counsel for prosecution, diligence, and litigation matters.
• Counsel management on IP risks, opportunities, and exclusivity strategies.
• Review publications and disclosures to protect patent rights.

Skills

IP strategy

Due diligence

M&A licensing experience

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

In-house experience

Patent portfolio management

Leadership

Education

Biological sciences degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases - often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com for more information.

Job Description

The Senior Director, Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property (IP), will develop and execute robust global patent and IP strategies for Jazz's products, product candidates, platform technologies, and newly acquired or licensed assets, ensuring alignment with corporate growth objectives and maximizing the value of the company's innovation portfolio. In addition, the Sr. Corporate Counsel, IP will play a critical role in supporting Jazz's corporate development objectives by leading intellectual property due diligence, integration planning, and strategic portfolio development across acquisitions, licensing transactions, collaborations, and other strategic business opportunities.

This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to Corporate Development, R&D, Business Development, and senior leadership, providing sophisticated IP analyses that inform transaction structures, valuation, risk assessment, and post-transaction integration strategies. Initially, this position reports directly to the VP of Legal & IP.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Serve as a critical IP advisor to Corporate Development teams, providing strategic support for acquisitions, licensing transactions, collaborations, joint ventures, divestitures, and other strategic transactions.
• Conduct comprehensive IP due diligence for potential acquisitions, in-licensing opportunities, collaborations, and strategic partnerships, including freedom-to-operate evaluations, portfolio strength analyses, exclusivity assessments, and identification of material IP risks and value drivers.
• Prepare and communicate clear, actionable diligence findings and recommendations to executive leadership, transaction teams, and legal leadership to support decision-making, valuation, negotiation strategy, and transaction structuring.
• Partner closely with Transformation Office and cross-functional stakeholders to develop and execute post-transaction integration strategies, including patent portfolio optimization, ownership alignment, prosecution strategy harmonization, and identification of opportunities to enhance long-term asset value.
• Develop and execute sophisticated global patent strategies that support business objectives, strengthen competitive positioning and exclusivity, and maximize the value of both internally developed and externally acquired or licensed assets.
• Build and manage high-value global patent portfolios from invention capture through patent issuance and lifecycle management, ensuring alignment with product development and commercialization strategies.
• Provide strategic input into transaction documents, including licensing agreements, collaboration agreements, acquisition agreements, due diligence reports, representations and warranties, IP covenants, and integration-related provisions.
• Build effective partnerships with stakeholders across research, development, commercial, regulatory, business development, and corporate development functions to deliver practical, business-focused IP advice.
• Conduct freedom-to-operate, infringement, validity, patentability, and competitive landscape analyses and develop risk mitigation strategies in support of business objectives.
• Effectively manage outside counsel supporting patent prosecution, IP due diligence, litigation, opinions, and other strategic matters to ensure high-quality, efficient, and commercially focused outcomes.
• Counsel senior management and cross-functional teams on intellectual property risks, opportunities, exclusivity strategies, competitive positioning, and portfolio optimization initiatives.
• Review publications, presentations, press releases, and other public disclosures to protect patent rights and support external communication strategies.
• Advise on and/or lead contentious and adversarial matters involving company assets, including patent litigation, IPRs, PGRs, European oppositions, and related proceedings.
• Lead and contribute to departmental initiatives aimed at enhancing IP operations, diligence capabilities, portfolio management processes, and overall organizational effectiveness.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Fully qualified U.S. Patent Attorney or Agent with 10+ years of relevant intellectual property experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including substantial in-house experience supporting corporate development, licensing, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, or other strategic transactions.
• Undergraduate degree in biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, or another discipline relevant to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or life sciences; advanced degree preferred.
• Significant experience leading IP due diligence for acquisitions, licensing transactions, collaborations, venture investments, and other strategic corporate transactions.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating, integrating, and maximizing the value of acquired or licensed patent portfolios and intellectual property assets.
• Deep expertise in patent portfolio development, lifecycle management, exclusivity strategies, freedom-to-operate analyses, and competitive intelligence.
• Ability to work in dynamic, fast-paced team environment; flexible and responsive self-starter who can operate independently as well as collaboratively across the business.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex legal and scientific concepts into clear business recommendations for senior executives.
• Strategic thinker who anticipates business challenges, identifies opportunities to create and protect enterprise value, and develops creative, practical solutions.
• Proven ability to influence decision-making across cross-functional teams and build trusted partnerships with executives, researchers, commercial leaders, and corporate development professionals.
• Strong project management, prioritization, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple high-impact initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience in patent litigation, post-grant proceedings, oppositions, and other adversarial matters is a plus.

#LI-Remote

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

FOR US BASED CANDIDATES ONLY

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive.

For this role, the full and complete base pay range is:

$259,200.00 - $388,800.00

Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, and other pertinent factors. The goal is to ensure fair and competitive compensation aligned with the candidate's expertise and contributions, within the established pay framework and our Total Compensation philosophy. Internal equity considerations will also influence individual base pay decisions. This range will be reviewed on a regular basis.

At Jazz, your base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate may also be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation (depending on the role), in accordance with the terms of the Company's Global Cash Bonus Plan or Incentive Compensation Plan, as well as discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz's Long Term Equity Incentive Plan.

The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation.