Senior Patent Prosecution Associate — Strategic IP Leader

Watts & Associates Recruitment; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 215,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

401(k) benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Watts & Associates is seeking an Intellectual Property Associate to join its multi-office platform across Washington, DC, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Princeton, NJ and beyond. The role focuses on sophisticated patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for technology and life-sciences clients, with direct access to partners and senior attorneys.

The successful candidate will own substantive matters, draft and prosecute patent applications, and work closely with inventors and in-house teams to

Qualifications

• Approximately 4–6 years of substantive patent prosecution experience.
• Experience handling patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for sophisticated clients.
• Strong drafting, analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams, meet demanding deadlines and communicate effectively with clients and colleagues.
• USPTO registration is required or strongly preferred, depending on office and role requirements.

Responsibilities

• Draft and prosecute patent applications and manage domestic and international patent portfolios.
• Work directly with inventors and in-house legal teams to understand complex technology and develop protection strategies.
• Prepare responses, conduct prior-art analysis and advise on freedom-to-operate and portfolio development.
• Coordinate with foreign counsel and support due diligence, licensing and other IP-related transactions.
• Coordinate with attorneys and professionals across related practice areas and offices.

Skills

Patent prosecution

Portfolio strategy

Drafting

Client communication

Job description

Watts & Associates is seeking an Intellectual Property Associate to join its multi-office platform across Washington, DC, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Princeton, NJ and beyond. The role focuses on sophisticated patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for technology and life-sciences clients, with direct access to partners and senior attorneys.

The successful candidate will own substantive matters, draft and prosecute patent applications, and work closely with inventors and in-house teams to