Sr IP Counsel

Natera, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Natera is seeking a Senior Intellectual Property Counsel to enhance its robust IP strategy in bioinformatics and AI. The role includes strategic advice, patent portfolio management, and supporting commercial transactions, with a focus on fostering innovation. Candidates should have strong experience and relevant legal qualifications to thrive in a collaborative environment focused on health care advancements.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

Free testing for employees and their families

401k benefits

Generous employee referral program

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience.
• 6-8 years of experience in IP field considered.
• Familiarity with FTO analysis, patent challenge procedures preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic IP advice to enable business objectives worldwide.
• Capture new innovation and manage patent portfolio.
• Support licensing, M&A, and commercial transactions.

Skills

IP law

strategic advice

patent prosecution

Education

Degree in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Bioengineering, AI/Machine Learning, or Applied Mathematics

Registered attorney with relevant bar

Job description

The Senior Intellectual Property Counsel (IP) will play a critical role in supporting relevant business stakeholders and protecting the company's significant and ongoing investment in research and development in multiple areas, including bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, genetic testing and data processing. Additional responsibilities will include supporting technology and commercial transactions that promote the company’s growth; developing a robust and sophisticated IP strategy with respect to current and new product offerings; mitigating IP risks associated with a competitive commercial environment; optimizing IP policies and infrastructure.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide strategic IP advice to enable business objectives worldwide.

Capture new innovation and build Natera’s patent portfolio, including through strategic patent drafting and prosecution.

Understand the competitive landscape and identify opportunities and mitigation threats, with particular focus on bioinformatics, AI, and machine learning in the health care space.

Manage or support litigation and mitigate risk in both litigation and pre-litigation contexts.

Support licensing, M&A, and other commercial transactions.

Assist in the development and optimization of company IP systems and infrastructure.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Degree in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Bioengineering, AI/Machine Learning, or Applied Mathematics preferred. Will also consider Molecular Biology, Genetics, or Biochemistry, depending on the overall needs of the business.

Registered and in good standing with the relevant attorney bar (mandatory) and the USPTO (preferred).

Minimum 8 years of related experience with 6 - 8 years of experience in the IP field (will consider advanced degree holders with slightly less experience).

Familiarity with patent prosecution, freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis, prior art searching and patent challenge procedures and practice, including inter-partes review (IPRs) and patent invalidation in administrative and judicial proceedings preferred.

May work remotely, although preference will be given to candidates co-located in California near relevant Natera sites and personnel.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Uses a sophisticated understanding of IP law and the company's business objectives to advise colleagues and to develop and implement IP strategy.

Develops and deploys robust company IP policies and infrastructure.

Accepts feedback in a positive and constructive manner to improve competencies.

Strong sense of personal accountability.

Highly effective written and oral communicator.

#LI-AB1

The pay range is listed and actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.

Austin, TX

$175,384 - $219,230 USD

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Natera is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers and many other professionals from world-class institutions, who care deeply for our work and each other. When you join Natera, you’ll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you’ll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive Benefits - Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401k benefits, commuter benefits and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents.

Please be advised that Natera will reach out to candidates with a @natera.com email domain ONLY. Email communications from all other domain names are not from Natera or its employees and are fraudulent. Natera does not request interviews via text messages and does not ask for personal information until a candidate has engaged with the company and has spoken to a recruiter and the hiring team. Natera takes cyber crimes seriously, and will collaborate with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any related cyber crimes.

Interested in building your career at Natera? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Preferred First Name

Email *

Phone *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Employment

Title *

Select...

Start date year *

End date month * Select...

End date year *

Current role

Education

School * Select...

Degree * Select...

Select...

Select...

Start date year *

End date month * Select...

End date year *

LinkedIn Profile

Website

Are you 18 or older? * Select...

Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? * Select...

Do you now or will you in the future require sponsorship? * Select...

Have you signed a non-compete with your current employer? * Select...

Please provide your current permanent residence street address? *

What city do you currently live in? *

What state do you currently live in? * Select...

Postal Code *

What are your salary expectations? *

Who is your most recent/current employer? *

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Natera’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.