US Patent Attorney – Sr. Patent Counsel, Program Strategy & Litigation

argenx; United States; Remote; USD 252,000 - 347,000; Full time

Job summary

argenx is seeking an experienced US patent attorney to lead IP disputes and portfolio development. You will drive litigation readiness, file and prosecute patents, and partner with global project teams to safeguard innovations across clinical programs.

The role emphasizes strategic thinking, cross‑jurisdiction collaboration, and responsible use of AI tools to enhance efficiency. You will work with LCIP colleagues and external counsel to align litigation goals with business priorities, while

Qualifications

• US Legal Credentials: JD, active state bar, and USPTO registration.
• 8+ years of life sciences patent experience with BPCIA/ANDA litigation.
• Ability to connect litigation risk with portfolio development and business strategy.
• Willingness to adopt evolving agentic workflows and AI capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop patent strategy and manage global portfolios.
• Lead patent disputes and litigation readiness across jurisdictions.
• Guide global IP dispute execution with external counsel.
• Partner with global project teams on key drug candidates.
• Oversee invention disclosures and trade secret protection.

Skills

Life sciences patent litigation

US patent litigation leadership

Strategic portfolio development

Curiosity about AI-assisted workflows

Strong communication skills

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

USPTO registration

US Bar admission

Advanced life sciences degree

Job description

Join us as we transform immunology and deliver medicines that help autoimmune patients get their lives back. argenx is preparing for multi-dimensional expansion to reach more patients through a rich pipeline of differentiated assets, led by VYVGART, our first-in-class neonatal Fc receptor blocker approved for the treatment of gMG, and with the potential to treat patients across dozens of severe autoimmune diseases.

We are building a new kind of biotech company, one that maintains its roots as a science-based start-up and pushes our commitment to innovate across all corners of our business. We strive to inspire and grow our company, our partnerships, our science, and our people, because when we do, we deliver more for patients.

In this role you will help protect innovations that can improve the lives of patients with severe autoimmune diseases, while building intellectual property (IP) litigation and contested‑matter strategy. We are seeking an experienced US patent attorney who combines recent and substantial BPCIA and/or ANDA patent litigation expertise, scientific curiosity and commercial judgment with an appetite to shape and support our pipeline and improve how a modern IP team works.

Litigation, contested matters and dispute readiness will be your primary focus, but you will also partner with the broader IP team to bring a litigation perspective to patent portfolio building and act as lead attorney for a focused portfolio of preclinical and clinical projects and programs. Program allocation will preserve capacity to lead disputes and will be reviewed with the Global Head of IP as contested‑matter demands evolve.

You will work closely with colleagues across the Legal, Compliance and Intellectual Property (LCIP) team, including the Head of Litigation and Enforcement, to align IP dispute strategy with broader legal and business priorities. You will also help drive an evolving agentic IP team: attorneys and IP professionals working alongside artificial intelligence (AI) agents that carry out defined, multi-step workflows under appropriate human direction and review.

Core Responsibilities

• Patent Strategy and Portfolios: Develop creative, business‑aligned protection and enforcement strategies, leveraging your litigation experience to drive portfolio value. Build and manage global portfolios and oversee patent preparation, filing and prosecution in the United States, Europe and other key jurisdictions throughout the world.
• Disputes and Litigation Readiness: Strengthen litigation readiness and lead or support patent disputes in coordination with the internal team and external counsel. Connect prosecution, records and enforcement strategy.
• Litigation and Contested‑Matter Leadership: Lead global IP dispute strategy and execution in close partnership with the Head of Litigation and Enforcement, other LCIP colleagues and external counsel. Cover patent litigation, biosimilar disputes, patent‑office challenges and oppositions, and related trade secret or contractual disputes; align positions across jurisdictions and related matters.
• Scientific and Business Partnership: Act as strategic IP partner to global project teams responsible for key drug candidates across argenx’s portfolio. Translate complex science and patent issues into clear recommendations that support product development, commercialization and long‑term portfolio value.
• Invention and Disclosure Management: Work with scientists to identify and protect inventions, assess inventorship, manage public disclosures and strengthen trade secret protection.
• Risk and Competitive Assessment: Conduct infringement, validity, freedom‑to‑operate and competitive landscape analyses, identifying actionable risks and opportunities.
• Transactions and Agreements: Lead patent‑related diligence and support licensing, collaborations, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Review, draft and negotiate IP provisions and agreements, including confidentiality, technology transfer and licensing arrangements.[KM5.1]
• Portfolio Execution: Manage external counsel and business partners, align priorities and resources, and deliver portfolio reviews, long‑range planning and special projects.
• Case Assessment and Resolution: Evaluate infringement, validity, enforceability, evidence and business exposure. Develop enforcement, defense and settlement options, communicate recommendations and decision points, and seek appropriate internal approvals.
• Matter Management: Select and direct external counsel in global IP litigations and contested matters in collaboration with the Global Head of IP; oversee case plans, budgets, discovery, experts, witnesses and key submissions. Liaise closely with the Head of Litigation and Enforcement and relevant LCIP colleagues on material risks, escalation, resourcing and coordinated matter management.
• Litigation Readiness: Lead pre‑dispute planning and biosimilar readiness. Work with LCIP colleagues and relevant business teams on evidence preservation, legal holds and witness preparation, and strengthening invention, prosecution and development records.
• Selected Program Leadership: Lead patent strategy for a focused set of assigned programs, including global portfolio development, prosecution, invention and disclosure management, and freedom‑to‑operate assessment. Maintain close scientific and business partnerships.
• Teamwide Strategic Input: Partner with program attorneys to strengthen defensibility and enforcement options across the portfolio. Feed lessons from disputes into prosecution and trade secret practices without assuming ownership of every program.
• Transactions and Agreements: Support selected diligence, licensing and collaboration matters, with particular attention to dispute exposure, enforcement rights and litigation‑control provisions. Balance these assignments against contested‑matter priorities.

Help Build an Agentic IP Team

This is a role for someone who wants to help build the next way of working, not simply use the tools already available. You will bring curiosity, practical experimentation and the judgment to distinguish where agents add value from where attorney‑led work remains essential.

• Identify and Test Opportunities: Help pilot approved agent‑assisted workflows for dispute monitoring, evidence chronologies, document triage, reference verification and matter reporting. Start with bounded use cases and improve them through feedback.

• Maintain Accountable Legal Oversight: Define tasks, authoritative inputs, review checkpoints and escalation rules. Verify outputs and references, protect confidential and privileged information, respect data‑use restrictions, and retain attorney accountability for legal advice and consequential decisions.

• Build Team Capability: Partner with IP operations, technology and other colleagues to turn useful pilots into repeatable practices. Share learning, coach colleagues and assess improvements in quality, responsiveness and capacity, not simply tool usage.

Required Qualifications

• US Legal Credentials: A Juris Doctor (JD) degree, active membership in good standing in at least one US state bar, and registration to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

• Life Sciences Patent and Litigation Experience: At least eight years of life sciences patent experience, including substantial hands‑on US BPCIA or ANDA patent litigation or contested‑matter experience and demonstrated ability to lead complex disputes or major workstreams. Large‑molecule experience is required.

• Integrated Patent Judgment: Ability to connect litigation risk and enforcement objectives with portfolio development, prosecution and business strategy, and to lead selected programs alongside contested matters.

• Curiosity and Appetite for Agentic Working: A genuine, demonstrable appetite and curiosity to help drive an evolving agentic IP team. Willingness to learn emerging AI capabilities, question established processes, experiment responsibly and help colleagues adopt better ways of working is essential.

• Judgment and Communication: Strong legal and business judgment; the ability to explain complex issues clearly, make practical recommendations and collaborate effectively across scientific, commercial and legal teams.

Preferred Experience

• Scientific Training: An advanced life sciences degree, preferably at least a thesis‑based master’s degree in biology or a related field.

• Breadth of Practice: Biosimilar litigation experience is strongly preferred. Patent‑office challenges, cross‑border disputes, trial or appeal experience, and licensing or settlement negotiations are valuable. Both law firm and in‑house experience are welcome; law‑firm‑only candidates will also be considered.

• Practical Innovation: Experience improving legal workflows or using AI, automation or knowledge tools is welcome. Prior agent‑building experience and coding skills are not required; learning agility, sound judgment and a willingness to experiment are essential.

How You Work

You are inquisitive, collaborative and composed under pressure. You make clear recommendations despite uncertainty, prioritize across disputes and programs, and have a strong appetite to teach and learn. You combine firm advocacy with pragmatic judgment and contribute to argenx’s values of innovation, co‑creation, empowerment, excellence and humility.

For applicants in the United States: The annual base salary hiring range for this position is $252,000.00 - $346,500.00 USD. This range reflects our good faith estimate at the time of posting. Individual compensation is determined using objective, inclusive, and job‑related criteria such as relevant experience, skills, demonstrated competencies and internal equity. This means actual pay may differ from the posted range when justified by these factors. Because market conditions evolve, pay ranges are reviewed regularly and may be adjusted to remain aligned with external benchmarks. Note: If the posted hiring range does not apply to your work location, the recruiter will share the locally applicable annual base salary hiring range, provided in your country’s currency, during the recruitment process. This information will reflect market conditions, role scope, and internal guidelines specific to your location.

This job is eligible to participate in our short‑term and long‑term incentive programs, subject to the terms and conditions of those plans and applicable policies. It also includes a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to retirement savings plans, health benefits and other benefits subject to the terms of the applicable plans and program guidelines.

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At argenx, all applicants are welcomed in an inclusive environment. They will receive equal consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. argenx is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.