Director, Intellectual Property Counsel

Crinetics is a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, developing much-needed therapies for people with endocrine diseases and endocrine-related tumors. We were founded by a dedicated team of scientists with the simple belief that better therapies developed from rigorous innovation can lead to better lives. Our work continues to make a real difference in the lives of patients. We have a prolific discovery engine and a robust preclinical and clinical development pipeline. We are driven by science with a patient-centric and team-oriented culture. This is an exciting time to join Crinetics as we shape our organization into the world’s premier fully-integrated endocrine company from discovery to patients. Join our team as we transform the lives of others.

Position Summary:

The Director, Intellectual Property will be responsible for independently developing and implementing strategies to protect Crinetics’ intellectual property, primarily its patent assets. This position will also play a critical role in developing systems and processes for the management of in-house patent prosecution. The Director, Intellectual Property will serve a variety of business partners and must have the ability to communicate complex legal advice to colleagues with a wide range of scientific backgrounds at all levels of the organization. Work can be based at Crinetics’ headquarters in San Diego or remote.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

These may include but are not limited to:

Identify commercially valuable IP in collaboration with Discovery and Development teams.

Draft and prosecute high-quality patent applications that are strategically aligned with Crinetics’ pipeline.

Conduct freedom-to-operate searches and analyses, and counsel business partners on associated risks.

Focus on immediate and short-term (<2 years) strategic planning horizon.

Provide coaching and mentoring to direct reports and cross-functionally.

Support business development and competitive intelligence activities.

Review and assist in negotiating IP provisions of various agreements.

Review publications and provide advice on IP aspects.

Contribute to the development of processes and best practices for the management of company IP.

Work with external collaborators and partners to implement patent strategies.

Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

Required:

• Licensed US attorney with USPTO registration number.
• Graduate degree in chemistry, preferably organic chemistry.
• 10+ years drafting, prosecuting, and managing global pharmaceutical patent portfolios, or other related, translatable experience.
• A minimum of 8 years in a supervisory/leadership role.
• Strong experience with foreign and US patent prosecution.
• Ability to independently handle multiple complex legal matters and complete projects in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates leadership capabilities.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• High degree of professionalism and ethical standards.
  
  

Preferred:

• Intellectual property law experience beyond patent prosecution, e.g., post-grant proceedings, patent litigation, or trademarks.
• Experience managing outside counsel and/or team members in a corporate environment.
• Combined in-house and law firm experience.
• Familiarity with IP management systems, e.g., docketing and chemical patent search software.
• Research experience in pharmaceutical company or academic chemistry lab.
  
  

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Physical Activities: On a continuous basis, sit at desk for a long period of time; intermittently answer telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means. Some walking and lifting up to 25 lbs. may be required. The noise level in the work environment is typically low to moderate. The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and responsibilities.

Travel:

You may be required to travel for quarterly on-site meetings and up to an additional 5% of your time.

The Anticipated Base Salary Range: $202,000 - $252,000

In addition to your base pay, our total rewards program consists of a discretionary annual target bonus, stock options, ESPP, and 401k match. We also provide top-notch health insurance plans for employees (and their families) to include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, 20 days of PTO, 10 paid holidays, and a winter company shutdown.

The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and length of experience and education. Crinetics Pharmaceuticals is a multi-state employer, and this salary range may not reflect positions that work in other states. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Crinetics is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and/or expression), pregnancy, race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, religion or similar philosophical beliefs, disability, marital and civil union status, age, genetic information, veteran status or any personal attribute or characteristic that is protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

Vaccination requirement:

Following extensive monitoring, research, consideration of business implications, and advice from internal and external experts, Crinetics requires that all employees and contractors be fully vaccinated and have received the COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of employment. “Full vaccination” is defined as two weeks after both doses of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks since a single-dose vaccine has been administered. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.

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