Associate Director, Legal Intellectual Property

Role Summary

This role is within the Global Legal Team and is for a skilled intellectual property attorney who can provide advice and counseling to the business on a broad range of scientific and IP legal issues. This key member of the legal team will report to the Senior Legal Director, Intellectual Property and will be responsible for providing IP legal support to a number of different programs at various stages of development. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of patent law and bring creative and strategic approaches to protecting Alnylam’s efforts. This position is hybrid and will be primarily located in Cambridge, MA.

Responsibilities

• Assisting and managing global patent portfolios relating to RNAi therapeutic agents and delivery technologies.
• Providing strategic IP counsel to internal stakeholders, including strategic guidance on patent portfolio development and management, licensing, and freedom-to-operate.
• Collaborating with R&D to identify and protect intellectual property.
• Providing legal advice on a variety of contracts, including sponsored research agreements, consulting agreements, and material transfer agreements, and the ability to collaborate effectively with research, business development, and legal teams.
• Managing lifecycle of patent portfolios for late-stage clinical programs.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with external counsel.

Qualifications

• Required: MSc in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry.
• Preferred: Ph.D.
• Required: Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and a current member of good standing of at least one state bar and in good standing in all states where admitted.
• Required: Admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• Required: Minimum of 2–5 years of in-house and/or law firm experience in patent prosecution and lifecycle management.
• Required: Proficiency in using scientific and IP databases.
• Required: Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills.
• Required: Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills.
• Required: Organized, independent, and detail-oriented.