Intellectual Property Counsel

What we offer

At Evonik, you’re part of a global chemical company working in many sectors that go beyond chemistry. From lipids for tomorrow’s medicines, biosurfactants for green detergents, additives for plastics recycling or membranes to help drive forward the energy transition, you’ll play an essential part in helping the world’s most essential industries succeed.

Our success hinges on a diversity of ideas powered by people, not egos. Whether you’re a scientist or engineer, new to the team or established, in business, production, or anything in between - we cheer each other on. Because we believe we can do anything. Explore everything. And Be Part of Something Special!

Find out more about the many benefits we offer:

https://www.evonik.com/en/careers/why.html

Meet the team and get to know the people behind Evonik:

https://www.evonik.com/en/news/meet-the-team.html

Job Description Summary:

Evonik Corporation is seeking a Patent/IP Counsel to join its Group Legal Intellectual Property Management team in Piscataway, NJ. This role is focused on delivering proactive, practical legal solutions that support a global organization. The successful candidate will partner closely with clients across multiple business and product lines to develop, protect, and leverage Evonik's intellectual property portfolio, with a particular emphasis on specialty chemicals and chemical manufacturing services.

The position requires managing a diverse workload with a high degree of autonomy, including intellectual property transactions, client counseling, legal opinions regarding patentability, validity, and freedom to operate, as well as intellectual property due diligence reviews.

Evonik's legal department operates in a hybrid work environment, offering the flexibility of working remotely for part of the week while fostering in-person collaboration with legal and business colleagues. This role also includes promoting and upholding the principles and responsibilities of Responsible Care within assigned areas of responsibility.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a wide range of intellectual property and commercial agreements, including NDAs, license agreements, research collaborations, service agreements, and consulting agreements.
• Serve as the primary legal advisor for IP transactional matters, providing practical guidance to business stakeholders and partnering with Product and Business teams to address IP-related needs.
• Provide legal opinions on patentability, validity, and freedom to operate, and manage outside counsel in support of intellectual property matters.
• Support intellectual property due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic business transactions, and assist with patent preparation, filing, and prosecution before the USPTO.
• Manage intellectual property disputes, litigation support, external counsel relationships, and related budgets, while communicating legal risks and business impact to stakeholders.
• Travel as needed (approximately 10%, including occasional international travel).

REQUIREMENTS

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent and admission to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. Registered to practice before the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Minimum 4 years of intellectual property experience, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets within the chemical and/or pharmaceutical industries.
• Bachelor's degree in biological sciences, chemical sciences, chemical engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
• Strong experience with intellectual property agreements, licensing, and commercial contracts.
• Experience drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications before the USPTO, particularly in chemical and/or pharmaceutical fields, preferred.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to balance legal and business priorities.
• Proven ability to build relationships across functions, work effectively with senior leadership, exercise sound judgment, and manage complex projects independently and collaboratively.

Summary Compensation & Benefits:

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. (Specific rate to be determined, but not limited to, geographic location, education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities of applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data).

The pay range for this position is: The starting range for this position is $135,000-$210,000

Evonik offers a comprehensive benefit package, subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. Benefits included, but not limited to:

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Paid time off plan
• 401(k) savings plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Tuition Reimbursement

The Evonik Group adopts an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) approach. Candidates are assessed based on their educational qualifications, experience, job competencies and potential and shall not be discriminated against on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, nationality, disability or sexual orientation or other classifications protected by local, state, or provincial regulations.

Your Application

To ensure that your application is proceeded as quickly as possible and to protect the environment, please apply online via our careers portal. Further information about Evonik as Employer can be found at www.evonik.com/en/careers.html.

Please address your application to the Talent Acquisition Manager, stating your earliest possible starting date and your salary expectations.

Your Talent Acquisition Manager:

Company is