Senior Patent Attorney H/F PSA Retail France SAS

Stellantis is heavily investing in innovation, and its transition to a Tech company relies on its ability to develop innovative technologies and manage these advancements effectively. Its intellectual property assets not only enhance its competitiveness but also help to cement partnerships with other technology leaders.

One of Stellantis' IP department groups, ESIP (Electronics and Software Intellectual Property), handles all patent matters relating to electronics and software inventions.

Automotive companies technologically and strategically shift from traditional mechanical and ICE stakes to software and electrical engineering stakes. IP departments are key to a successful technological shift, by maximizing the economic use of the available knowledge generated through R&D and know-how. ESIP's senior patent attorney will need to dive in engineering and product teams to drive our patent grants in this direction of economic use maximization. Besides, the candidate shall be able to manage patent related contractual issues (supplier relationship, litigation, co-ownerships, etc.).

The role is open to candidates with a minimum of 5 years' experience. Depending on experience and leadership potential, the position may be structured either as a senior patent attorney role or as a managerial role, including responsibility for leading and inspiring a team of up to 10 patent counsels and paralegals in France, Italy, and Germany.

Specifically, she/he will drive his team to achieve the following goals:
- Build, execute and communicate a harvesting strategy focused on the above-mentioned economic use.
- Oversee the growth and quality of a patent portfolio in the Electronics and Software area (more than 650 filings yearly), and in particular:
- Analyze invention proposals and define the most appropriate protection strategies.
- Ensure the protection of the Stellantis' key innovations.
- Manage the drafting of patent applications, supervising the quality of drafts made by external attorneys and directly draft part of the patent applications.
- Handle directly and supervise patent prosecution, including:
- International extension decisions, based on Stellantis' decision criteria (which candidate may contribute to define) and an analysis of technical, strategic, and financial information.
- Answers to EPO, INPI, DPMA or UIBM office actions and oppositions.
- Counsel, with a high level of autonomy, internal clients (R&D, purchasing) on various contractual, FTO or litigation issues.
- Handle various transversal tasks of the IP department, such as training/mentoring of junior patent engineers in their progress toward European qualification.