Helping to drive and develop BlackRock s patent strategy based on the company s strategic goals and competitive position.
Working closely with BlackRock s engineers and product teams to identify and harvest inventions capable of IP protection, and working with external counsel and other service providers to file, prosecute, and maintain patents.
Cultivating an IP-aware culture by counseling and educating internal partners on intellectual property issues, including patents, trade secrets, clean room development, and open source software licensing issues.
Working with external counsel to analyze and respond to third-party patent demands and licensing opportunities.
Conducting freedom-to-operate analyses to assess potential patent risks associated with product development and commercialization, including patent landscape analyses, evaluating claim scope and validity, and advising on risk mitigation strategies.
Actively contributing to BlackRock s overall IP strategy, including by refining our patent and trade secret-related policies and procedures.
Staying abreast of and communicating patent and trade secret legal developments that could impact BlackRock s business.
Advising on IP aspects of commercial agreements, including joint development agreements and technology transfers.
Working cross-functionally with security and engineering teams to advise on open source software and open source AI/LLM use, licensing, and compliance strategies, including developing efficient processes to enable compliant open source use in BlackRock s products at scale.
Providing clean room development guidance to ensure the protection and integrity of BlackRock products, including establishing protocols and conducting reviews to prevent unauthorized use of third-party IP.
You have
At least 7 to 10 years of patent prosecution experience in a top-tier law firm or in-house legal department.
Admission to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Bar and membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
Experience in strategically building patent portfolios, including harvesting inventions, counseling engineers and business teams, and prosecuting patents.
Degree or equivalent experience in a technical field, preferably in Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering.
Experience in fintech, AI, machine learning, data processing, and/or software patents.
Strong knowledge of open source licenses and related legal issues.
Experience in the asset management industry or related financial industry is a plus, though not required.
Ability to work across time zones to support BlackRock innovators globally, including around 25% of working hours for meetings with US-based inventors and US-based external counsel.
Initiative, attention to detail, and a collaborative working style.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to effectively and concisely communicate complex legal issues to a non-legal audience orally and in writing, and to be a dedicated business partner to internal stakeholders.
Strong organizational skills and an ability to manage multiple competing, and often evolving, priorities and deadlines.
