Head of Intellectual Property - Sana Biotechnology

About the role

Sana Biotechnology is growing, and we are hiring new team members who believe in the potential of engineered cells as medicines, who are passionate about delivering the possible to patients, and who lead with the desire to work on novel ideas. Intellectual property is a key asset at Sana as it is at all emerging biotech companies. As the SVP of Intellectual Property, you will report to Sana's General Counsel and lead our intellectual property (IP) affairs globally. You will work closely with Research and Development, Corporate Strategy, the CEO, and the General Counsel to lead the design and implementation of our intellectual property (IP) affairs globally, including strategies for optimizing patent and regulatory exclusivity for cell and gene therapy products and technologies.

What you’ll do

• Have responsibility for Sana’s global intellectual property strategic plan and roadmap. Regularly present updates to CEO, Sana’s management team and board of directors
• Provide strategic counsel on all facets of patent law, including patent development, procurement, enforcement, freedom to operate, and business development
• Lead the development and management of Sana's intellectual property rights, including management of the building, drafting and prosecution of patent portfolios
• Partner with other business functions to provide strategic advice in connection with strategic transactions, licensing agreements, and research collaborations
• Lead Sana’s strategy around freedom-to-operate, infringement and validity analyses, and risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, adverse proceedings, and litigation activities
• Advise and inform senior leaders within Sana related to intellectual property
• Work with the R&D team to advise and guide on intellectual property development and strategy
• Participate in cross-functional projects and initiatives when strategies, processes, and standard operating procedures are developed and deployed to ensure the highest quality practices and execution for all aspects of IP portfolios
• Stay informed of any changes to law, industry, and the external business environment
• Manage a small in-house IP team and outside counsel to ensure execution of intellectual property strategy

What we’re looking for

• Integrity, intense commitment to high ethical standards;
• High intelligence along with Ph.D. degree in biology, immunology, biochemistry, or other technical field relevant to the biotech industry;
• PhD. degree;
• Admission to at least one state bar;
• Admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office;
• 15+ years of experience in progressive intellectual property experience including work in building both platform and product focused patent portfolios as well as in the launch and support of commercial products, with in-depth early training and broad senior level in-house legal experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry;
• Significant experience in evaluating complex patent landscapes, infringement and validity analyses, and risk evaluation and mitigation strategies;
• Track record of success and excellent judgment in handling complex intellectual property matters with an ability to think strategically as well granularly;
• Deep experience in strategic intellectual property counseling, in-licensing and other complex business transactions;
• Experience in effectively prioritizing and managing high volume intellectual property workflow; Personable collaboration skills consistent with a track record of working successfully and building relationships with internal stakeholders and external parties to achieve business goals while managing risk;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; articulate, direct and forthright, and a decisive team member;
• Demonstrated ability to hire, manage and develop world class talent

What will separate you from the crowd

• Excellence in past professional achievements
• Experience in litigation and dispute management, in court as well as post grant proceedings, in the U.S. and preferably with ex-U.S. experience;
• Experience in the support and launch of commercial product candidates;
• Experience managing intellectual property for cellular and gene therapies;
• Experience managing and mentoring in house counsel and colleagues;
• Experience both in the law firm and in-house legal department settings

What you should know 

• Expected travel approximately 15% - 20% to other Sana sites and conferences; ability to work in one of Sana’s offices three days per week
• The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $380,000 and $450,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience

How we work together for patients

• Lead from every seat – we seek to understand, act with honesty, and engage in the crucial conversations
• Thrive as a team – we hire amazing people, are intensely curious, and cultivate inclusion and personal connectivity
• Make it happen – we value vigorous debate, alignment around our decisions, and resilient execution 

Get to know us

At Sana, we believe that a diverse workforce strengthens us as a company and helps us to achieve our mission to meaningfully change the outcome of many human diseases. This belief is a pillar of our business and is critical to our success. Our goal is that Sana is the place for talented people to bring their authentic selves to work, to have a great career and to deeply, positively impact patients.

Core to our values, we believe there is nothing more important than the health and wellness of you and your family. For benefit eligible employees, we cover 100% of the cost for employee health coverage and offer generous time-off (various paid time off benefits, such as holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave), short- and long-term disability, employer paid basic life insurance, additional voluntary life insurance protection, financial wellness programs including financial planning resources, a 401(k) Plan with an immediately vested employer match, Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, commuter subsidy and a variety of wellness offerings to support each person individually.  For more details on our benefits, visit Sana’s Benefits Portal.

We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental or sensory disability (including the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability), genetic information, actual or perceived HIV or Hepatitis C infection, medical condition (cancer or a record or history of cancer and genetic characteristics), marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), disability, veteran status, political ideology, social class (including caste/caste identity), taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

To perform this job successfully, you must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily. The job description listed above is representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required for this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions described above.