Supervisor, IP Research

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
• Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Abbott Park: Lake County IL (other locations: Santa Clara, CA, Alameda, CA, Chicago, IL, Plymouth, MN, or St. Paul, MN.)

As Supervisor, IP Research, you will lead a team of IP researchers, supporting Abbott businesses by managing legal risks. As part of the Abbott Research Center (ARC), Abbott’s corporate library, you will work closely with other ARC functions as well as the Legal IP department on IP projects that require searching, discovering, and analyzing data from clinical, biomedical, and patent literature sources.  You will collaborate with other IP researchers to develop and implement patent search strategies to identify relevant third party patents.  You will organize and communicate search results through visualizations, presentations, and deliverables that drive strategy and decision-making to support Abbott's innovation and business goals.

What You’ll Do

• Lead a small team and collaborate with other IP researchers in assessing third party patents with respect to Abbott products by conducting Freedom to Operate (FTO) and patentability searches as well as other IP research projects for Abbott business units.
• Collaborate with the IP legal department to develop search strategies, organize results, and communicate analyses to IP attorneys and other relevant stakeholders.
• Provide patent support for Abbott businesses, including assessing and landscaping technologies and patent portfolios.
• Work with cross-functional teams to assess threats to Abbott products.
• Monitor key competitors using secondary research databases, resources, and technologies for legal projects.  
• Collaborate with ARC information teams to compile, analyze, and present research deliverables to support decision-making across Abbott’s business.
• Consult on multifaceted projects to determine information needs, provide information solutions, and apply appropriate data science methodologies and strategies to solve problems.
• Integrate the latest IP tools, including AI technologies where appropriate, into IP workflows to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of IP research, data management, knowledge sharing, and insights generation.
• Determine team priorities, define what work should be accomplished, and decide how work should be accomplished.

Required Qualifications

• Possess a Bachelor’s degree or higher in science or engineering
• Registered patent agent with the USPTO
• Patent and/or scientific literature searching experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare, or related industry with a strong interest in learning and developing this skillset
• Minimum 3 years of relevant industry experience
• Minimum 3 years of experience with assessing competitor products and IP
• Minimum 3 years of experience analyzing competitive intelligence and developing corresponding IP strategy

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing people
• Experience working in-house in a highly matrixed environment
• Medical device or other health care business experience, especially involving digital/software solutions
• Ability to understand applicable FDA regulations and company operating procedures, processes, policies, and tasks
• Proven ability to lead and mentor, and to perform successfully in cross-functional teams

Critical Success Factors

• Good Judgment: Demonstrate expertise and sound judgment, understand how assigned responsibilities support Abbott’s business objectives, and be able to provide practical, risk-balanced advice based upon a thorough understanding of the scope of an issue, taking full advantage of internal networks and external intelligence.
• Collaboration: Firm understanding of available legal, functional, and business resources and ability to integrate information from a number of sources to achieve business results, including breaking down boundaries to create alignment as necessary, in a complex, global, matrixed environment.
• Anticipation:  Holistic, big picture thinker, who anticipates changes in law, enforcement, and/or business objectives and adapts approach as necessary to manage risks effectively and mitigate issues before they arise.
• Influencing Skills:  Build strong relationships with business partners to tactfully influence and gain their support to drive desired outcomes.

Apply Now

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives:  www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott, and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

The base pay for this position is $85,300.00 – $170,700.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

• patent searching
• data analysis
• team leadership
• cross-functional collaboration
• stakeholder communication
• competitive intelligence
• fto analysis
• patent strategy development
• biotechnology knowledge
• fda regulations understanding
• ai integration
• research methodologies
• visualization techniques
• project management
• scientific literature review