Counsel, Patents

PMI Vision It’s Time to Unsmoke. There is no question that the best choice for men and women who smoke is to quit cigarettes and nicotine altogether. But many people don’t. In any given year, about 9 out of 10 men and women who are already smoking will continue: those people deserve access to, and information about, better alternatives. That is why we’re building PMI’s future on smoke-free products and focusing our efforts in switching adults who choose to continue smoking to our smoke-free platforms. To achieve this, we are focused on 6 strategic priorities: • Developing a long-term product and ecosystem portfolio, • Building societal support of RRP, • Growing our RRP platforms to scale, • Delivering product launch & customer service agility, • Achieving cost and cash leadership, and • Maintaining leadership in conventional cigarettes. About Our Vision We’ve built the world’s most successful cigarette company, with the world’s most popular and iconic brands. Now we’ve made a dramatic decision. We will be far more than a leading cigarette company. We’re building PMI’s future on smoke-free products that are a much better choice than cigarette smoking. Indeed, our vision – for all of us at PMI – is that these products will one day replace cigarettes. Why are we doing this? Because we should … We understand the millions of men and women who smoke cigarettes. They are looking for less harmful, yet satisfying, alternatives to smoking. We will give them that choice. We have a commitment to our employees and our shareholders. We will fulfill that commitment by pursuing this long-term vision for success. Society expects us to act responsibly. And we are doing just that, by delivering a smoke-free future. … And because we now can. Success in the cigarette business gives us the resources to pursue our ambitious vision. Thanks to the imagination and perseverance of thousands of people at PMI, we have developed breakthrough products that are smoke-free and enjoyable. Role Summary IP Professional with substantial patent subject matter experience who will be effective in providing guidance to business and functional leaders across the organization. The IP Professional would have responsibility for independently performing a variety of legal matters of limited complexity, or legal matters of more advanced complexity with guidance from a supervisor. This would including day-to-day advice to other PMI Law and business colleagues on a range of Intellectual Property matters, with a strong focus on matters involving collaboration with third parties, like suppliers, research institutes, and universities in order to align our contractual relationships with PMI’s business needs. Key Responsibilities: • Partners with internal clients to create proactive strategies designed to avoid or minimize exposure to legal liability when working with third parties, while maximizing speed to market. • Support business partners in negotiations and agreements with third parties on IP related matters. • Helps business partners accurately understand the risks and consequences of the given situation or course of action. • Effectively communicates the risks and the consequences and develops alternatives to manage identified risks. • Support the increase of IP fluency of key business partners at PMI through coordination, development, roll out and training of IP guidance, best practices, and ways of working to partners across the business, including within Research and Development, Procurement and Legal. • Maintains a culture with a high degree of emphasis on dignity, respect, and inclusion. Key Skills: • Actively Counseling members of Research & Development organizations to identify new opportunities as well as devise and implement strategies for IP protection over the extended product development life cycle. • Wide range of negotiation skills with third parties on IP matters including IP ownership, exclusivities, confidentiality, warranties, indemnities, rights of first refusal etc. for non-disclosure agreements, development agreements, supply-agreements, cooperation with research institutes, universities, suppliers, etc. • Work cross-functionally to provide IP guidance and support to other members of functional and regional legal teams. • Robust interpersonal, networking, public speaking, and writing skills, with the confidence to act quickly, communicate and negotiate effectively with diplomacy and civility, and command respect of both internal and external audiences. • Ability to think strategically and exercise sound judgment. • Ability to oversee projects of limited complexity and lead them to successful completion in an organized, efficient, and effective manner. • Ability to lead and work in a multi-disciplinary setting to achieve consensus. • Ability to maintain an appropriate perspective regardless of the delicacy or pressure of a situation. • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple, conflicting priorities while managing a substantial workload and client expectations. • Attention to detail. Knowledge and Experience Desired to Undertake this Role: • At least 4 years of concentrated experience in the field of IP, specifically with patents, know-how and trade secrets. • Experience in negotiation of IP matters in agreements across countries, cultures, subject matter, subject matter value and impact. • Experience in spotting potential agreement-related IP contentious issues with third parties, developing and implementing solutions, including dispute resolution, while coordinating with multiple other functions in the company. • Preferred: Experience with non-traditional channels of innovations (crowdsourcing, open innovation, etc.) • Preferred: Experience in developing and delivering subject matter trainings through a wide range of training techniques and platforms. • Preferred: Experience with patent drafting and prosecution • Preferred: Experience with inventor remuneration in various jurisdictions, including China, Italy and Germany. • Solid business acumen in the area of PMI’s commercial activities is a plus. • Language skills in Italian and Chinese are a plus. Work Environment/Physical Requirements: • Normal office environment for a mission driven, high impact team. Work hours regularly exceed 40 plus hours per week. • PMI operates a flexible work policy known as Smart Work which allows employees to work from home but requires at least two days per week in the office averaged over a month (excluding business trips, vacation leave and other authorized absences). • Other business trips, both within and outside Switzerland, may be required from time to time. WHY WORK FOR US Our success depends on the men and women who come to work every single day with a sense of purpose and an appetite for progress! • We’re international: Our global workforce of more than 82,000 is one of our greatest strengths and our employees speak more than 80 languages • We’re flexible: your work fits you and not the other way round, thanks to our Flexible Work Arrangement Program; and • We’re a certified top employer: This position will advance your experience with innovative technologies, services, and processes. Backed by an attractive salary and compensation package, you will work in a professional setting with clients and team members from all over the world. We are the first multinational Swiss company to obtain the Equal-Salary label, for men and women. Pursue your ambitions and develop your skills with a global business – our staggering size and scale provides endless opportunities to progress. Take pride in delivering our promise to society: to deliver a smoke-free future. Philip Morris International: Building a Smoke-Free Future PMI is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and accessories, and other nicotine-containing products. PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. PMI’s smoke-free IQOS product portfolio includes heated tobacco, nicotine-containing vapor products and nicotine pouches. As of the end of December 2023, PMI’s smoke free portfolio had 33 million users and was available in 84 markets. For more information, see our PMI and PMI Science websites. PMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. #LIjobs #LI-Hybrid