Patent Operations, Senior Associate Paralegal

About this role

Career Category
Law/LegalJob Description
Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients
At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission—to serve patients living with serious illnesses—drives all that we do.
Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas –Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease– we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.
Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, you’ll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.
Patent Operations, Senior Associate Paralegal
What you will do
Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. In this vital role you will provide paralegal and docketing support to the Patent Law group by maintaining accurate U.S. and foreign patent records and coordinating patent prosecution activities. You will work closely with patent attorneys, agents, Patent Coordinators, outside counsel, foreign filing providers, and other Patent Operations colleagues to keep matters and deadlines on track. This role may be based in Thousand Oaks, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; or South San Francisco, California. Remote candidates may also be considered.
Responsibilities:

• Open new patent matters in the IP Management System (IPMS), entering and verifying filing dates, application data, parties, and other required docket information from approved intake materials.

• Review correspondence from U.S. and foreign patent offices, outside counsel, and service providers; docket prosecution events, filing dates, and related tasks in IPMS.

• Monitor attorney dockets and assigned tasks, follow up on upcoming or overdue actions, and promptly escalate approaching deadlines, missing instructions, conflicting information, and other issues requiring attention.

• Keep task comments and matter notes current by documenting actions taken, outstanding instructions, responsible contacts, and required follow-up.

• Coordinate attorney or agent instructions for PCT national phase entry and other foreign filing decisions, escalating when instructions or required documents are at risk of missing a deadline.

• Prepare and send foreign filing instructions and supporting documents to the designated filing provider or outside counsel; track acknowledgments and filing confirmations; and update IPMS.

• Generate recurring and ad hoc IPMS reports, review the results for completeness, and provide docket and portfolio information to attorneys and Patent Operations colleagues.

• Conduct docket and data-quality reviews, identify missing, inconsistent, or outdated information, and coordinate corrections with the appropriate team members.

• Coordinate patent annuities, maintenance fees, invention disclosure intake, and other portfolio administration activities in accordance with established procedures and attorney or committee instructions.

• Safeguard confidential information, maintain complete electronic records, provide backup support to colleagues, and contribute to process improvements and other Patent Operations initiatives.

What we expect of you
We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The legal professional we seek is a detail-oriented professional with these qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
Master’s degree
OR
Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of intellectual property docketing experience
OR
Associate’s degree and 6 years of intellectual property docketing experience
OR
High school diploma / GED and 8 years of intellectual property docketing experience
Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree or completion of an ABA-approved legal assistant or paralegal program.

• Four or more years of intellectual property experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.

• Experience supporting U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, including PCT national phase entries, Paris Convention filings, and foreign filing formalities.

• Proficiency in ANAQUA or a comparable intellectual property management and docketing system, including experience generating docket and portfolio reports.

• Experience reviewing patent office and outside counsel correspondence and coordinating filing instructions with attorneys, agents, and foreign counsel.

• Strong written and verbal communication, organizational, and follow-up skills, with sound judgment in identifying discrepancies and escalating issues.

• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, maintain accuracy under deadline pressure, and collaborate effectively across teams.

What you can expect from us
As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.
The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.
In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

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