Patent Agent

About Pivot Bio:  

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of the soil microbiome, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in agriculture. Our products harness the power of naturally occurring microbes to provide nutrients to crops and new sustainable ways for farmers to reduce the usage of fertilizers as they work to help feed the world’s growing population.

Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour. 

Pivot Bio is seeking a Patent Agent to develop IP arising from Pivot Bio’s R&D activities. Combining a strong background in patent law with an ability to evaluate and understand diverse technologies, this role will synthesize disparate information sources into IP portfolio development. Working cross functionally, the incumbent will support technical teams in developing their inventions into IP rights for the company.  

This position will also play an important role in helping researchers understand IP rights as well as barriers to technology development. The incumbent will be adept at evaluating new inventions, especially technologies relevant to agricultural biotechnology.  

Location: Remote w/ availability for in-person meetings in Berkeley, CA

 Responsibilities:  

• Fulfill agreed upon time commitments 
• Train and educate research team members on IP issues 
• Develop IP from disclosed inventions including evaluating patentability, patent drafting, and patent prosecution 
• Evaluate third party hinderances to Pivot actions including working with research and development teams to understand desired courses of action and performing patent searching and analysis and conveying outcomes of those searches to supported teams 
• Assist members of legal team in understanding newly developed technologies while assisting researches in understanding IP opportunities of those technologies 
• Work with Pivot’s internal and external IP legal counsel on legal evaluations as necessary   

 Physical Demands:  

• Job will involve mostly office and computer-based work  
• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, or fingers 
• Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting/standing 
• Communicating with others to exchange information in person or through videoconferencing 

Qualifications and Experience: 

• Combination of technical and patent background, Ph.D. in biology, chemistry or related 
• 3+ years of experience with patent preparation and prosecution; law firm + in-house experience preferred (More experienced candidates will be considered for a Senior Patent Agent position) 
• Prior experience in row crop agriculture preferred 
• Deep appreciation for and understanding of appropriate handling of company and third-party confidential information 
• Prior patent examination experience preferred 
• Registration number with the USPTO  
• Cover letter and (short) writing sample 

*Must be authorized to work in the United States * 

What we offer:  

• Opportunity to gain professional experience in a progressive company 
• Exciting opportunity to work with a talented and fun team 

Hiring Compensation Range: $104,580 - $130,725

All remote positions and those not located in our Berkeley, Hayward or Boston locations are paid based on National Benchmark data.  Following employment, growth beyond the hiring range is possible based on performance.