Senior Legal Counsel, Patents jobs in United States
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OpenAI · 3 months ago

Senior Legal Counsel, Patents

positionSan Francisco
timeFull-time
remoteHybrid
senioritySenior Level
money$330K/yr - $330K/yr
date7+ years exp

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The Senior Patent Counsel will lead patent portfolio development for hardware, manage outside counsel activities, and partner with engineering and product teams to align IP protection with business priorities.

Agentic AIArtificial Intelligence (AI)Foundational AIGenerative AIMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingSaaS
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Growth Opportunities

Responsibilities

Lead patent portfolio development for hardware and related activities, including proactive invention identification, application preparation, and prosecution
Partner closely with engineering, product, and design teams to identify strategic hardware innovations and craft high-value patent filings
Manage outside counsel activities related to both hardware and software patent prosecution
Develop and execute patent strategy for hardware systems, aligning IP protection with business and technical priorities
Help scale patent development processes to support rapid growth

Qualification

Patent prosecution experienceHardware technologies expertisePatent strategy developmentJDState bar admissionU.S. PatentTrademark Office registrationTechnical background in AIIn-house patent portfolio managementIP licensing experienceDetail-orientedOrganizational skillsProject management skillsWriting skillsCommunication skills

Required

7+ years of patent prosecution experience, with significant expertise in hardware technologies (e.g., circuits, processors, sensors, mechanical systems, or AI hardware)
BS or graduate degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related hardware-focused field (advanced degree preferred)
JD and admitted to a state bar
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registration
Proven ability to develop patent strategy for hardware platforms, from invention harvesting to portfolio shaping
Strong technical background; AI or software experience a plus
Experience drafting and prosecuting both hardware and software patent applications
Experience counseling engineering teams and cross-functional partners on IP strategy
Ability to identify broader IP issues, such as licensing or trade secrets, for appropriate escalation or counseling
Detail-oriented, with exceptional organizational and project management skills
Excellent writing and communication skills

Preferred

Prior in-house experience managing a patent portfolio is a plus
Experience with IP licensing, open source, or other complementary IP disciplines

Benefits

Relocation assistance

Company

OpenAI

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OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that develops advanced AI models, including ChatGPT. It is a sub-organization of OpenAI Foundation.
dateFounded in 2015
location
San Francisco, California, USA
people-size201-500 employees
web-link
https://www.openai.com

Funding

Current Stage
Growth Stage
Total Funding
$79B
Key Investors
The Walt Disney CompanySoftBankThrive Capital
2025-12-11Corporate Round· $1B
2025-10-02Secondary Market· $6.6B
2025-03-31Series Unknown· $40B

Leadership Team

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Sam Altman
CEO & Co-Founder
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Greg Brockman
President, Chairman, & Co-Founder
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Recent News

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OpenAI’s Age Prediction System to Detect Underage ChatGPT Users Is Now Rolling Out
2026-01-22
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Automation Anywhere Partners with OpenAI
2026-01-22
Business Insider
'Big Short' investor Michael Burry sounds alarm on AI bubble that's 'too big to save'
2026-01-22
Company data provided by crunchbase