Senior IP Paralegal, Life Sciences

Position Overview

The Senior IP Paralegal is the primary in-house patent operations partner supporting Immunome's global life sciences patent portfolio. Reporting to the Executive Director, IP Counsel, this role owns day-to-day patent prosecution administration and portfolio operations across U.S. and international matters, ensuring audit-ready records, docket integrity, and on-time execution through disciplined process management and proactive risk identification. The Senior IP Paralegal serves as the operational liaison between internal inventors/R&D stakeholders, executive leadership, and outside counsel, and is expected to independently drive systems, workflows, and continuous improvements that scale with company growth.

Responsibilities

Patent Prosecution Support (U.S. and International)

• Support preparation, review, and filing of U.S. patent applications (provisional and non-provisional) and related formal papers in coordination with outside counsel.
• Coordinate PCT filings and national phase entries; manage communications and instructions to foreign associates and outside counsel.
• Route and track Office Actions and related correspondence; support internal review cycles and confirm timely filings and acknowledgments.
• Assist with post-allowance activities (issue fee processing, formal papers, and issuance documentation) and post-grant administrative actions as needed.

Formalities, Signatures, and Chain of Title

• Manage and obtain execution of IP formalities documents (declarations, powers of attorney, assignments, inventor documents).
• Coordinate assignment recordation and maintain clean chain-of-title across portfolio assets.
• Own the preparation, execution, and recordation of IP assignment documents, ensuring timely routing, signatures, and completion of required documentation for corporate and portfolio activities.
• Maintain organized matter files, executed documents, and supporting evidence of ownership.

Docketing, Deadlines, and Portfolio Administration

• Maintain and validate accurate docketing for U.S. and foreign matters; perform routine audits to ensure alignment between internal and outside counsel deadlines.
• Serve as a primary operational point of contact for outside counsel and docketing/annuity vendors; track status and confirm deliverables.
• Drive outside counsel coordination by setting clear priorities, timelines, and deliverable expectations; proactively follow up to protect deadlines and escalate risks as needed.
• Support maintenance fee and annuity workflows by reviewing reports, confirming payment instructions, and ensuring portfolio data consistency.

In-House IP Operations and Cross-Functional Support

• Lead evaluation, selection, and implementation of an IP management and patent docketing system, including requirements gathering, vendor coordination, data migration, configuration, training, and go-live support.
• Own ongoing system administration and data governance, including docket audits, workflow optimization, and user support to ensure reliable, decision-ready portfolio data.
• Act as an operational partner to the Executive Director, IP Counsel by anticipating workload, proactively flagging risks, and providing clear status updates.
• Prepare patent portfolio reports and summaries for the Executive Director, IP Counsel, including filing activity, upcoming deadlines, and overall portfolio status.
• Provide IP operations support across the company (all programs) and partner with other Legal stakeholders on related administrative needs, status reporting, and document workflows.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline patent and IP administrative processes, improve cycle times, and strengthen compliance and record readiness as the company scales.

Qualifications

• Paralegal certificate strongly preferred, or equivalent relevant training and experience.
• A minimum of 8 years of total related experience is preferred. Minimum of 5 years of patent IP work experience in biotech/pharma or other life sciences settings; prior in-house experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience implementing, optimizing, or administering a patent docketing/IP management system and associated workflows (strong preference for prior system implementation ownership).
• Proven ability to manage outside counsel and vendors in a deadline-driven environment, including setting priorities, tracking deliverables, and maintaining high-quality, audit-ready records.
• Working knowledge of: USPTO filings and prosecution support; PCT workflows and national phase coordination; declarations, POAs, assignments, and recordation; IDS preparation and tracking (as applicable).
• Strong organization and attention to detail; ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfort partnering with legal, R&D, leadership, and outside counsel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and e-signature tools; strong document management and version control practices.

Knowledge and Skills

• Ownership mindset and ability to operate autonomously in an in-house environment.
• Proactive deadline management and risk identification.
• High integrity handling confidential IP and sensitive R&D information.
• Strong stakeholder management and service orientation.
• Professional maturity and executive presence; ability to influence without authority and work effectively with senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
• Independent, solutions-oriented approach with sound judgment and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines and requests.
• Continuous improvement mindset and operational rigor.
• Experience with USPTO Patent Center and WIPO ePCT.
• Notary preferred