Patent Agent - Environmental Remediation

Role Snapshot

Location/Schedule: Remote, Full-Time
Purpose: Own end-to-end patent prosecution for environmental remediation, marine biomimetic materials, and waste-to-wealth ocean technologies within a high-output AI-powered in-house patent operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Review, redline, and finalize AI-generated patent applications within the Environmental Remediation domain.
• File provisional, non-provisional, PCT, and continuation applications through USPTO Patent Center.
• Independently sign and prosecute filings under your own USPTO Patent Agent authority.
• Respond to office actions involving 101, 112, 102, and 103 issues.
• Conduct examiner interviews and develop strategic prosecution approaches.
• Identify product-of-nature exposure, enablement risks, and prior-art blind spots in marine and remediation technologies.
• Collaborate directly with materials scientists, marine researchers, and inventor teams during disclosure intake.
• Feed prosecution insights and redline patterns back into the AI drafting system for continuous improvement.

Must-have Qualifications

• Active USPTO Patent Bar registration in good standing.
• Minimum 4 years of patent prosecution experience post-registration.
• Minimum 30 patent applications drafted, prosecuted, or substantively responded to in environmental, materials, marine, or chemical-process technologies.
• BS in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science, Marine Sciences, Chemistry, or related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience navigating 101 product-of-nature challenges.
• Ability to independently sign filings without attorney supervision.
• Comfort operating in AI-augmented patent drafting environments.
• Strong written advocacy and prosecution judgment under fast turnaround timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline.
• Direct prosecution experience involving marine biomimetics, environmental remediation, or waste-to-wealth technologies.
• Prior in-house patent experience in environmental-tech, specialty materials, or chemical-process organizations.
• Experience from top-tier patent practices focused on chemical or materials prosecution.
• Familiarity with EPA, NOAA, or marine-resource regulatory adjacency considerations.
• Hands-on experience reviewing AI-generated patent applications in production workflows.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to help build one of the fastest-moving in-house patent operations in the industry.
• Rare ownership and autonomy in a production-focused patent environment.
• Direct collaboration with scientists, inventors, and founder-level leadership.
• AI-powered infrastructure designed to accelerate drafting and prosecution speed.
• Specialty-premium compensation philosophy for scarce technical expertise.
• Mission-driven work tied to environmental innovation and future-facing technologies.

Honest Challenge

This role is built for high-output patent professionals who thrive under ownership, speed, and independent accountability. The pace is significantly faster than traditional law-firm workflows, and candidates must be comfortable redlining AI-generated drafts quickly while maintaining substantive prosecution quality. Completing the short embedded application step is required to be considered.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $140,000.00 to $200,000.00. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) experience, including industry or specific experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, and/or other applicable laws.

Benefits

This position is benefits-eligible. Mercola provides competitive, affordable, and diverse benefit programs that support your total health – from a healthy body to a healthy mind. These benefits support you and your family in all aspects of life:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Accident, Hospital Indemnity, and Critical Illness
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer Paid Life and AD&D Insurance
• Optional Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Spending Accounts
• Dayforce Wallet – get paid as you earn
• Employee Discount
• Retirement Planning (401k with matching contribution)
• Pet Insurance
• Wellness Program Offerings
• Paid Time Off, accrued per pay period based on years of service, starting at 20 days annually.
• 9 Paid Holidays per year, including 1 floating holiday.

Schedule

The Company expects to accept applications for this position until August 2, 2026, but encourages interested applicants to apply as soon as possible.