Vice President, Intellectual Property

Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. (SMPA) is the U.S. subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd., a global pharmaceutical company focused on addressing patient needs in oncology, urology, women's health, rare diseases, cell & gene therapies, and CNS. With several marketed products and a diverse pipeline of early- to late-stage investigational assets, SMPA aims to accelerate discovery, research, and development to bring novel therapies to patients sooner.

About the role

This position reports to the Chief Legal Officer and leads the Intellectual Property (IP) function within the Legal Department. The Vice President, Intellectual Property sets patent, trademark, and trade secret strategy in partnership with the global IP team, directs complex global patent litigation, and collaborates closely with R&D, Business Development, Regulatory, Commercial, and global partners to ensure alignment and effective execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the enterprise-wide intellectual property strategy for Sumitomo Pharma America, aligning global patent, trademark, and trade secret strategy with corporate priorities and pipeline assets.
• Lead and mentor the IP team, ensuring high-quality work product, effective succession planning, and continued talent development.
• Oversee complex patent litigation and adversarial proceedings, setting strategy and managing outside counsel, budgets, and outcomes.
• Advise executive leadership and cross-functional partners on all IP matters, including freedom-to-operate (FTO), patentability, inventorship, and portfolio exclusivity from patent, FDA regulatory, and antitrust considerations.
• Support business development and corporate transactions, leading IP due diligence and negotiating IP terms for licensing, collaboration, asset acquisition/divestiture, and research agreements.
• Partner with R&D to identify and protect new innovations, and counsel scientists and product teams on IP strategy and best practices.
• Provide ongoing support to regulatory, development, and commercial activities that may impact IP.
• Provide transactional IP support across a range of agreements, including licensing, clinical trial, sponsored research, material transfer, CRO agreements, university licenses, and CDAs.
• Support product lifecycle management.
• Oversee management of the company’s trademark and domain portfolio and advise on copyright and related matters.
• Establish IP policies, processes, and governance that scale with a growing organization and ensure consistent, high-quality execution.
• Work closely with the AI governance committee to monitor and protect innovation that uses AI.
• Manage the IP function’s budget and external counsel spend, ensuring efficient allocation of resources against business priorities.
• Monitor U.S. and international IP developments and market trends, advising leadership on changes that may impact the business.
• Align U.S. IP priorities with global strategy, following escalation protocols, decision rights, and governance for material IP matters.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school; must be admitted and in good standing to at least one U.S. State Bar (or the District of Columbia Bar) and registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Advanced scientific degree strongly preferred (Ph.D. or M.S.) in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, or a related life-science field.
• Minimum 15+ years of progressive patent/IP law experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including substantial in-house experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading an IP function and managing a team of attorneys and other professionals.
• Deep experience across patent prosecution, patent litigation, and transactional IP.
• Must maintain active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. State Bar and active registration to practice before the USPTO.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting both small-molecule and cell therapy assets.
• Prior experience advising executive leadership and boards on enterprise IP strategy and high-stakes transactions.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing a team and working on a global scale.

Skills

• Recognized expertise in pharmaceutical/biotech intellectual property law, including patent prosecution, litigation, and transactional IP, with the ability to set and execute enterprise strategy.
• Sound judgment, independent thinking, business acumen, and an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct.
• Ability to understand and digest highly complex scientific, legal, and business scenarios, identify relevant issues and risks, and communicate clear, actionable solutions to lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and executive presence, including the ability to influence and advise senior leadership on high-stakes matters.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing legal teams and to manage outside counsel and budgets effectively.
• Strong collaborative and cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to organize, coordinate, and motivate teams across the enterprise.
• Demonstrated coaching skills to develop and grow the team.
• High degree of organizational awareness, ability to connect the dots to understand interdependencies and the big picture.

Benefits

• Opportunity for merit-based salary increases and short incentive plan participation.
• Eligibility for 401(k) plan.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances.
• Flexible paid time off, 11 paid holidays, and additional time off for a shut-down period during the last week of December.
• 80 hours of paid sick time upon hire and each year thereafter.

Pay

The base salary range for this role is $286,600.00 - $358,300.00. Total compensation, including base salary, will depend on candidate experience, skills, education, and other factors permitted by law.

Schedule

Primarily remote role with periodic on-site meetings. Must be able to travel domestically and internationally as needed.