The opportunity

　　GKN Automotive is looking for a Senior Patent Counsel to help develop our global strategic perspective to Intellectual Property Asset Management.

　　Join an amazing global team of experienced professionals that exemplify the values of GKN Automotive and help bring to life GKN Automotive’s business strategy from capturing innovations through to product commercialization.

　　Become a key factor in creating solutions to technical challenges in automotive electrification, and gain broader exposure to corporate law.

　　Role purpose

　　Reporting directly to the Chief IP Counsel located in the US, manage and deliver the strategy of the IP function for the company's global patent operations and IP matters in the European region.

　　Lead activities related to global patent prosecution, intellectual property matters and global patent management from Europe. Such activities will include co-development and implementation of the Automotive IP Strategy via processes and procedures that provide protection of GKN Automotive IP assets, mitigation of business risks associated with IP infringement and commercialisation of the IP assets via licensing and enforcement activities.

　　Key responsibilities

　　Review new inventions and technology issues with inventors to identify intellectual property rights and provide guide decisions as to the best form of protection for the invention.

　　Manage team handling all formalities required to effect payment to Inventors of relevant inventor remuneration or compensation programs.

　　Collaborate with Chief IP Counsel and Legal colleagues to select and manage external attorneys and services for prosecution and litigation activities globally.

　　Maintain and develop productive relationship with external attorneys to monitor work quality and contain costs as well as providing effective liaison between external counsel and the inventors to ensure productive relationship.

　　Lead investigations and review of current and new products and key technology developments to identify and evaluate any IP issues relating to the products or technologies.

　　Coordinate and lead any meetings, reviews, trainings, communications on IP issues within the regions with any functions of GKN Automotive – this includes patent committee meetings, inventor trainings, strategy meetings, portfolio reviews, investigations, etc.

　　Provide specialist advice on the interpretation and application of policies and procedures, resolving complex or contentious queries and issues and enabling others to take appropriate actions.

　　Organise and prepare complex documents using a variety of applications for technology devices such as standard office software. Also responsible for gathering and summarising data for special reports.

　　Execute a communications plan within established internal and external communication systems and procedures.

　　Recommend changes to policies, processes, standards and practices that would improve operational support.

　　Analyse specific problems and issues to find the best solutions. Solutions could be technical or professional in nature.

　　Help develop procedures for an area of the organisation, and monitor their implementation.

　　Skills

　　Uses expertise to act as organisational authority on planning, organising, prioritising and overseeing activities related to a global patent portfolio to efficiently meet business objectives.

　　Works at an advanced level to analyse potential solutions and create recommendations concerning protection of inventions and setting filing strategies based on the expected benefits, costs, and overall value of the solution for key stakeholders. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

　　Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills related to IP landscape reports to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on analysing data from multiple sources to draw appropriate conclusions and make suitable recommendations.

　　Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to explore the depth and breadth of any IP problem (including infringement investigations), draw out the implications various solutions, and help clients self-discover and articulate the value of a solution.

　　Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to communicate with other people independently while providing guidance and training to others on speaking in a clear, concise and compelling manner on all IP matters.

　　Education and Experience

　　Academic degree in Engineering, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, Software Engineering, or Computer Science

　　Knowledge and experience in patent law including qualification as a European Patent Attorney or corresponding national qualification

　　Willingness to travel internationally (10%)

　　Fluency in written and spoken business English

　　German language skills preferred but not required

　　GKN Automotive is the market leader in conventional, all-wheel and electrified drive systems and solutions. With a comprehensive global footprint, we design, develop, manufacture and integrate an extensive range of driveline technologies for over 90% of the world’s car manufacturers. As a global engineering company, innovation is what differentiates us from our competitors and is central to our success. A balance of cultures, ethnicities and genders help bring new ideas and creativity to GKN Automotive. We need people of different backgrounds, with different skills and perspectives to spark originality, imagination and creativeness in our teams around the world. GKN Automotive is an equal opportunity employer. We treat all our employees and applicants fairly and are committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination or harassment against any employee or qualified applicant on the grounds of age, race, creed, colour, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process. Please contact us to request any such accommodation.

　　GKN Driveline provides equal employment and affirmative action opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, pregnancy, or disability.