Assistant General Counsel (Intellectual Property, Contracts & Sponsored Research Agreements, Research Compliance) – Legal Team

The mission of the Allen Institute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the Allen Institute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Allen Institute legal team is to provide support and structure to the scientific divisions. Coinciding with the team science approach, Legal helps facilitate team learning and the overall mission of the institute.

The Assistant General Counsel (AGC) (Intellectual Property, Contracts & Sponsored Research Agreements) provides strategic legal and business advice and legal services for the benefit of the Allen Institute in a manner consistent with the Allen Institute’s mission, values and strategic objectives. Specifically, the AGC is responsible for supporting business development and science units, collaboratively with the Innovation Manager, as the attorney subject matter expert in intellectual property (particularly licensing and patent rights). Additionally, the AGC has responsibility for managing MTAs, NDAs and EIPAs, and sponsored research agreements. The AGC uses IP expertise to support the Innovation Management program and the Contracts program when specific expertise is needed. The AGC has daily interactions with the legal team and peer groups, supporting inter-team cooperation and standardization of processes and procedures. The AGC ensures service levels are met and work product is consistently of high quality.

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

Essential Functions

Intellectual Property

· Provides strategic advice to the Allen Institute management teams on IP matters.

· Serves as the IP subject matter expert to other legal team members, and other Allen Institute departments and employees, including with regard to copyrights, trademarks, and licensing.

· Collaborates and advises on development and implementation of IP protection and technology commercialization strategies with the business development team, science units and Science & Technology Innovation Manager.

· Under direction of Innovation Manager, collaborates with outside counsel with regard to IP matters, as needed.

· Supports IP agreements including strategic input, drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and interpreting IP agreements to ensure contract and licensing requirements are adequately defined and documented and that the business needs are met while minimizing legal and business risks.

· Collaborates cross-functionally to support journal publications and scientific presentation releases.

Manages Research Compliance areas relating to grants and sponsored research.

· Manages research-related compliance issues including research integrity, science and security, (financial) conflict of interest, grants compliance, export controls and programs managed by science support (e.g. use of human tissue, biosafety compliance)

· Manages export control program.

· Monitors, reviews, and advises on applicable statutory and regulatory developments for compliance.

· Provides guidance and regulatory training as needed.

Contracts (MTAs and NDAs) and Sponsored Research Agreements

· Supports contracts (MTAs and NDAs) and sponsored research agreements, including government and non-government funding sources, including providing strategic input, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating to ensure contract requirements are adequately defined and documented, including federal government terms (e.g. FAR, CFR, agency specific terms), and that the business needs are met while minimizing legal and business risks.

· Works closely and collaborates with Contracts team, Science and Technology Innovation Manager and the Office of Sponsored Research.

Overall Business Partner and Support to Business Development and Science Units.

· Regularly interacts with senior management and executives; is a strategic business partner delivering practical, thoughtful, creative, timely legal advice with a focus on meeting the Allen Institute’s mission and goals in a legally compliant manner.

· Engages as a business partner to science units, understanding their operations to provide proactive assistance.

· Develops and provides training and education and outreach for intellectual property, contracts, and other areas of legal expertise in coordination with other subject matter experts.

· Maintains in-depth knowledge of the Allen Institute, its scientific units, and the industry to ensure adequate legal oversight as the business needs evolve over time.

· Other areas as assigned.

Engaged Lawyer and Team Leader.

· Cross-functional work with other attorneys and professionals on the legal team to collaborate, achieve common goals and manage department workload for the success of the department.

· Manages team, monitoring daily activities and operations, with extensive latitude to make decisions on how to achieve the team’s goals.

· Accountable for resources, schedules and goals, developing and implementing controls to manage potential issues.

· Influences or gains acceptance from others on matters involving multiple functional areas and departments in order to complete team’s work.

· Solves problems and/or creates new procedures and/or processes as part of the problem-solving process, with a focus on efficiency.

· Conducts highly complex and important work and projects critical to the Allen Institute.

· Responsible for coaching, performance appraisals, hire and fire decisions.

· Self-starter; curiosity driven with an appetite to learn and take on new projects.

Required Education and Experience

· J.D. and admission/license to practice law in any State (of the Unites States) in good standing with ability to obtain single client in-house admission to the State of Washington if not already admitted in Washington.

· At least 4 years of relevant experience.

· Prior experience managing people, including non-lawyers.

Preferred Education and Experience

· 4-6 years of relevant experience.

· In-house experience, nonprofit experience, biotech experience, university experience.

· Experience with Office 365, SharePoint, Oracle, DocuSign, Convercent and Inteum.

· Experience handling complex business transactions and matters involving intellectual property and government contracting in a life science, bio-technology or technology company, federal government agency, or university environment.

Work Environment

· Open office seating.

Physical Demands

· Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

· This role is currently able to works remotely in Washington State due to COVID-19 and our focus on employee safety. We continue to evaluate the safest options for our employees. As restrictions are lifted in relation to COVID-19, this role will return to work onsite

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

· Recognizes and uses skills of staff with diverse backgrounds to benefit the team, clients and coworkers.

· Excellent proficiency at organizing and prioritizing work; task focused; works on own initiative to get things done; ability to work under pressure and manage multiple stakeholders.

· Well-developed project management skills.

· Adaptable, demonstrates agility, welcomes change and challenges; plays active role in designing and implementing novel solutions.

· Proactive, professional and effective communicator (oral and written) on all levels. Identifies and communicates risks for projects and ensures team analyzes and addresses risks in their work.

· Takes calculated risks, based on learning and experience, to achieve Allen Institute goals and longer-term results.

· Effectively manages change and supports innovation and change to improve both own and legal team's effectiveness and success.

· Inspires confidence in own and teams' work product and advice by consistently providing timely, best-in-class work product.

· Maintains service levels during critical periods.

· Exhibits resourcefulness, independent action and professional judgment.

· Effectively manages relationships with colleagues and builds trust resulting in early involvement in business matters and an understanding of legal team’s contributions.

· Utilizes strengths of team members to achieve optimal performance.

· Strikes balance between being participative (i.e., involving team members in decisions) and being directive, depending on the needs of the team and the situation, while using team members’ strengths to achieve optimal performance.

· Encourages others to reach their full potential by supporting learning efforts that will benefit themselves and others.

· Is open, receptive, nonjudgmental, compassionate, willing to learn, and leaves ego at the door.

· Understands the expectations, priorities and values of the many stakeholders; builds coalitions and consensus around the vision, mission and agendas.

· Helps team understand the strategic goals of Allen Institute and how their work relates to those goals.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.