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Salary: USD 160,000 - 220,000 / annual
Moonlight Bio is a clinical-stage biotech company developing cutting-edge cell therapies for cancer treatment. The Associate Director, Intellectual Property will report to the VP of Legal and lead the company's global IP strategy across discovery research, preclinical and clinical programs, and platform technologies.
Key responsibilities include managing Moonlight's global patent portfolio with a focus on cell therapy innovations, working closely with R&D teams to identify patentable inventions and develop protection strategies, and conducting freedom-to-operate reviews and IP due diligence to support business development opportunities. The role involves evaluating IP-related risks such as patentability, infringement, and validity concerns, then developing mitigation strategies. You will manage external patent counsel relationships, build out internal IP systems and infrastructure, and provide IP training to internal teams.
The ideal candidate brings a PhD in a relevant life sciences discipline (Molecular Biology, Immunology, Cellular Biology, or related field) combined with a JD from an ABA-accredited law school. You must be a member in good standing of the Washington Bar or able to qualify as Washington Registered In-House Counsel, and registered before the USPTO. The role requires 5-7 years of IP counsel experience in CAR T or adoptive cell therapy, including both law firm and in-house work, with demonstrated success in patent strategy development and securing meaningful patent protection.
You should be comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced startup environment, with strong analytical skills to interpret complex scientific and legal information, and exceptional written and verbal communication abilities. This is an opportunity to build a robust IP portfolio for transformative oncology medicines while working with a collaborative, team-centric R&D organization.
