Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property

About Balt

Our purpose is to improve the lives of 150,000 patients in 2026.

About Balt

Our purpose is to improve the lives of 150,000 patients in 2026.

Our story

Balt is a rapidly growing pioneer in an exceptional field. For 45 years, Balt has been leading the way - collaborating with physicians and institutions to develop elegant medical devices. Our products are being used by physicians across the world, and we have 13 offices in 11 countries – and counting.

We introduced one of the first neurovascular intervention devices in 1977 and now offer the world's broadest portfolio of medical devices for stroke. As the premier global neurovascular platform always seeking to expand beyond boundaries, we are now bringing our innovation to the peripheral vascular space.

We are proud of our mission, our people, and the incredible work we accomplish together as we empower physicians to save lives.

Why Join Balt? Join a passionate team, dedicated to making a difference.

• Working at Balt means giving meaning to your work! Pride is a strong part of our identity.
• We are a close-knit team, with strong mission, vision and values that guide our day-to-day.
• Recognition of work, respect, and our multicultural community are key aspects of the employee experience and contribute to our continued success.
• No matter the country, we take care of you.

Would you like to be part of our story? Don't hesitate, come and join us!

Description

About this opportunity – Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property (IP)

Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property (IP)

Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the Assistant General Counsel, IP he will have responsibility for managing all aspects of the global intellectual property function at Balt. The candidate will provide legal advice and counseling related to patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, manage IP disputes, IP transactions, and IP due diligence. The successful candidate will have a significant depth of experience in diverse aspects of IP law practice in the medical device industry. As a trusted advisor to both business and R&D executives, the candidate will be adept at presenting and communicating actionable legal guidance to leaders at all levels in the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute a strategy to safeguard the company’s s intellectual property assets. Implement and lead IP strategy and establish positive working relationships with R&D, engineering, and operations functions, serving as an advisor on a variety of IP-related issues.
• Manage outside counsel and budget in the development of a strategic, global patent and trademark portfolio
• Conduct patentability and freedom to operate assessments
• Manage the company’s trade secrets program
• Manage IP disputes and other non-IP litigation.
• Negotiate and draft complex intellectual property agreements, including patent and technology license agreements, joint development agreements, research collaboration agreements, and university licenses.
• Support Balt’s corporate development activities in IP due diligence and licensing.
• Actively monitor industry and technology areas through competitive surveillance.
• Provide training to Company employees on all intellectual property matters

Qualifications

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school and 10+ years l experience, preferably 5+ in an in-house setting.
• Registered Patent Attorney; current member in good standing of a state bar, preferably California and/or Massachusetts
• BS/MS/PhD in engineering or other technical degree relevant to the medical device industry required
• Experience with patent prosecution, technology transactions, and IP litigation in previous roles
• Strong communication, organizational and analytical skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across organizational functions
• Ability to balance and prioritize multiple tasks, and to respond effectively to rapidly changing priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to travel domestically within the US and internationally (primarily to France) up to 20% of time. Frequency will depend on location of the candidate. Candidates based at Balt’s facility in Irvine, CA will only need to travel occasionally.

Skills

• Intellectual Property Strategy: Demonstrated ability to develop, implement, and manage global IP strategies aligned with business, R&D, product development, and commercial objectives.
• Patent Portfolio Management: Extensive experience developing and managing global patent portfolios, including invention harvesting, patentability assessments, patent prosecution strategy, portfolio optimization, and maintenance decisions.
• Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis: Strong experience conducting and overseeing freedom-to-operate, patent landscape, validity, infringement, and risk assessments in support of product development and commercialization.
• Medical Device Industry Expertise: Deep understanding of intellectual property issues affecting medical devices and other highly technical, regulated products, including experience partnering with engineering, R&D, clinical, regulatory, and commercial teams.
• Patent Prosecution: Significant experience managing U.S. and international patent prosecution, including effectively directing and managing outside patent counsel.
• IP Litigation and Dispute Management: Experience developing strategy for and managing patent, trademark, trade secret, and other IP disputes and litigation, including oversight of outside litigation counsel.
• Technology Transactions: Advanced drafting and negotiation skills involving patent and technology licenses, joint development agreements, research and collaboration agreements, university licenses, confidentiality agreements, and other IP-related commercial agreements.
• Trade Secret Protection: Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining trade secret protection programs, policies, controls, and employee education.
• M&A and IP Due Diligence: Experience conducting intellectual property due diligence and assessing IP-related risks in mergers, acquisitions, investments, licensing transactions, and other corporate development activities.
• Competitive IP Intelligence: Ability to monitor competitor patent activity, emerging technologies, and relevant industry developments and translate findings into actionable business and IP recommendations.
• Cross-Functional Business Partnership: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with R&D, engineering, operations, corporate development, commercial, and executive leadership teams and provide practical, business-oriented legal advice.
• Executive Communication and Influence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical and legal concepts clearly and provide concise, actionable recommendations to senior executives and other stakeholders.
• Leadership and Outside Counsel Management: Demonstrated ability to lead the IP function, manage outside counsel relationships, establish priorities, oversee legal spend, and effectively manage budgets.
• Risk Assessment and Sound Judgment: Strong analytical and strategic judgment with the ability to identify, assess, prioritize, and communicate complex intellectual property and business risks.
• Project and Priority Management: Ability to independently manage multiple complex matters, competing priorities, and time-sensitive projects in a fast-paced, global environment.
• Training and Education: Ability to develop and deliver effective intellectual property training for technical, business, and other employee audiences.
• Global Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across geographic locations, cultures, and time zones, including collaboration with teams in the United States and France.

Work Environment

Working conditions are normal for an office environment.

The above information on this description have been designed to indicate the general nature of work performed by employees within this position. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Balt Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

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Pay Range

$250,000 - $275,000 USD