Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside its growers to apply natural approaches, conserve resources for future generations, and grow healthy food for all. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes to improve crop health and productivity, Indigo’s portfolio is focused on cotton, wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, and rice. The company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Sydney, Australia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil. www.indigoag.com

Indigo Agriculture is seeking a highly motivated and experienced patent attorney to join its growing legal team. Reporting to the Director of IP, the patent attorney will advise Indigo on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent drafting and prosecution, worldwide patent portfolio management, licensing, due diligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis. The successful candidate will possess extensive drafting and prosecution experience, strong analytical and communication skills, and work directly with key stakeholders, including R&D, technology and business development teams on all intellectual property and related legal matters.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with research and development teams to draft new patent applications in the biological and software art areas
• Analyze Office Actions, make clear and concise recommendations for further action, and prepare well-reasoned and organized responses with appropriate legal citations (including examiner interviews, where appropriate)
• Prepare and negotiate intellectual property provisions in various agreements
• Work closely with external licensees/partners to ensure good communication among the partners regarding the filing, prosecution, and maintenance of intellectual property rights relating to the partnership
• Participate in intellectual property due diligence to support business development transactions and company financings
• Proactively identify and resolve intellectual property issues (including patent infringement) affecting the company
• Conduct patentability, validity and freedom-to-operate analyses
• Work closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to review all abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts, prior to submission or presentation

Competencies and Qualifications: 

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school
• Advanced degree in biology, microbiology, computer science or closely related field, with a Ph.D. strongly preferred
• Admission to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and membership in good standing of at least one state bar (Massachusetts preferred)
• 6-8+ years of experience in the preparation and prosecution of biotechnology and/or software patent applications in a corporate setting and/or in a law firm servicing such clients, with a strong preference for candidates with experience in the agricultural industry
• Excellent interpersonal,sion-making, and communication (written and verbal) skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal or scientific issues in a simple, understandable manner with colleagues of varying technical knowledge across the company
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with both scientific and business leaders within the organization and able to build partnerships and alliances with internal and external partners at all levels of seniority
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Experience with open source software licenses preferred