Senior IP Manager/ IP Professional (m/f/d)

You will be responsible for managing the Agile Robots Group’s patent, trademark and design portfolio. Based in Munich, you will work across a group with production sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The portfolio comprises more than 1,700 files. You will be supported by an IP Paralegal and a Chinese Patent Attorney based in China. External patent and trademark attorneys handle the drafting and filing of new applications. You will coordinate their work with inventors, business teams and other internal stakeholders, and report to the General Counsel of Agile Robots Group.

• Manage the IP portfolio: Oversee pending applications and granted rights, regularly review their strategic value, and instruct external counsel on prosecution, maintenance and portfolio decisions. The portfolio covers Germany, European patents (including unitary patents and national validations), the US, China, Japan, Korea, India and other jurisdictions.

• Develop new IP: Serve as the main contact for inventors, product designers and marketing teams. Review invention disclosures, assess them against business priorities and applicable legal requirements, including the German Employee Inventions Act (ArbnErfG), and instruct external counsel on new applications.

• Conduct patent research: Carry out prior art and state-of-the-art searches using professional patent databases. Monitor competitor portfolios and technology trends, and turn your findings into practical advice for R&D and management.

• Coordinate freedom-to-operate reviews: Work with product teams to identify relevant features, markets and risks during development and before launch. Conduct reviews in-house or coordinate external specialists where needed.

• Support IP strategy and transactions: Contribute to IP due diligence, portfolio valuation and monetisation, cost control and the integration of acquired IP portfolios, including changes of ownership and representation.

• Identify and address infringement: Establish a practical process for monitoring potential infringement and support enforcement matters and litigation alongside internal and external lawyers.

• Support licensing and other IP matters: Work with legal colleagues on inbound and outbound licences, trade secrets, know-how and copyright matters.

• A degree in engineering, physics, computer science or a related technical field, together with qualification as a European Patent Attorney and/or German Patent Attorney.

• At least five years’ experience as a patent attorney, preferably including two or more years in an in-house role.

• Experience with computer-implemented inventions and the ability to assess complex technical matters in a commercial context.

• The ability to explain IP issues clearly to engineers, business teams, lawyers and management across different cultures and jurisdictions.

• A hands-on, pragmatic and collaborative approach. You set priorities, improve processes and make sound decisions with incomplete information.

• Fluency in German and English.

• Experience in an international company in robotics, automation, industrial technology or a related sector.

• A technical background in computer science, software engineering or electrical engineering, particularly with experience in AI-related patent applications.

• Chinese language skills.