Company Background
What if there was a limitless, safe, clean, low-cost energy source, providing much needed global energy security? What if that energy source could also help reduce climate change? We believe that’s fusion energy. Tokamak Energy is a leading global commercial fusion energy company based near Oxford, UK. We are taking established science and building on it by pioneering the use of spherical tokamaks in conjunction with high temperature superconducting magnets.
The company, founded in 2009 as a spin-off from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, currently employs a growing team of over 180 people with talent from the UK and around the world including expert scientific, engineering, industrial and commercial capabilities. The company has more than 55 families of patent applications and has raised over £100m of private investment.
Once realised, fusion energy will be a key enabler for meeting world energy requirements and climate policy goals. Come and be a part of a dynamic and innovative team who are striving to provide a solution to one of humanity’s greatest challenges: clean and sustainable energy for all.
Overview of the role
Tokamak Energy is developing an extensive Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio which includes over 70 separate patent families with applications in multiple territories. We are now seeking an In-house Patent Attorney to help shape the future of our patent portfolio. The role will involve working closely with our dynamic engineering, science and technology teams to understanding their technology, and to identify and protect innovation and knowledge through various forms of Intellectual Property Rights. This needs to be balanced with awareness of the wider patent landscape. The In-house Patent Attorney will be exposed to a variety of technology in our Fusion Technology System department, which makes the role an exciting and challenging opportunity. The In-house Patent Attorney will also be expected learn and assist on contract preparation and negotiation as part of the Commercial/Legal team.
In this role, you will:
- Review communications from external patent and trademark counsel in timely manner, take lead in decisions on protection of IP
- Responsible for monitoring searches, including guiding monitoring search strategy and actions
- Where appropriate co-ordinate freedom to operate (FTO) for relevant Tokamak Energy business opportunities
- Working closely with one or more technical teams to understand their technology area and their advancements, to identify material protectable by patent or design rights and to assist teams with invention disclosure reports
- Work with the other members of the IP team to provide IP education and increase IP awareness across the company
- Assist with IP related queries from employees
- Assist IP Manager with evolving and communicating IP strategy and policy, especially relating to patents
- Assist with reviewing, preparing and negotiate contracts
Hazard-specific / Safety-critical duties
This job includes the following hazards or safety-critical activities which will require successful pre-employment health screening through our occupational health service before the successful candidate will be allowed to start work:
- N/A
Requirements and attributes we value:
- Educated to first degree level in Physics, Engineering, Material Science or similar field
- Qualified European Patent Attorney
- Qualified Chartered Patent Attorney beneficial but not essential
- Experience with monitoring searches and FTO
- Experience working closely with science, engineering and technology teams
- Good organisation and communication skills
- Proactive approach to work and solution-focused
- Experience and interest in material science and technology
- Interest in working with fusion technology
- Interest in learning about contracts
- Passion for training others, including members of IP and Contracts team members, on IP
Benefits
- 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
- Company pension scheme
- Eligible for company share option scheme after 1 years’ service
- Company bonus scheme, discretionary, dependant on performance
- Private medical insurance after 3 months service
- Cycle to work scheme
No terminology in the advert or job description is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person’s gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job.