AI Patent Counsel job in Mclean, VA

Description:

We are looking for a strategic, business-minded AI Patent Counsel to help lead and scale An American Cloud-Based Software Company patent function in this pivotal era of AI-first innovation.
The successful candidate will help drive global patent strategy across AI, ML, Agentforce, Data Cloud, Einstein 1, and the expanding AI CRM platform — securing competitive advantage, enabling growth, and strengthening trust with our customers and society.

This is a high-impact role partnering with technical, business, and product leaders across An American Cloud-Based Software Company.

Key Responsibilities:

Help develop and execute a comprehensive global patent strategy to protect An American Cloud-Based Software Company innovations across Agentforce, AI/ML, the deeply unified platform, Data Cloud, CRM applications, and emerging areas like autonomous agents and AI copilots.
Portfolio Development and Management:

Build a high-quality, high-value patent portfolio that enables An American Cloud-Based Software Company business strategies, strengthens our moat in AI and agentic technologies, and aligns with global regulatory, customer, and partner dynamics.

Innovation Harvesting for Next-Gen AI:

Partner closely with technical teams to identify and capture breakthrough inventions in AI orchestration, agentic platforms, data pipelines, trust architectures, metadata frameworks, and dynamic AI-human collaboration.

Operational Excellence:

Help lead day-to-day patent operations, external counsel relationships, ensuring efficiency, quality, and strategic impact at global scale.

Business Enablement and Risk Management:

Provide actionable, business-oriented counseling on patent risks (e.g., freedom-to-operate, third-party assertions) across An American Cloud-Based Software Company AI, data, and platform initiatives — enabling innovation while protecting strategic flexibility.

Cross-Functional Partnership:

Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Corporate Development, Trust, Government Affairs, and Litigation teams to align patent strategies with product launches, strategic partnerships, M&A, AI policy engagement, and litigation risk management.

Leadership and Team Development:

Mentor and guide patent attorneys, agents, and professionals to build a high-performing, forward-thinking patent team equipped for the AI-first future.

Special Strategic Projects:

Lead or contribute to special projects involving AI-related IP policy shaping, standards body participation, ecosystem defense strategies, and next-generation IP risk modeling.

Qualifications:

J.D. and admission to practice before the USPTO.
Technical degree (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, AI/ML, Electrical Engineering, or a related field strongly preferred.
6–10+ years of patent experience, with a strong track record in AI, enterprise software, cloud computing, and/or platform technologies.
Demonstrated experience building and managing significant patent portfolios and supporting innovative, fast-moving product teams.
Expertise in AI/ML patenting challenges (e.g., inventorship, data protection, prompt engineering, agentic behaviors, model fine-tuning).
Business acumen to align patent strategies with product and commercial priorities.
Skilled at helping develop scalable patent operations and managing external counsel effectively.

Preferred Qualifications:

Deep understanding of agentic AI technologies, orchestration frameworks, prompt engineering, or AI governance models.
Experience supporting AI-first platform launches or scaling platform patent portfolios.
Familiarity with global standards and IP policy debates surrounding AI and data.
Global patent experience across U.S., EMEA, and APAC regions.

Pluses: