Position Title:  Counsel, Patents - Devices

PMI Vision

It’s Time to Unsmoke.

There is no question that the best choice for all people who smoke is to quit cigarettes and nicotine altogether. But many people don’t. In any given year, about 9 out of 10 people who are already smoking will continue: those people deserve access to, and information about, better alternatives. That is why we’re building PMI’s future on smoke-free products and focusing our efforts in switching adults, who choose to continue smoking, to our smoke-free platforms.

In order to achieve this, we are passionate about 6 strategic priorities:

• Developing a long-term product and ecosystem portfolio,
• Building societal support of RRP,
• Growing our RRP platforms to scale,
• Delivering product launch & customer service agility,
• Achieving cost and cash leadership, and
• Maintaining leadership in conventional cigarettes.

About Our Vision

We’ve built the world’s most successful cigarette company, with the world’s most popular and iconic brands. Now we’ve made a spectacular decision. We will be far more than a leading cigarette company. We’re building PMI’s future on smoke-free products that are a much better choice than cigarette smoking. Indeed, our vision – for all of us at PMI – is that these products will one day replace cigarettes.

Why are we doing this? Because we should … We understand the millions of people who smoke cigarettes. They are looking for less harmful, yet satisfying, alternatives to smoking. We will give them that choice. We are dedicated to our employees and our shareholders. We will fulfill that commitment by pursuing this long-term vision for success. Society expects us to act responsibly. And we are doing just that, by delivering a smoke-free future. … And because we now can. Success in the cigarette business gives us the resources to pursue our ambitious vision. Thanks to the imagination and perseverance of thousands of people at PMI, we have developed breakthrough products that are smoke-free and enjoyable

Role summary:

Attorney with substantial patent subject matter experience within the Legal Department who will be effective in providing guidance to business and functional leaders across the organization. The attorney would have responsibility for independently performing a variety of legal matters of limited complexity or legal matters of more advanced complexity with guidance from a supervisor. This would include day-to-day advice to other PMI Law and business colleagues on a range of Intellectual Property issues; examples include patent drafting and prosecution, freedom-to-operate (FTO), contentious patent office proceedings such as oppositions, and any other PMI workstreams that may involve patent and technology law.

Key Responsibilities:

• Evaluate patentability of inventions, work with outside counsel to draft and prosecute any resulting patent applications.
• Independently lead FTO, diligence, or oppositions projects of limited scope or, under the supervision of a more experienced attorney, lead aspects of larger IP projects.
• Partners with internal clients to create proactive strategies designed to avoid or minimize exposure to legal liability.
• Helps business partners accurately understand the risks and consequences of the given situation or course of action.
• Effectively communicates the risks and the consequences and develops alternatives to manage identified risks.
• Identifies and analyzes legal issues, drafts key documents, presents clear recommendations and ensures legal compliance as it relates to the noted areas of law.
• Stays current with legal developments, best practices and benchmarks in the noted areas of law and assists internal clients in implementing policies and procedures in response thereto.
• Maintains a culture with a high degree of emphasis on dignity, respect, and inclusion.

Critical Skills:

• Independently lead all aspects of build, maintenance and defense of specific patent portfolios.
• Actively counsel members of Research & Development organizations to identify new inventions as well as devise and implement strategies for patent protection over the extended product development life cycle.
• Prepare and prosecute patent applications worldwide including effectively managing outside counsel as needed
• Lead all aspects of portions of the intellectual property estates in PMI`s core and opportunistic product areas to include Beyond Nicotine.
• Evaluate and monitor patent portfolios of third parties.
• Develop and communicate IP guidance to partners across the business, including within R&D, Strategy, Life Sciences, Consumer / Commercial and legal.
• Work cross-functionally to provide IP guidance and support to other members of functional and regional legal teams.
• Maintains effective working relationships with outside counsel.

Desired skills:

• Licensed patent attorney in at least one jurisdiction where PMI operates.
• Advanced degree in relevant scientific / engineering area associated with assigned role.
• At least 4 years of concentrated experience which demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and applied understanding of area of expertise; both in house and major law firm experience preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, handle multiple, conflicting priorities while managing a substantial workload and client expectations.
• Experience working effectively in a high-performance environment that values excellence.
• Ability to maintain an appropriate perspective regardless of the delicacy or pressure of a situatio

Why Join Us?

At Philip Morris International, you will:

• Be part of an ambitious team driving significant change in the industry.
• Work in a dynamic and inclusive environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.
• Have the opportunity to develop your career in numerous directions, with access to world-class training and development programs.
• Enjoy a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Join us in our mission to deliver a smoke-free future and make a tangible impact on the world. If you are ready to take on this exciting challenge, we would love to hear from you!