Director of Intellectual Property

CSL Behring Vifor seeks a Director of Intellectual Property to lead global IP strategy for Technical Operations and Research, managing patent portfolios and regulatory exclusivities.

This leadership role provides strategic intellectual property support to CSL’s Technical Operations in Bern and Research teams in Schlieren. The position focuses on protecting CSL’s plasma and recombinant platforms, ensuring robust patent and trade secret management across the organization's key scientific initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute global IP strategies for a significant portion of the CSL Group’s activities.
• Identify, protect, and manage patents, trade secrets, and various forms of exclusivity.
• Evaluate invention patentability, potential infringement risks, and third-party IP liabilities.
• Prepare, prosecute, and maintain applications for the worldwide patent portfolio.
• Defend and enforce intellectual property rights globally.
• Serve as the primary IP liaison for Technical Operations regarding Albumin, Fractionation, Horizon 2, and Integrated Product Teams.
• Advise European Research functions, including Drug Discovery, Translational & Data Science, and Non-Clinical Development.
• Support projects from early discovery through launch, managing prosecution and defense of IP assets.
• Build and safeguard a patent portfolio aligned with CSL’s activities and international laws.
• Contribute to enterprise-wide IP strategy, optimizing regulatory exclusivities and lifecycle management.
• Drive strategic patent filings for Swiss-owned products to maximize Patent Box benefits.
• Partner with Research leadership to implement IP strategies for pre-clinical and translational programs.
• Identify and preserve trade secrets within the global IP framework.
• Lead invention harvesting, filing, and portfolio development from Research and Tech Ops initiatives.
• Conduct freedom-to-operate analyses and develop risk mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with Tech Ops and Research during due diligence and deal opportunities.
• Negotiate agreements involving patents, know-how, and related IP matters.
• Deliver IP education sessions to business partners across the enterprise.
• Represent CSL in IP matters, either directly or alongside external counsel.
• Manage related budget responsibilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences (chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology) or a related field.
• Qualified Patent Attorney or IP lawyer admitted in at least one jurisdiction (AU, CH, EP, DE, UK, US preferred) or equivalent legal experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of post-qualification experience in Intellectual Property.
• Background in technical fields relevant to CSL, with experience in life science technologies and in-house IP team operations.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree or PhD.
• Experience supporting biopharmaceutical R&D programs, including early research, translational science, or non-clinical development.
• Patent management experience within an R&D drug development environment.

What the company offers

• Hybrid work model requiring three days per week of onsite presence.

About the company

CSL Behring is a global leader in biotherapeutics, driven by a commitment to saving lives. The company discovers, develops, and delivers innovative therapies for patients with conditions in immunology, hematology, cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, and transplant areas. Utilizing plasma fractionation, recombinant protein technology, and cell and gene therapy, CSL fosters a culture of inclusion, belonging, curiosity, and empathy to better connect with patients and donors.

• Global biotherapeutics leader focused on saving lives.
• Innovation driven by plasma fractionation, recombinant protein, and cell and gene therapy platforms.
• Core values of inclusion, belonging, curiosity, and empathy.
• Commitment to serving patient needs through the latest technologies.