IP and Agreement Specialist

Research is integral to Hamad Bin Khalifa University's mission to help build human capacity in Qatar. It thrives across its six colleges and three national research institutes to advance science and technology across various disciplines and to find solutions for many local and global challenges.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is responsible for developing and growing research initiatives and building an innovation pipeline to transform research into value creation in support of HBKU’s overall goals.

Position

To develop ongoing IP management procedures for HBKU IP operations and dissemination including the review of agreements, technology collaborations, and other technology-related contracts. Moreover, to keep a record of legal documents and actions, and to liaise with relevant parties to support contract execution.

Job Role Description

• Facilitate IP Management and coordinate IP activities.
• Support the development and implementation of procedures for identifying, managing, and evaluating IP and deliver key performance indicators agreed with the Director of Intellectual Property Identification and Development.
• Periodic review of existing patents and applications to determine if they should be renewed or abandoned.
• Support the IP portfolio and provide regular quantitative and qualitative reporting to the Director of Intellectual Property Identification and Development and entities.
• Provide feedback regarding IP strategy to the inventor(s) and engage them through the IP prosecution process.
• Support the drafting and review of patent-related management agreements with co-owners (Inter­ Institutional Agreements, Preliminary Patent Management Agreements) and review IP protection terms related to research agreements in other agreements as requested.
• Work along with the Office of Innovation and Industrial Relations (OIIR) team to keep abreast of invention status and activities, and handle third-party accounts for IP services as needed.
• Support in liaising with external IP counsels on IP protection and management.
• Manage the capture invention disclosure and IP records on the IP management system and access to the system, working closely with and providing guidance to others administering it (inventors and team).
• Facilitate management of the capture of IP on the IP management system and access to the system, working closely with and providing guidance to others as needed.
• To oversee activities of the IP Database Administrator in recording IP portfolio and agreements on the IP management system.
• Support the development and implementation of IP education and awareness programs for the HBKU research community.
• Help develop document/content classification taxonomies to facilitate information capture, search, and retrieval.
• Review collaborative agreements and conduct IP ownership analysis to confirm ownership rights.
• Support the execution of IP assignments. Prepare and record changes to official documents and confirm changes with relevant staff.
• Other reasonable tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Law/Science with 2-5 years of experience in patent filing and prosecution or Master’s/PhD in law preferred.
• Registered IP Attorney or Patent Agent.
• Demonstrated competency in a scientific or technical area.
• Thorough understanding of international IP laws and patent registration & prosecution systems.
• Outstanding analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills with the ability to articulate ideas clearly, concisely, and in detail; Arabic proficiency is an advantage.
• Good understanding of technology markets, patenting, and licensing.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications.

How to Apply

To apply, please follow this link
Additional documents may be solicited from short-listed candidates.

Deadline

Applications will be reviewed immediately and continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Remuneration

HBKU offers an attractive compensation package that includes a tax-free salary and additional benefits such as an accommodation allowance, annual paid leave, and medical insurance.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University is an equal opportunity educator and employer. We are committed to maintaining culturally and academically diverse staff of the highest caliber.