IP Legal Operations Specialist

About the role

Core Purpose

Serve as a senior operational resource supporting the Intellectual Property function by coordinating workflows, systems, data, reporting, vendors, and operational processes. This role partners with attorneys, inventors, technology teams, outside counsel, business stakeholders, and Legal Operations leadership to improve execution, data quality, visibility, and operational consistency across the function.

The role acts as the primary operational point of contact for day-to-day IP operations while supporting broader Legal Operations initiatives. Based on the framework, this role aligns to a Professional/Technical L3 position focused on applying specialized expertise and independently resolving issues within established objectives.

Key Responsibilities

IP Portfolio Operations

• Coordinate and support patent prosecution activities, including docket administration, filing workflows, deadline tracking, annuity management, and records maintenance.
• Coordinate invention disclosure intake, review committee workflows, and outside counsel coordination activities.
• Monitor prosecution workflows and independently resolve routine and moderately complex issues. Escalate material risks, delays, and issues requiring legal or leadership decisions.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of operational activities supporting the patent portfolio.
• Own day-to-day administration and operational execution of patent portfolio processes, including docket management, filing workflows, prosecution coordination, deadline management, and annuity activities.
• Maintain visibility into invention disclosures, prosecution status, deadlines, portfolio activity, and operational workload to identify risks and bottlenecks.
• Coordinate invention disclosure intake, review committee activities, and outside counsel engagement process.

Operational Support and Process Improvement

• Serve as process owner for IP operational workflows and documentation.
• Analyze operational data and recommend enhancements to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Lead certain operational improvements and support adoption of new practices across the IP team.
• Lead assigned workflows and contribute specialized IP operations expertise to broader Legal Operations initiatives.

Systems and Technology

• Serve as the primary administrator and subject-matter resource for Anaqua and related IP operational systems.
• Gather business requirements, recommend priorities, and implement approved system enhancements, reporting improvements, workflow updates, and user adoption efforts.
• Identify opportunities to improve utilization of existing systems and technology tools and recommend new capabilities or integrations.
• Identify automation and AI use cases, document requirements, coordinate pilots, and implement approved solutions within IP operations.

Metrics and Reporting

• Own recurring operational reporting and product dashboards providing visibility into portfolio activity, workload, deadlines, cycle times, outside counsel performance, and operational performance.
• Maintain accurate data within IP systems and reporting tools.
• Develop and maintain reports used for resource planning, portfolio management, outside counsel oversight, and leadership updates.
• Analyze data trends and provide actionable recommendations based on findings.

Vendor and Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as primary operational contact for outside counsel, foreign associates, vendors, and service providers.
• Monitor service levels, responsiveness, quality, and adherence to established processes with internal and external stakeholders. Resolve routine performance issues and escalate material, commercial, or recurring concerns.
• Maintain vendor reporting, support spend tracking and coordinate operational performance reviews.
• Build productive working relationships with colleagues, business partners, and external providers across regions and time zones.
• Partner with inventors, R&D teams, attorneys, Legal Operations leadership, and external providers to ensure portfolio execution and resolution of issues.

Team Support

• Serve as an operational resource and subject-matter expert within the IP team for operational processes, systems, and reporting activities.
• Develop documentation and training, support onboarding, share best practices, and provide informal guidance to team members and stakeholders.
• Coordinate user readiness and adoption for process or system changes.
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative, and customer-focused environment.
• Act as the primary liaison between the Intellectual Property team and the Legal Operations team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, paralegal certificate, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Typically requires 5+ years of related experience, consistent with the Professional/Technical L3 framework.
• Experience independently managing or supporting patent prosecution, docketing, patent administration, IP operations, or related legal operations activities.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. and foreign patent filing processes.
• Experience using and administering IP management systems, preferably Anaqua.
• Experience creating and maintaining metrics, dashboards, reporting.
• Demonstrated experience leading process improvement, system enhancement, automation, and reporting initiatives.
• Experience monitoring vendor performance and coordinating with outside counsel and service providers.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships, influence, and collaborate across legal, business, and external stakeholder groups.
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality.

Compensation

The pay range for this role is $105,000-$140,000 with pay commensurate upon the candidate's qualifications for the role.

Success Measures (PACE-Aligned)

People: Builds strong relationships with hiring managers and provides an excellent candidate experience.

Accountability: Meets or exceeds SLA targets for time-to-accept, time-to-start, and pipeline generation.

Creativity: Develops innovative sourcing strategies and leverages market insights to influence decisions.

Excellence: Delivers high-quality hires consistently, maintains data accuracy, and strengthens Entegris' reputation as an employer of choice.