Director, Senior Patent Counsel at Mondelēz International in East Hanover, NJ

Job description

Job Description Are You Ready to Make It Happen at Mondelēz International? Join our Mission to Lead the Future of Snacking. Make It Matter. As the lead for legal activities for the company across the region, business units and sub-function areas in the country and/or across multiple countries, you identify business needs and design, develop and drive the implementation of Mondelēz International ’s legal strategy through the service delivery model and governance to support commercial and corporate initiatives. You lead and advise the business on risk, anticipating and addressing internal and external factors, direct other legal colleagues in the execution of our legal approach, and decide the direction to take to address legal issues or concerns. In addition, you are also a leader and expert in a legal specialty area of responsibility or are a region or business unit lead; lead, review and revamp legal teams in a continuously changing environment; and ensure the availability of new technologies, systems and services in the strategy framework. How you will contribute You will lead in setting and implementing legal strategies that enable Mondelēz International to compete and to protect our people, assets and reputation while complying with legal requirements and standards of ethical conduct. In addition to these contributions, you will also lead the legal team in providing legal services to the company at an optimal cost considering internal and external resources, technologies and systems; provide legal guidance to ensure managers make informed decisions regarding legal operational risks; manage the legal strategy with outside counsel, including spending without compromising financial and reputational risk; address the complex legal environment by partnering with business units, regions and global stakeholders to identify and advise on laws and regulatory changes for a given country and/or across multiple countries identifying risks and opportunities for the company. What you will bring A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career with experience and knowledge in: Significant legal experience, ideally in a large matrixed multinational company Strong analytical, strategic vision, decision-making, and problem-solving skills Demonstrated leadership skills and experience navigating and presenting at all levels of organization Significant experience assessing, advising on risk, advising/coaching and dispute resolution in a multinational company Highest level of integrity and trust; highly credible and willing to express Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills Resourcefulness, including relevant new technologies and systems ABOUT THE ROLE Mondelēz International is one of the world's largest snacking companies, home to beloved global and local brands including Oreo, Ritz, belVita, Chips Ahoy!, Cadbury, Milka, Toblerone, Triscuit, and Sour Patch Kids. We are seeking an experienced Sr. Patent Counsel to join our in-house Intellectual Property team based in East Hanover, NJ or Chicago, IL (Hybrid). This role is critical to protecting and growing our innovation pipeline across a global portfolio of iconic snacking brands. The ideal candidate combines deep law firm prosecution experience with in-house business acumen, and thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where innovation in snacking fuels competitive advantage. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Patent Preparation & Prosecution • Draft, file, and prosecute U.S. patent applications across Mondelēz's core snacking technology areas including biscuit and cracker formulations, chocolate and confectionery science, snack bar innovations, packaging formats, manufacturing processes, consumer-facing digital and e-commerce technologies, and sustainability-driven materials • Manage and oversee global patent prosecution through coordination with foreign counsel in key jurisdictions (EP, CN, IN, BR, MX, JP, and others) • Develop and execute patent filing strate