Lead Intellectual Property Counsel

About the role

We are hiring a Lead Intellectual Property Counsel to be a part of our growing legal team. In this role, you will have a unique opportunity to build and scale Chime’s patent program and influence core components of Chime’s intellectual property strategy. You have outstanding professional judgment and excellent communication, interpersonal and drafting skills. You have an ability to anticipate and deliver on the needs of a dynamic and creative business, are eager to work with cross-functional teams, have the flexibility to manage a wide range of projects with a wide variety of people, and are comfortable advising senior business leaders (including executive level management).

The base salary offered for this role and level of experience will begin at $168,570 and up to $238,900. Full-time employees are also eligible for a bonus, competitive equity package, and benefits. The actual base salary offered may be higher, depending on your location, skills, qualifications, and experience.

In this role, you can expect to carry out the following

• Patent Portfolio Management
  • Oversee and manage Chime's patent portfolio to ensure alignment with the company’s strategic objectives.
  • Conduct regular portfolio reviews and identify strategic areas for patenting in collaboration with R&D and product teams.
• Patent Prosecution and Maintenance
  • Direct the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.
  • Manage our relationships with outside counsel to ensure that all patent filings are of high quality and cost-effective.
• IP Strategy and Advising
  • Partner with Chime’s commercial legal team to negotiate and draft intellectual property agreements, including licensing, collaboration, and joint development agreements.
  • Provide strategic advice to senior management on patent matters and IP strategy in alignment with business goals.
  • Help participate in the development of Chime’s long-term strategic initiatives.
• Due Diligence and IP Transactions
  • Where applicable, conduct IP due diligence for any mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, or other strategic investments.
• Freedom to Operate (FTO) Analyses
  • Conduct and supervise freedom-to-operate (FTO) analyses, and advise on risk mitigation strategies.
  • Prepare legal opinions on patentability, validity, infringement, and freedom-to-operate issues.
• Training and Development
  • Develop and conduct training sessions for employees on relevant IP issues and best practices.
• Regulatory Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant IP laws and regulations.
  • Stay abreast of changes in patent laws and practices that may affect the company.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with other departments, including IT, Platform, Data Science, Marketing, Product, Risk and Customer Experience, to ensure that IP considerations are integrated into company processes.
  • Serve as an IP expert within cross-functional teams working on new products or business initiatives.

To thrive in this role, you have

• A J.D. and active membership in at least one state bar.
• Experience in engineering or another technical field.
• Minimum of 5 years of combined law firm and in-house experience with a focus on IP and/or patent prosecution.
• Admitted to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Experience with preparation and prosecution of US patents; preparation of infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions; client counseling
• Experience in operating with limited direction, under tight deadlines, and while managing multiple priorities.
• Familiarity with fintech, technology, banking, or financial services companies.

A little about us

At Chime, we believe that everyone can achieve financial progress. We’re passionate about developing solutions and services to empower people to succeed. Every day, we start with empathy for our members and stay motivated by our desire to support them in ways that make a meaningful difference.

We created Chime—a financial technology company, not a bank-- founded on the premise that basic banking services should be *helpful, **transparent, and fair. Chime helps unlock the access and ability our members need to overcome the systemic barriers that block them from moving forward. By providing members with access to liquidity, rewards, and credit building, our easy-to-use tools and intuitive platforms give members the ability to have more control over their money and to take action toward achieving their financial ambitions.

So far, we’re well-loved by our members and proud to have helped millions of people unlock financial progress, whether they started a savings account, bought their first car or home, opened a business, or went to college. Every day, we’re inspired by our members’ dreams and successes, big and small.

We’re uniting everyday people to unlock their financial progress—will you join us?

*Chime partners with The Bancorp Bank and Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, that power the bank accounts used by Chime Members.

What we offer

• 🏢 A thoughtful hybrid work policy that combines in-office days and trips to team and company-wide events depending on location to ensure you stay connected to your work and teammates, whether you’re local to one of our offices or remote
• 💻 Hybrid work perks like backup child, elder and/or pet care, as well as a subsidized commuter benefit
• 💰 Competitive salary based on experience
• ✨ 401k match plus great medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits
• 🏝 Generous vacation policy and company-wide Chime Days, bonus company-wide paid days off
• 🫂 1% of your time off to support local community organizations of your choice
• 👟 Annual wellness stipend to use towards eligible wellness related expenses
• 👶 Up to 24 weeks of paid parental leave for birthing parents and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birthing parents
• 👪 Access to Maven, a family planning tool, with $15k lifetime reimbursement for egg freezing, fertility treatments, adoption, and more.
• 🎉 In-person and virtual events to connect with your fellow Chimers—think cooking classes, guided meditations, music festivals, mixology classes, paint nights, etc., and delicious snack boxes, too!
• 💚 A challenging and fulfilling opportunity to join one of the most experienced teams in FinTech and help millions unlock financial progress

We know that great work can’t be done without a diverse team and inclusive environment. That’s why we specifically look for individuals of varying strengths, skills, backgrounds, and ideas to join our team. We believe this gives us a competitive advantage to better serve our members and helps us all grow as Chimers and individuals.

We hire candidates of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, Veteran status, and any other status. Chime is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Cook County Ordinance, and consistent with Canadian provincial and federal laws. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

To learn more about how Chime collects and uses your personal information during the application process, please see the Chime Applicant Privacy Notice.

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