Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel

Genesis Molecular AI's legal team is small by design and central to the company’s success. As the second attorney in the department, you will work directly alongside the Head of Legal on the full range of matters that keep a growth-stage, venture-backed company running, from building the IP portfolio that protects our core platform and drug discovery programs to negotiating the commercial agreements that fuel our growth. At a company like Genesis, where the work spans cutting-edge AI, computational chemistry, and drug development, legal is not a back-office function. You will be embedded with the research, engineering, and business teams, engaging on strategic questions early and often. The legal team operates with the same values as the rest of Genesis: interdisciplinary curiosity, ownership, and a bias toward impact. You will have real responsibility from day one, a direct line to leadership, and the opportunity to help shape the legal foundation of a company doing genuinely important work. About The Role: We are looking for an Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel to join our growing legal team as our second in-house attorney. Your primary responsibilities will be to build and protect Genesis's intellectual property portfolio, which spans our AI platform, foundation models, and small molecular drug discovery programs. You will be responsible for helping to develop our patenting strategy, leading patent harvesting sessions with inventors, helping to draft claims, and working with outside counsel to file and prosecute applications. Beyond patents, we are looking for someone that desires to grow in other legal areas, including reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts, providing advice on a variety of operational matters, and thinking through regulatory and compliance issues as they arise. This role, which reports directly to our Head of Legal, is perfect for an early to mid-level IP attorney who thrives in a fast-moving, high-impact environment and is energized by the breadth that comes with being part of a lean legal team at a growth-stage company. We are not looking for someone who is looking to operate in a silo; we are aiming to hire lawyers who are great at what they do, but are also excited to take on practical challenges and do work outside of their area of expertise. We care more about you and your ability to learn and grow than any specific substantive experience or which boxes you check. What You’ll Do: Build out our patent portfolio spanning AI/ML methods, computational chemistry, platform technologies, and small molecule drug discovery, including developing our patenting strategy, conducting patent harvesting sessions with our engineers and scientists, help draft and refine claims, and work with outside counsel to file and prosecute patent applications Manage our existing patent portfolio and IP function more broadly, including making decisions on renewals, international filings, and annuities; overseeing our trademarks; supporting freedom-to-operate analyses and any IP due diligence; handling any other IP-related matters that arise across the business; and helping build scalable IP processes and policies as Genesis grows Provide product and technology counseling to research, platform, and engineering teams, advising on IP protection strategies early in the innovation lifecycle and training them on best practices Draft, review, and negotiate a range of commercial agreements, including NDAs, supplier and vendor agreements, software and SaaS licenses, data access agreements, and research collaboration agreements Advise on open source software licensing compliance and AI-specific IP considerations, including issues arising from the use of generative AI in research and product development Support cybersecurity, privacy, and data governance matters in partnership with the Head of Legal and relevant cross-functional teams What You’ll Bring: J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school and admission to practice law in at least one U.S. state U.S. Patent bar admission 5+ years of legal experience with a meaningful focus on intellectual property at a law firm, in-house, or a combination of both Experience a drafting patent claims and managing patent prosecution Background in biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science, or related scientific discipline (whether through a technical degree or substantial work experience) Comfort operating in ambiguity and wearing multiple hats – you have a strong interest in taking on additional responsibilities (alongside core IP responsibilities), including negotiating and drafting commercial contracts and operational legal work Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate complex legal and technical concepts for non-lawyer stakeholders Nice To Haves: In-house experience at a high-growth or startup biotech or AI company Interest in AI tools and AI-specific IP considerations, including software and algorithm patentability, AI-assisted invention, and open source compliance in AI development contexts Familiarity with research collaboration and pharma partnering agreements, including milestone and royalty structures Experience building or managing a patent portfolio at a comparable company What We Offer: Competitive compensation package that includes salary and equity. Comprehensive health benefits: Medical, Dental, and Vision (covered 100% for the employees). 401(k) plan. Open (unlimited) PTO policy. Free lunches and dinners at our offices. Paid family leave (maternity and paternity). Life and long- and short-term disability insurance. About Genesis Molecular AI Genesis Molecular AI is pioneering foundation models for molecular AI to unlock a new era of drug design and development. The company’s generative and predictive AI platform, GEMS (Genesis Exploration of Molecular Space), integrates AI and physics into industry-leading models to generate and optimize drug molecules, including the breakthrough generative diffusion model Pearl for structure prediction. Genesis has raised over $300 million from leading AI, tech and life science-focused investors, signed multiple AI-focused research collaborations with major pharma partners, and is deploying GEMS to advance an internal therapeutics pipeline for a variety of high-impact targets. Genesis is headquartered in San Mateo, CA, with a fully integrated laboratory in San Diego. We are proud to be an inclusive workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Apply To This Job