Patent Agent

Location: Upton, New York, United States; flexible work arrangement with 4 days onsite and 1 day remote. The position is not eligible for relocation assistance, and visa sponsorship is not available.

Salary: $140,000–$170,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global is a multidisciplinary U.S. Department of Energy laboratory conducting discovery science and transformative technology research.

What you will do

• Manage an active patent docket covering inventions in nanomaterials, microelectronics, bioengineering, high-energy physics, electrocatalysts, and other scientific disciplines.
• Assess the patentability of invention disclosures and coordinate patent application preparation, filing, prosecution, and maintenance.
• Work with outside counsel on USPTO matters and support prosecution of foreign counterpart applications.
• Develop and oversee intellectual property protection processes in compliance with DOE contractual, legal, and regulatory requirements.
• Process invention disclosures, maintain complete records, track statutory deadlines, and manage competing priorities.
• Communicate complex patent concepts with legal, scientific, and technical professionals while protecting confidential and privileged information.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a technical or scientific discipline, or equivalent foreign degree.
• Current registration as a Patent Agent before the USPTO and at least 6 years of patent drafting and prosecution experience.
• Strong knowledge of patent laws, USPTO procedures, patent preparation, prosecution, maintenance, and technology transfer.
• Experience managing multiple matters in a collaborative, research-driven environment.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance and DOE UPIV credential; access to some facilities and systems may be restricted to U.S. citizens.
• Strong written and verbal communication, independent judgment, organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage statutory deadlines.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Department of Energy rules, policies, patent rights, data rights, and technology transfer clauses.
• Experience with software or computer science patent applications, or a degree in computer science, software engineering, or electrical engineering.
• Technical background in algorithms, data structures, AI, machine learning, or LLMs.
• Experience improving electronic patent portfolio management and using emerging AI IP tools.
• Familiarity with Sophia (Evolve), Inteum, or another IP management and technology transfer system.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time, permanent employment supporting multidisciplinary scientific research.
• Collaborative environment focused on integrity, responsibility, innovation, respect, teamwork, and scientific discovery.
• Comprehensive employee benefits program.
• DOE facility access and credentialing provided as part of onboarding, subject to eligibility requirements.