Chief IP Counsel – Leica Biosystems

About Danaher

At first glance, you'll see Danaher's scale. Our 65,000+ associates work across the globe at more than 15 unique operating companies within three platforms—life sciences, diagnostics, and biotechnology. Look again and you'll see the opportunity to build a meaningful career, be creative, and take risks with the support you need to be successful. You'll find associates who are as certain about their impact as they are about where they're headed next. You'll find the Danaher Business System, which makes everything possible. You'll also see a company that investors trust—our culture of continuous improvement has helped us outperform the S&P 500 by more than 5,000% over the past 25 years.

About Leica Biosystems

Leica Biosystems (LBS) is an operating company in Danaher's (DHR) diagnostics platform (Dx Platform) and a global leader in workflow and automation solutions for cancer diagnostics, enabling nearly 300,000 cancer diagnoses per week worldwide. LBS provides a comprehensive product range for each step in the pathology process, from sample preparation and staining to imaging and reporting, helping anatomic pathology laboratories improve workflow efficiency and diagnostic confidence for patients worldwide.

Position Summary

The Chief IP Counsel develops, implements, and executes LBS' global intellectual property (IP) strategy in support of the company's business objectives and innovation pipeline. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, requiring both the ability to architect portfolio-level IP strategy and the technical expertise to personally drive complex matters to resolution. The Chief IP Counsel leads a team of IP professionals while maintaining direct involvement in the company's highest-stakes IP decisions and most sophisticated legal work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Architect and execute IP strategies that create measurable competitive advantage, translating business objectives and technology roadmaps into actionable IP plans with clear success metrics and resource allocation decisions.
• Build and manage a strategic global IP portfolio, making data-driven decisions about patent prosecution, trademark protection, and trade secret strategies that maximize return on investment and minimize competitive risk.
• Lead and develop a team of IP professionals through direct mentorship and hands-on collaboration on complex matters, establishing standards of excellence and building capability that scales with business growth.
• Conduct and personally drive freedom to operate analyses, competitive intelligence assessments, and IP due diligence for high-stakes business initiatives, providing business leaders with clear risk assessments and practical mitigation strategies that enable decision-making.
• Work in partnership with the company's contracting function, personally support the company's most sophisticated licensing, collaboration, and technology transfer deals while developing team capability on standard agreements.
• Manage offensive and defensive IP litigation strategy, leading and supporting adversarial proceedings including patent litigation, European Oppositions, and U.S. IPRs, making strategic decisions in partnership with business leadership and coordinating internal and external counsel to achieve optimal business outcomes.
• Collaborate with other Chief IP Counsels at DX Platform and other Danaher Operation Companies to drive and achieve strategic goals.

Required Qualifications

• JD with excellent academic credentials from an accredited US law school
• Active bar membership in good standing in at least one US jurisdiction
• Admission to practice before the U.S.

Patent and Trademark Office:

• 10+ years of IP legal experience, including hands-on patent prosecution with complex portfolios and drafting/negotiating IP-related agreements in both law firm and in-house environments
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex IP issues clearly and concisely to business leaders and associates at all levels of the company
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability and desire to manage and develop a team and balance strategic portfolio management with hands-on technical work

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in biological science, chemistry, engineering, or other field relevant to life sciences or the medical diagnostic industry
• Experience in the medical device industry
• Experience with international patent law, particularly with respect to Europe and China

Work Arrangements

• Remote position based in the United States
• Some travel required (~15% or less, flexible)

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this role is $220,000-$260,000. This is the range that we in good faith believe is the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.

This job is also eligible for bonus/incentive compensation. Danaher is committed to competitive compensation that typically has key components including base salary, variable annual incentive compensation (based on personal and company performance), and long-term incentive.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k) to eligible employees.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified by the Company's sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Equal Opportunity

Danaher Corporation and all Danaher Companies are committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The U.S. EEO posters are available here. We comply with federal and state disability laws and make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact: 1-202-419-7762 or applyassistance@danaher.com.

About Our Impact

Danaher is a leading global life sciences, biotechnology, and diagnostics innovator, helping to solve many of the world's most important health challenges, ultimately improving quality of life for billions of people today, while setting the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow. The Danaher ecosystem is made up of more than 15 businesses united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.