Intellectual Property Counsel

Position Overview General Mills seeks an intellectual property attorney to fill a newly created position to support growing IP needs resulting from data and analytics work of the company. At its core, General Mills creates remarkable branded food experiences for consumers and pets around the world. Understanding and developing those experiences relies increasingly on the use of data from many different sources (e.g., consumer, modeling, manufacturing, etc.), applied in new ways. The attorney who fills this position will be part of a small, fun, collaborative team, which provides all aspects of intellectual property services to the company globally. An important part of this role will be leading the team’s work to develop and execute future looking IP strategies for the company’s data and analytics efforts. Key Accountabilities Develop and execute future looking IP strategies for the company’s data and analytics efforts. Serve as a legal expert in intellectual property law and work with limited direction to provide legal counsel to assigned business and technology groups. Secure appropriate rights in inventions, trade secrets, and other forms of intellectual property. Draft and negotiate intellectual property related agreements and support mergers and acquisition activities. Support intellectual property litigation and dispute resolutions. Develop, coordinate, and provide training for key employees on intellectual property matters. Minimum Qualifications Juris Doctor (J.D.) from a nationally accredited law school Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Informatics or similar scientific disciplines A passion for remarkable food experiences and a desire to immerse oneself in the science that creates them 3-5 years of experience as an attorney in intellectual property law discipline Admitted (or willing to gain admission) to practice law in the state of Minnesota Excellent judgment, strong strategic, creative, and analytical thinking, experience-gained business acumen, and the ability to prioritize and work autonomously on multiple projects at the same time Excellent oral and written communications skills Breadth of IP experience (e.g., patent prosecution, opinion preparation, IP transactions, litigation, international) Demonstrated ability to navigate the worlds of data modeling and machine learning Preferred Qualifications Experience with data privacy, database IP rights, copyrights, and patents on machine learning and artificial intelligence Mixture of law firm and in-house experience COMPANY OVERVIEW We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.