Manager, IP Operations & Governance

Our brands are among our most valuable enterprise assets. We are seeking a Manager, IP Operations & Governance to lead the operational backbone of our global intellectual property practice.

This role owns the end-to-end delivery of IP operations and systems globally, ensuring world-class execution across patents, trademarks, design patents and related IP assets.

Reporting to the VP, Head of Patents & Design, this position manages a team of IP paralegals and administrators based in Atlanta and partners closely with regional IP teams, external counsel, vendors, and our technology and platform partners worldwide.

This role requires a digitally forward operational leader who actively embraces legal technology, AI-enabled tools, automation, and data analytics to drive efficiency, accuracy, portfolio visibility, and scalability across global IP operations.

LOCATION: Atlanta, Georgia

REPORTING TO ; VP, Head of Patents & Design

• Own budget optimization across global IP operations, including spend forecasting, vendor cost management, and efficiency initiatives.
• Manage strategic vendors supporting global IP platforms (including Anaqua, Clarivate, Mark Monitor), including performance management, service standards, and continuous improvement.
• Embed digitally forward practices across competitive monitoring, searches, research, counterfeit support, billing, and portfolio analytics.
• Partner with Digital Technology Services (DTS), IT, trademark counsel, finance and regional legal teams to modernize workflows and strengthen end-to-end IP delivery.
• Build scalable operating models that enable agile execution and speed-to-market at local Operating Unit level while maintaining strong global governance.
• Lead continuous training and development programs for paralegals and IP administrators to uplift digital fluency, operational excellence, and portfolio management capabilities.
• Define and implement capability frameworks required to build a world-class, gold-standard IP operations backbone supporting trademarks, patents, design patents, domains and portfolio governance.
• Champion a digitally forward mindset across global IP operations, proactively embracing legal technology, AI-enabled tools, automation, and data analytics to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

• Own end-to-end global IP operational delivery across patents, trademarks, design patents and related assets.
• Ensure accurate docketing, deadline management and lifecycle tracking across global portfolios.
• Maintain high data integrity standards and serve as escalation point for operational issues.

• Serve as business owner and administrator for IP lifecycle, asset management and docketing systems, search platforms and related tools.
• Drive workflow automation, reporting dashboards and system integrations in partnership with IT.
• Develop portfolio health, spend and workload metrics for leadership visibility.

• Provide direct operational management and support for designated global brand categories, including trademark searches, docketing, filings and prosecution.
• Oversee trademark application lifecycle management in partnership with trademark counsel.
• Work directly with a designated trademark counsel to co‑manage the Company’s global domain name portfolio strategy in collaboration with DTS.
• Establish optimized processes for trademark watch notices, clearance workflows and global renewal programs.
• Design and operationalize global processes to monitor competitive and third‑party trademark filings, manage watch notices, and enable timely escalation and action.
• Establish evidence‑of‑use, renewal readiness, and non‑use cancellation support frameworks in partnership with trademark counsels and regional teams.
• Identify and implement automation opportunities to reduce manual processing, minimize errors, and improve cycle times across trademark and design patent filings.
• Leverage technology to strengthen counterfeit detection, trademark search accuracy, watch…