Head, Patent Database Section

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING Final date to receive applications

Final date to receive applications is indicated in local time as per the applicant’s location.

Organizational Setting

The position is located in the Patent Database Section of the Global Databases Division, Infrastructure and Platforms. The Section is responsible for developing and maintaining the PATENTSCOPE system, one of WIPO’s global databases and a public search system for PCT applications and national collections in full text format.

Purpose Statement

The incumbent will lead the Section’s activities in administering and further developing WIPO’s PATENTSCOPE system, consolidate its position as a major free public patent information search platform, ensure weekly PCT publication performance, and continue bringing quality services to the patent user community worldwide.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent works under the supervision of the Director of the Global Databases Division.

Work Relations

Regular collaboration with staff of the Patents and Technology Sector, Information and Communication Technology Department, Security and Information Assurance Division, and IT peers working at patent offices of WIPO member states.

The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:

• Manage the Patent Database Section, its staff and external contractors; motivate, coach and supervise staff to enhance performance while maintaining internal controls and segregation of duties.
• Lead the Section in developing further the PATENTSCOPE system to maintain a globally prominent patent search solution.
• Take responsibility for the electronic publication and dissemination of PCT international applications, ensuring compliance with WIPO standards, user needs, and weekly schedules without prejudice.
• Oversee the Section’s portfolio, manage human and financial resources, and allocate resources for timely and quality delivery of work products.
• Plan and manage projects for formatting, cleaning, enriching and indexing national patent collections for inclusion in PATENTSCOPE.
• Implement a framework to monitor data gaps and update delays in national collections and establish solution procedures with concerned offices.
• Lead the PATENTSCOPE mirror project, coordinating execution in collaboration with the relevant office management.
• Build and maintain close contacts with delegates from national and regional IP offices to encourage participation in PATENTSCOPE and develop technical cooperation activities.
• Identify user needs and explore new technological solutions, including chemical structure searching, patent family building, non‑patent literature searching, sequence listing searching and other advanced search capabilities.
• Represent WIPO in meetings with IP offices, database users, international conferences and other relevant forums, promoting PATENTSCOPE and other WIPO services where applicable.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Advanced university degree in information technology. A first‑level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• At least ten years of professional experience in increasingly responsible posts, including in an IP office or similar organization.
• Experience in the development and operations of large volumes multilingual search systems; patent search systems experience is a plus.
• Experience in managing teams, complex IT projects involving staff and external providers.

• Experience in patent prior art search and examination.
• Experience in AI technologies applied to search.

Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.

Good knowledge of other UN languages.

• Deep knowledge of internet search technologies, including SOLR, JAVA, and natural language processing (NLP) for data processing and search.
• Deep knowledge of data analysis and modeling and experience with large database systems, including MySQL, ETL tools and XML.
• Deep knowledge of UI design and front‑end…