Lead Patent Scientist

Lead Patent Scientist

Location(s):
Belgium (Brussels Region) or Netherlands (Rotterdam Region)

The Principal Patent Scientist will build & foster relationships within Cargill's Global Edible Oils innovation teams and customer-facing regional R&D organization as well as with IP attorneys, patent agents & business stakeholders to drive engagement in intellectual property creation & protection; increase the quality and scope of the company's intellectual property filings, reduce costs through the use of active portfolio management, reduce routine and systematic intellectual property activities by scientists to allow for more focused innovation efforts, and increase and facilitate engagement in the intellectual property creation and patent processes.

The position holder will report into the R&D Director - Global Nutrition.

• Serve as a technical expert to assist in understanding of experimental data and results, relevant prior art, and related technical information during all stages of a patent’s life, from invention disclosures and drafting, to prosecution, and further to post‑grant proceedings.
• Lead and facilitate applicable strategic process and operations discussions for invention identification, generation of invention disclosures, and driving a purposeful invention disclosure funnel including proactive invention mining.
• Facilitate strategic, efficient and timely patent draft review cycles in collaboration with stakeholders and partners, and apply expert knowledge of the organization, products, processes and customers to drive and support the rigor of inventions and experimental designs to improve the scope of claims globally.
• Partner with IP Law and facilitate discussions on patent versus trade secret innovation decisions and provide support to assess prior art cited by global patent offices, ensure compliance with geographical duty of disclosure requirements, and understand which global patent families support which product families.
• Maintain a strong physical presence in Cargill R&D facilities and strong connectivity with other Cargill R&D scientists, and drive desired methodology and provide timely and relevant training on global intellectual property and patent considerations in conjunction with the IP Law department.
• Partner with the IP Law department to support searches directed to patentability, landscapes and freedom to operate.
• Provide expert thought leadership in defined field(s) and work with limited direction, using additional research and interpretation to identify issues or problems.
• In this role you may be a strategic contributor in addition to providing direction to supporting team members.
• Limited travel within the Benelux region.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific field and equivalent experience such as Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science, Food Engineering or similar with 6 or more years of work experience.
• Knowledge related to edible oils ingredients and processes.
• Ability to align and influence stakeholders and facilitate change for improved outcomes.
• Experience and understanding of the R&D innovation process and how inventions are protected as intellectual property.
• Experience working in an R&D environment.

• Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science, Food Engineering or a related field.
• Possess comprehensive knowledge on edible oils products and processes and processes used in their manufacture, and the use of oils and fats in applications such as chocolate, confectionery, bakery, dairy, and infant nutrition.
• Confirmed ability to assess and handle risk in collaboration with a legal team.
• Experience with invention identification, patent filing strategy and patent portfolio management.
• 10 or more years of work experience.

We provide a fast paced stimulating international environment, which will stretch your abilities and channel your talents. We also offer competitive salary and benefits combined with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and are committed to providing an inclusive, accessible recruitment process and workplace. We encourage candidates to let us know if they require any accommodations during the recruitment or interview process so we can support them appropriately.

Cargill is committed to being an inclusive employer.