Patent Agent Trainee

Your New Role and Team

Sanctuary AI, a world leader in building dexterity-driven Physical AI for general purpose robots, is looking to hire a skilled and motivated Patent Agent Trainee Trainee to join our In‑house IP Team team. The Patent Agent Trainee is a crucial part of our team, supporting intellectual property protection. Reporting to the SVP of Intellectual Property, you’ll contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our growing organization.

As a Sanctuary AI Patent Agent Trainee, you'll be a valued part of the team as you support the continued improvement in our In‑house IP Team function, own the coordination of team project deliverables, and innovate best practices that drive continuous improvements in our intellectual property protection. You will also gain valuable experience that can make you eligible to write the Canadian Patent Agent Qualifying Exams and become a registered patent agent in Canada.

We will prioritize candidates who can work onsite in Vancouver; however, we are open to remote candidates.

• The Sanctuary In‑house IP Team strives to be self‑sufficient. We do our own drafting, we do our own North American and PCT filings, and we only rely on external associates for foreign matters. As part of this team, your responsibilities will include the following:

• Act as the IP Team's eyes and ears on the ground in Sanctuary’s fast‑paced technology development environment to keep up to date with all technical accomplishments.
• Report back to the IP Team to collaboratively identify strategic patenting opportunities.

• Develop and hone your patent drafting skills under the tutelage of experienced patent practitioners. You’ll always have at least one patent draft on the go (and 20 on deck), targeting a cadence of ≥1 new draft per month. Subject matter will span all aspects of Sanctuary technology including hardware (mechanical, electrical, etc.), software (controls, algorithms, etc.) and applications.
  If you want to become a Canadian patent agent, this is the key experience you need!
• Prepare invention disclosure materials for overflow drafting contractors and review and approve their work product.

• With the support of the IP Team, pick up prosecution on the existing portfolio and prosecute your own drafts through to issuance over time. Handle everything from Missing Parts to PTAB appeals.

• Share the burden of diligent docket management, including data entry as well as all document collection & recordation.

• A technical post‑secondary degree in science or engineering, ideally directed towards physics, mechanical/electrical engineering, mechatronics, or computers/software.
• A genuine drive to become a registered patent agent in Canada and motivated to quickly excel at patent drafting.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Quick to understand new concepts in familiar and in unfamiliar technology domains.

• Above all else, a consistently positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes to create robust solutions to mission objectives.
• Successful candidates will be a proponent of personal responsibility for themselves and their teammates.
• Empathetic listener with conflict resolution capabilities.
• Consistent bias for action, communication, and interpersonal savvy.
• Self‑motivated and able to solve problems independently.
• Great communicator—able to clearly articulate and balance needs of stakeholders.
• Mission driven and passionate about bringing human‑like intelligence to machines.

Sanctuary AI is an equal opportunity employer; employment with Sanctuary AI is governed based on skills, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any way by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. In 2023, Sanctuary AI moved into a state‑of‑the‑art office facility and has been recognized by Linked In as a Top Startup company.

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