Patent Attorney

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

Your Role: Patent Attorney

As a Patent Attorney on our Global IP team, you will be a leading legal voice in intellectual property and innovation. This new role offers the opportunity to shape our IP strategy by handling a wide range of responsibilities, including innovation-led agreements, transactions, licensing, and enforcement matters. You will partner closely with professionals across our global legal team and other functions to protect and advance Elanco's mission.

Your Responsibilities:

• Counsel internal business clients and negotiate with external entities on agreements, transactions, licensing, and enforcement matters to manage risk and achieve strategic goals.
• Draft and prosecute high-quality U.S. patent applications and manage the global patent portfolio by directing outside counsel to ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Conduct intellectual property due diligence, freedom-to-operate (FTO), and patent landscape assessments to guide R&D strategy and support business transactions.
• Review and advise on IP-related clauses and rights issues in a variety of agreements, such as manufacturing, supply, and vendor contracts.
• Foster a culture of IP awareness by educating and training R&D and business teams on intellectual property matters and monitoring competitor activity.

What You Need to Succeed (minimum qualifications):

• Education: Juris Doctor (or equivalent legal degree) and an undergraduate degree in a scientific field.
• Experience: A minimum of five to nine (5-9) years of experience providing legal counsel on IP matters at a major corporation or law firm.
• Professional Certification: Active admission to a state bar and registration to practice before the USPTO.
• Top Skills: Comprehensive knowledge of U.S. patent law and practice; Demonstrated ability to lead and succeed in cross-functional teams.

What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):

• An advanced degree (Ph.D. or M.S.) in chemistry, biochemistry, or a related life sciences field.
• Significant experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications for large and/or small molecule therapeutics.
• Previous in-house counsel experience, particularly within the animal health, human health, or crop science industry.
• Substantial experience with IP litigation, IPR, opposition proceedings, or M&A transactions.
• Strong business acumen and experience providing strategic legal guidance to senior management.

Additional Information:

• Travel: 0-5%
• Location: Global Elanco Headquarters - Indianapolis, IN - Hybrid Work Environment
• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Elanco Animal Health does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown underrecognized groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Elanco we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive work environment. If you think you might be a good fit for a role but don't necessarily meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or other roles!

Elanco Benefits and Perks:
We offer a comprehensive benefits package focusing on financial, physical, and mental well-being while encouraging our employees to pursue our purpose! Some highlights include:

• Multiple relocation packages
• Two weeklong shutdowns (mid-summer and year-end) in the US (in addition to PTO)
• 8-week parental leave
• 9 Employee Resource Groups
• Annual bonus offering
• Flexible work arrangements
• Up to 6% 401K matching

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending partly on company and individual performance). Additionally, Elanco offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees that includes a company-matching 401(k); vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).  Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Elanco is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status

Elanco may use automated tools, including AI, to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications against job‑related criteria and/or transferrable skills. These tools help ensure a consistent, structured evaluation, but they do not make hiring decisions. All decisions involve a human reviewer. For more information on how we handle personal data, please see our Elanco Workforce Privacy Notice.