IP Counsel

Who we are

About Stripe

Stripe is a financial infrastructure platform for businesses. Millions of companies—from the world’s largest enterprises to the most ambitious startups—use Stripe to accept payments, grow their revenue, and accelerate new business opportunities. Our mission is to increase the GDP of the internet, and we have a staggering amount of work ahead. That means you have an unprecedented opportunity to put the global economy within everyone’s reach while doing the most important work of your career.

About the team

The Legal team at Stripe is growing! We’re looking for a motivated individual to join our IP team to help us build and scale our patent program. This person will play a key role in developing and implementing our patent strategy at a key time.

What you’ll do

Stripe is a technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the internet. Businesses of all sizes — from new startups to public companies — use our software to accept payments and run technically sophisticated financial operations in more than 100 countries. Stripes work on some of the hardest technical, business, and regulatory problems around, and we're looking for an amazing IP lawyer to join our IP team. In this role you will work with talented people throughout the company to help develop and protect Stripe's intellectual property, and will deal with a diverse set of matters that straddle financial services, business processes, and technology.

The ideal candidate is passionate about Stripe’s mission of helping businesses grow and thrive. We’re looking for someone who is a team player and willing to jump in on tasks of any size. Experience building and executing on a comprehensive, qualitative, and data-driven patent strategy for a technology company is a must. A background in software, payments, and/or financial services is not required, but is a plus. 

Responsibilities

• Counsel on the development, acquisition, and protection of all forms of intellectual property at Stripe, with an emphasis on patents.
• Define and implement our patent strategy, including international applications and employee-incentive programs.
• Scale Stripe’s patent program for our future growth.
• Work closely with Stripe product, design, and engineering teams to identify and harvest patentable inventions.
• Help prepare and prosecute patent applications, making judicious use of outside counsel.
• Analyze patents for acquisition, licensing, or litigation.
• Support IP matters relating to potential mergers and acquisitions and other similar transactions.
• Identify and solve complex legal problems related to Stripe's IP strategy. 

Who you are

We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. If you meet these requirements, you are encouraged to apply. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

Minimum requirements

• At least 7 years experience as a patent attorney. In-house experience is a big plus.
• A JD degree (or foreign equivalent) with membership in at least one US state bar. You must also be admitted to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.
• A passion for technology and ability to understand complex inventions quickly.
• Experience communicating about patents and patent strategy with senior management, engineers, and business teams.
• Strong project-management skills, with a strict attention to detail, and an ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Strong communication skills, and an ability to clearly explain complex concepts, even to non-technical audiences.

• Excellent judgment, and a willingness to make difficult decisions in the face of ambiguity and imperfect information.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience prosecuting financial technology, payments, and/or software patents.
• A technical degree in computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering.
• Data analytics background in the context of patent analysis, patent landscaping, or patent strategy.
• Knowledge and experience in patent-filing strategies in foreign jurisdictions.