Splunk is here to build a safer and more resilient digital world. The world's leading enterprises use our unified security and observability platform to keep their digital systems secure and reliable. While customers love our technology, it's our people that make Splunk stand out as an amazing career destination and why we've won so many awards as a best place to work. If you become a Splunker, we want your whole, authentic self, what we call your "million data points". So bring your work experience, problem-solving skills and talent, of course, but also bring your joy, your passion and all the things that make you, you.
Role
As Intellectual Property Counsel at Splunk, you’ll be responsible for managing the IP of a highly innovative, resilient company delivering world class solutions to our customers. Here at Splunk, IP isn’t just an afterthought, it’s a core part of our identity. With over a thousand patents and counting, we are proud to protect and reflect Splunk’s commitment to innovation. This role is a great opportunity to grow your expertise and your career on a collaboration-focused, low-ego, multi-functional team, working across the whole spectrum of intellectual property issues, with a primary focus on patent portfolio building and management. You’ll be responsible for managing the IP of multiple business units across Splunk, as well as advising the business on IP issues related to AI, data rights, employee projects, hackathons, and a whole lot more! This role reports to the Director of Intellectual Property and will be based either in San Francisco or San Jose, CA (location flexible).
Personal Characteristics and Skills
There’s never a dull moment at Splunk! To succeed, the role requires you to be collaborative and team-focused, with a positive demeanor, humility, and a good sense of humor. You’ll need to have a strong history of adaptability and resourcefulness, a willingness to speak up when you have something to offer, and a passion for not just the legal issues, but the technical and business sides of Splunk as well. You’ll need a growth mindset with flexibility and desire to make a meaningful impact.
Responsibilities
You’ll be responsible for building and maintaining a substantial patent portfolio protecting Splunk’s innovations. The focus of this role is on patent portfolio development and management, but it’s not limited to that. You’ll become one of Splunk’s technical experts within the Legal & Global Affairs Department, fluent in both the legal IP issues and the technical details of Splunk’s products. The successful candidate will:
- Collaborate with the internal product development, product management, and product marketing teams to identify and prioritize patentable inventions;
- Mine and harvest inventions for patenting, as well as shape decisions for portfolio development and strategy;
- Supervise outside counsel in the preparation and prosecution of high-quality patent assets, providing technical, legal, and strategic input to ensure overall work quality;
- Identify trade secrets, obtain copyrights and trademarks, and give IP advice to your business partners;
- Build sustainable and scalable processes and procedures as we continue to grow and expand to match Splunk’s pace of innovation;
- Develop and advance the company's IP strategy, with considerations to monitoring the competitive landscape, optimizing spend, and protecting Splunk’s innovation;
- Provide counsel to business partners on open source decisions;
- Identify and remediate IP issues in acquisition due diligence evaluation;
- Actively engage in and provide input on all aspects and stages of IP enforcement and IP infringement defense, up to and including litigation;
- Proactively manage IP assets, including licensing, acquisition, and patent pool participation.
Requirements: I’ve already done that or have that!
- At least 5 years of patent prosecution experience, including preparing, drafting, and prosecuting software patents
- J.D. degree
- Admission to and in good standing with a State Bar
- Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- Specific experience with data platforms, cybersecurity, IT infrastructure monitoring, DevOps, AI/ML, and cloud architectures is preferred
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to find creative solutions to issues, taking a pragmatic approach when balancing legal risks against business interests
- Proactive, ownership mentality over your work
- Most comfortable contributing to collective team and company success
- Attorneys looking to transition from a law firm position to an in-house role are highly encouraged
- Patent litigation experience is a plus but not required
- A sense of humor is required
Splunk is an Equal Opportunity Employer: At Splunk, we believe creating a culture of belonging isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the smart thing. We prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to ensure our employees are supported to bring their best, most authentic selves to work where they can thrive. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability or medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Note:
Base Pay Range
SF Bay Area, Seattle Metro, and New York City Metro Area
Base Pay Range: $176,000.00 - 242,000.00 per year
California (excludes SF Bay Area), Washington (excludes Seattle Metro), Washington DC Metro, and Massachusetts
Base Pay Range: $164,000.00 - 225,500.00 per year
All other cities and states excluding California, Washington, Massachusetts, New York City Metro Area and Washington DC Metro Area.
Base Pay Range: $153,600.00 - 211,200.00 per year
Splunk provides flexibility and choice in the working arrangement for most roles, including remote and/or in-office roles. We have a market-based pay structure which varies by location. Please note that the base pay range is a guideline and for candidates who receive an offer, the base pay will vary based on factors such as work location as set out above, as well as the knowledge, skills and experience of the candidate. In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for incentive compensation and may be eligible for equity or long-term cash awards.
Benefits are an important part of Splunk's Total Rewards package. This role is eligible for a competitive benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off and much more! Learn more about our comprehensive benefits and wellbeing offering at https://splunkbenefits.com.
