Senior Director, Patent Litigation

The Role:
Joining Moderna means advancing mRNA science to transform medicine. Work with exceptional global teams on a broad pipeline and build a career that makes a real difference for patients.
Moderna is strengthening its presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to our global headquarters and a center of mRNA innovation. Working closely with leading universities and research institutions, our Cambridge team advances groundbreaking science that shapes the future of medicine. We welcome talent driven by innovation and committed to improving global health.
Reporting to the VP, IP Litigation, you will serve as a key member of Moderna’s IP litigation team, helping shape the Company’s patent and litigation strategy across a robust and evolving pipeline.
You will manage complex U.S. intellectual property disputes while contributing to ex-U.S. litigation matters and patent office proceedings, partnering closely with outside counsel, internal legal teams, business leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
This is an individual contributor opportunity to combine sophisticated patent litigation expertise with strategic business counsel, helping Moderna anticipate and mitigate IP risk, strengthen litigation infrastructure, and protect the innovation underlying our mRNA platform.
Here’s What You’ll Do:
Manage a docket of U.S. litigation matters, working strategically and efficiently with outside counsel, internal legal teams, and business stakeholders to advance Moderna’s objectives and effectively manage and resolve intellectual property disputes and patent challenges.
Assist with ex-U.S. litigation matters and patent office proceedings, bringing a coordinated perspective to intellectual property disputes and challenges across jurisdictions.
Help set and execute Moderna’s patent and litigation strategy, applying strong legal judgment to complex intellectual property issues affecting the Company and its pipeline.
Partner with internal stakeholders to develop pre-litigation strategies, proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks before disputes arise.
Provide global, strategic counsel to the business regarding patent assessments for Moderna’s robust pipeline, translating complex intellectual property considerations into clear, actionable advice that supports business and development decisions.
Coordinate closely with Finance, Corporate Communications, and Investor Relations to ensure that information relating to material intellectual property matters is appropriately assessed and that proactive, accurate, and timely disclosures and communications are made.
Help drive intellectual property policies internally and externally that promote and protect innovation.
Work with internal legal teams and business partners to scale, optimize, and develop IP litigation infrastructure and processes, strengthening Moderna’s ability to manage an increasingly sophisticated global intellectual property environment.
Identify opportunities to use digital and Generative AI tools responsibly within IP litigation workflows, including appropriate applications that can accelerate information synthesis, support legal analysis, improve knowledge management, and create greater efficiency while maintaining necessary legal judgment, confidentiality, and oversight.
Operate with the ability to move between long-range intellectual property strategy and the detailed execution required to manage active litigation, patent challenges, and cross-functional decision-making.
The key Moderna Mindsets you’ll need to succeed in the role:
“We act with dynamic range, driving strategy and execution at the same time at every step.”
“We behave like owners. The solutions we’re building go beyond any job description.”
Here’s What You’ll Need (Basic Qualifications)
J.D. from a national law school and admission to any state bar in the United States.
Must be eligible for in-house licensure via the MA Board of Bar Overseers and licensed to practice law in at least 1 U.S. jurisdiction
A minimum of 10 years of experience handling complex IP challenges and litigations in the biotechnology and/or pharmaceutical industries, with a deep understanding of IP litigation strategy, ideally gained through experience with a top law firm and in an in-house setting. Demonstrated and extensive hands-on litigation experience, including day-to-day case management, overseeing discovery (including e-discovery) and managing case strategy strongly preferred. First-chair experience a plus.
Experience with IPR and EPO proceedings preferred.
Demonstrated understanding/experience with international IP litigation landscape/laws a strong plus.
Comfortable working with legal technology and open to using automation and Generative AI to enhance legal work.
Participate in AI-related initiatives to improve legal support workflows, including use of approved AI tools and/or GPT-enabled support where appropriate.
Here's What You'll Bring to the Table (Preferred Qualifications)
Highly strategic mindset and approach to disputes; anticipating future business, competitive, and legal risks and looking for creative solutions and opportunities.
Outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across functions and to communicate effectively with senior business leaders, as well as other professionals and colleagues at all levels of an organization.
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tight deadlines in a high-paced environment.
Highly nimble, adaptable, and agile team player with dynamic range, adept at collaborative and strategic decision making, as well as results-oriented execution.
Exceptional judgment and ability to quickly assess business challenges, make timely, pragmatic recommendations under pressure, and identify, prioritize, and resolve issues quickly and independently.
Sophisticated verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues in a simple way and provide executive-ready IP litigation insights concerning litigation events, risks and threats, as well as recommended strategy/process change.
Ability to thrive in a dynamic, innovative, and high-energy environment without extensive hierarchy.
Unquestioned integrity and judgment, with a demonstrated ability to establish credibility internally and externally.
High sense of urgency and commitment to execution.
Demonstrated business acumen, strong analytical skills, and the ability to grasp important business, legal, and financial issues facing the Company.
Prior use of AI tools and/or experience developing GPTs or implementing AI-enabled workflows in a legal setting is a plus.
Our Working Model
As we build our company, we have always believed an in-person culture is critical to our success.
Moderna champions the significant benefits of in-office collaboration by embracing a 70/30 work model. This 70% in-office structure helps to foster a culture rich in innovation, teamwork, and direct mentorship. Join us in shaping a world where every interaction is an opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a meaningful impact.
Moderna is a smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free work environment.
Pay & Benefits
At Moderna, we believe that when you feel your best, you can do your best work. That’s why our benefits and well-being resources are designed to support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.
Competitive healthcare, plus voluntary benefit programs to support your unique needs
A holistic approach to well-being, with access to fitness, mindfulness, and mental health support
Family planning benefits, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support
Generous paid time off, including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and a discretionary year-end shutdown
Savings and investments to help you plan for the future
Location-specific perks and extras
The salary range for this role is $210,900.00 - $379,200.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An individual’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, performance, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, other incentive compensation, or equity award, subject to company plan eligibility criteria and individual performance.
About Moderna
Since our founding in 2010, we have aspired to build the leading mRNA technology platform, the infrastructure to reimagine how medicines are created and delivered, and a world-class team. We believe in giving our people a platform to change medicine and an opportunity to change the world.
By living our mission, values, and mindsets every day, our people are the driving force behind our scientific progress and our culture. Together, we are creating a culture of belonging and building an organization that cares deeply for our patients, our employees, the environm

Skills
Generative AI, Agile, Intellectual Property