Executive Director, Intellectual Property

Kardigan · Princeton, CA

Posted 6/26/2026 · last confirmed live 8/26/2026

About Us   Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world. It is Kardigan’s mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.   Led by Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan’s co-founders have reunited after leading MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020.   We have a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients.   At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. Driven by patients and their families , we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic —leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn , we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.   These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.     Position Title:  Executive Director, Intellectual Property   Department:  Legal   Reports To:  Vice President, Intellectual Property   Location:  South San Francisco, CA or Princeton, NJ – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)     Job Overview   The Executive Director of Intellectual Property (IP) is a highly experienced, strategic, and driven intellectual property attorney who can provide advice and counseling to the business on a broad range of scientific and IP legal issues. This key member of the legal team will report to the Vice President, Intellectual Property and will be responsible for providing IP legal support to a number of different programs at various stages of development. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of patent law, Orange Book listings, ANDA litigation and bring creative and strategic approaches to protecting Kardigan’s efforts.   This position is hybrid and will be primarily located in South San Francisco, CA or Princeton, NJ.      Essential Duties and Responsibilities   The  Executive  Director of Intellectual Property will be able to conceptualize, develop, implement and manage intellectual property portfolio strategies worldwide to maximize value and utility of IP assets for current and future commercial assets   Independently provide expert IP advice to senior scientific and business leaders and demonstrate thoughtful risk management in decision making   Responsible for identifying preparation of patent applications, patent prosecution, and annual patent   portfolio management to ensure the efficient use of our resources Collaborate with various functions within Kardigan to foster a science-driven and innovative environment that ensures that IP is effectively identified, captured and filed Oversee strategies for addressing competitor IP, including administrative proceedings such as oppositions, post-grant reviews, inter-partes reviews, and re-examinations Provide IP transactional support for business transactions, clinical agreements, collaborative research agreements, and license and acquisition agreements Manage the relationships and agreements with external legal counsel, and vendors   Qualifications and Preferred Skills   Advanced degree in chemical sciences with synthetic laboratory experience is required (Ph.D. organic chemistry is beneficial)   Law degree from an ABA-accredited law school   Admitted to the bar of at least one U.S. State or the District of Columbia   Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)   1 5 - 2 5  years of professional legal experience as a patent professional (e.g., patent agent or patent attorney, etc.)   Prior experiences as a member of an in-house legal team in a pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, or biotechnology company, including management of complex patent portfolio and pharmaceutical product support Experience supporting  a clinical asset from phase 3 through product launch is strongly preferred Direct experience in supporting ANDA litigation is  also  preferred Experi ence in proprietary name  selection and trademark clearance is a plus   Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location. Pay range $280,000 — $381,000 USD

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