About Us
The Office of the General Counsel handles all legal and compliance matters, litigation oversight, contract administration, intellectual property maintenance and enforcement, risk assessment, insurance portfolio management, corporate governance, and the administration of the Office of the National Board.
You Will
This is a Hybrid Position with 2 days per week in the NYC office
#LI-Hybrid
The Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist will report to the Associate General Counsel with primary responsibility over protecting and enhancing the intellectual property of the Girl Scouts. S/he will work closely with his/her manager and outside counsel to oversee and manage the intellectual property portfolio for the organization, including enforcement and permissions. She/he will counsel and advise on proper use of GSUSA intellectual property. She/he will oversee the public facing permissions and enforcement email boxes.
The Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist is also primarily responsible for maintaining and overseeing the Legal Contracts Database for the organization. As part of these responsibilities, s/he will monitor new contract submissions, check submissions for completeness and follow up on missing items, train new users, liaise with attorneys regarding assignment of submissions, and serve as primary point of contact on portal questions. S/he will also work with internal and external stakeholders to troubleshoot any issues with the portal.
Finally, the Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist will work with the Office of the General Counsel on other matters that require paralegal assistance such as filing registrations, permission requests, litigation support, and other matters.
Essential Responsibilities
- The Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist works with the Associate General Counsel who is primarily responsible for intellectual property to maintain and oversee GSUSA’s intellectual property portfolio. This includes responsibility for all aspects of U.S. trademark prosecution and maintenance including preparing and filing applications, Office Action responses and post registration filings (e.g., Sections 8, 9 and/or 15 Affidavits/Renewals).
- Conduct and analyze trademark searches to help determine availability of trademarks, taglines, product names, and other consumer-facing content.
- Conduct trademark portfolio reviews.
- Work with outside counsel to handle the day-to-day prosecution of domestic and foreign trademark applications, including working with GSUSA employees to obtain evidence of use and other information needed for clearance, prosecution, and enforcement.
- Review advertising, publications and promotional materials for proper use of GSUSA’s trademarks.
- Provide guidance to GSUSA employees regarding proper use of trademarks and review of third party terms and conditions.
- Maintain accurate charts of GSUSA’s prosecution matters and enforcement matters
- In consultation with Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) communities, the Senior Paralegal responds to permission requests and proposals regarding trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property. S/he manages the public facing mailbox where permissions to GSUSA are submitted and works through a high volume of permission requests. S/he prepares releases and permissions as appropriate.
- The Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist works with GSUSA communities to support new trademark requests, including conducting preliminary trademark searches using the USPTO search database. S/he works with the Office of the General Counsel to advise business units at GSUSA as to the rights and obligations related to various trademarks or other intellectual property.
- S/he also protects GSUSA by policing the use of the Girl Scout intellectual property and handling enforcement matters. S/he manages the public facing mailbox where infringements are reported as well as proactively searches for where GSUSA trademarks are being misappropriated and addresses those matters. S/he assists in enforcement efforts by investigating the infringer, as well as drafting and sending cease and desist letters and DMCA notices.
- Primary responsibility for maintaining and overseeing the Legal Contracts Database for the organization, including monitoring new contract submissions, checking submissions for completeness, training, and serving as primary point of contact on portal questions.
- Finally, the Manager, Sr. Intellectual Property Specialist works as a team with the Office of the General Counsel on other matters that require paralegal assistance such as registrations for charitable solicitations and cause marketing, and litigation support.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required Competencies
- Experience with intellectual property portfolio management
- Experience with electronic portals and management systems
- Flexible, demonstrated team player.
- Customer orientation and ability to adapt and respond to different perspectives and situations.
- Project management experience; and extensive experience managing multiple projects concurrently and meeting deadlines.
- Creative thinker with strong problem-solving, organizational and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
Required Technical Skills
- Office 365 or similar suites
- Competency in PowerPoint or similar presentation software
- Competency in Microsoft Excel or similar software
You Need
- Bachelor’s Degree required; paralegal certification or J.D. degree a plus
- 8+ years of experience and demonstrated success in managing portfolio, trademark enforcement, and IP counseling
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
WORK ENVIRONMENT: This job operates in a professional office environment.
POSITION TYPE / EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK: This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday with a 35 hour per week schedule. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
AAP/EEO Statement: GSUSA is an equal employment opportunity employer.
SALARY RANGE: $62K – 117K
What We Offer:
Girl Scouts is powered by people, and we encourage our team members to be their best selves in and out of the office. We place a high priority on flexibility and offer a competitive employee salary and benefits package that includes:
Paid Time Off:
GSUSA offers 20+ days of paid time off, 2 floating holidays, as well as 9 workplace holidays, and year-round early closures on Fridays and preceding most holiday weekends. GSUSA staff also enjoy a paid holiday year-end office closure between Christmas and New Year’s.
Other Benefits:
- Medical and Behavioral Health Coverage
- Plan options with individual and family coverage which includes wellness, hospitalization, and fertility assistance.
- Both plans include GSUSA partial subsidy of premium costs
- Dental and vision coverage
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) including Health, Dependent Care, and Limited FSA for those with Health Savings Accounts
- Company-paid life insurance
- Flexible work arrangements
- 12 weeks of paid parental leave
- 401(K) with company match
- Sick leave
- Short- and Long-Term Disability for salary continuation
- Health and Wellness Classes and Activities throughout the year
- Access to Employee Engagement Groups
Travel Requirements
up to 15%