Director, Patent Office

Your Opportunity

At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together.

The Schwab Patent Office Director will lead the day-to-day execution and growth of Schwab’s enterprise patent program within Research & Development. This role manages the patent portfolio lifecycle, performs patentability analyses, coordinates outside counsel, leads invention review and harvesting activities, delivers patent and trade secret education programs developed in partnership with Legal, and translates portfolio insights into clear recommendations for Legal, Technology, and senior stakeholders. The Director will provide oversight for the Patent Operations Coordinator and Intellectual Property Data Analyst, strengthening operating scale, accountability, and succession depth.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead execution and growth of Schwab's patent portfolio, including invention intake, patentability assessments, filing strategy, prosecution oversight, and lifecycle portfolio management.
• Partner with the Managing Director & Deputy Chief Counsel – Patents & Intellectual Property Strategy to implement and operationalize enterprise intellectual property strategy, governance priorities, and innovation protection initiatives.
• Serve as Schwab's primary operational leader for patent-related activities, working with Legal, Technology, inventors, business leaders, and outside counsel to identify, evaluate, and protect high-value intellectual property assets.
• Lead invention harvesting, Patent Forums, invention review activities, inventor engagement, and patent and trade secret education programs that increase innovation awareness and participation across the enterprise.
• Manage Schwab Patent Office operations, including budgets, reporting, portfolio governance, outside counsel coordination, and continuous process improvement, while ensuring portfolio quality, compliance, and operational risk management.
• Support enterprise IP governance by providing portfolio insights, competitive intelligence, recommendations, and reporting that informs protection decisions and strategic priorities.
• Support enterprise trade secret governance initiatives, including awareness activities, inventory support, and coordination of protection-related processes
• Lead and develop the Patent Operations Coordinator and Intellectual Property Data Analyst roles, building operational scale, analytical capability, and organizational resilience within the Schwab Patent Office.

Success Measures:

• Patent portfolio priorities are clearly aligned to enterprise innovation objectives, with timely recommendations on filing, prosecution, maintenance, and protection strategy.
• Invention harvesting, Patent Forums, and inventor engagement activities increase the quality and consistency of invention disclosures across priority technology areas.
• Outside counsel, budget, docket, and portfolio governance activities are managed with transparency, discipline, and appropriate escalation of risks or decisions.
• Legal, Technology, and business stakeholders receive clear, actionable portfolio insights that support informed intellectual property and trade secret decisions.
• The Patent Office team builds durable operating scale through effective leadership, coaching, process improvement, and development of operational and analytical capabilities.

What you have

Required Qualifications:

• Registration in good standing as a patent agent or patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Minimum 10 years of patent law, patent prosecution, and patent portfolio management experience, including experience with software, financial services, or other complex technologies.
• Demonstrated experience developing or initiating and managing enterprise-wide patent programs.
• Demonstrated experience directing patent preparation and prosecution through outside counsel and managing a portfolio budget, invoices, forecasts, and priorities.
• Ability to evaluate inventions, perform or direct patentability analyses, and communicate practical protection recommendations to technical and business audiences.
• Proven leadership across cross-functional teams, with strong executive communication, judgment, organization, and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience building enterprise invention-harvesting, patent education, portfolio-tiering, or intellectual property governance programs.
• Experience using patent management, analytics, competitive intelligence, and reporting tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working within a Research & Development organization.
• Degree in a scientific or engineering related discipline.
• People leadership experience and demonstrated ability to develop operational and analytical talent.

In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.