Paralegal Interl. Property in Darmstadt bei Wella Company

At the earliest possible time I location: Darmstadt, Hessen

ABOUT WELLA

Wella Company is one of The World’s leading Beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders. . For more information about the Wella Company, visit our website www.wellacompany.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Wella Company is seeking an experienced Intellectual Property Paralegal to support the Legal-Intellectual Property team for Wella Company. The IP team supports all brands and innovations globally covering all of Wella Company’s beauty brands, inclusive of GHD and OPI.

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years’ experience in connection with Intellectual Property law including experience in patent filing, IP databases, patent and trademark prosecution, contracts’ drafting based on template agreements, and patent and trademark monitoring.

The position will be based in Darmstadt and report to the Director of Patents co-located in Darmstadt with a dotted reporting line to the Senior Director of Trademarks and Brand Protection located in Geneva, Switzerland. Additional support will also be required for the VP of IP, located in the US. Fluency in English is a requirement.

The role demands sound judgment and flexibility, strategic insight and the ability to seamlessly handle significant demands in a fast-paced environment.

Primary responsibilities:

Patents & Designs

• FTO and invention portal management
• Managing deadlines and office action responses with external law firms and patent docket
• Filing new patent applications and preparing filing paperwork for US and EPO
• German Inventorship law agreement preparation
• Managing prior art patent search database
• Enabling access to online IP portals

Trademarks & Brand Protection

• Monitoring Trademark portfolio (Trademark surveillance).
• Preparing trademark filing paperwork
• Handling use requests for renewals / SoUs / DoUs with marketing.
• Handling internal requests for trademark status details and certificates
• Following-up Customs applications proceedings

Administrative

• NDA creation for R&D (based on template)
• Managing IP agreement repository
• Working with external providers for PO creation and budget tracking
• Getting German Inventorship law signatures from R&D members
• Administrative tasks to support IP Lead Team

Key Functional Attributes and skills:

• Effective communicator: Ability to drive a process while addressing not just legal, but also pragmatic business considerations.
• Strong interpersonal skills: The Paralegal must be able to work with a variety of people, lawyers, peers and clients at all levels.
• Must be a self-starter, innovative and creative thinker, able to work independently, yet have a win for the team attitude.
• Must see the big picture but also give attention to details.
• Must be fluent in English, other languages will be a plus.
• Knowledge of DIAMS, QUESTEL and ORBIT INTELLIGENCE interfaces are a significant advantage.
• Flexibility to work across multiple time zones

Key Personal Attributes and skills:

• Strong organization skills: Ability to manage heavy workload and to independently prioritize tasks and identify next steps.
• Process oriented, focused and rigorous
• Strong communication skills
• Entrepreneurial and "hands-on" spirit
• Innovative thinker, ability to go for the extra-mile
• Flexible and agile
• Passion for Beauty!

WHAT WE OFFER

• Work smart – Possibility of home office, growth opportunities and trust-based working hours.
• Package – attractive salaries; competitive holiday package & numerous corporate benefits
• Support of personal potential and individual career paths
• Flat hierarchies, open communication and an international and diverse environment with exciting projects in which the