Job Description Summary

The Intellectual Property (IP) Engineer for Service, Installation and Logistic of Wind Turbines will find and act on new patent literature to enable freedom to practice, support new developments of the mechanical design and promotes new inventions.
As IP Engineer for Service, Installation and Logistic of Wind Turbines (Tools, Transport,  Repowering, PowerUp, Repair, Retrofit) you will monitor the new published patent literature in your field of technology. Together with the experts in the engineering teams and with business’ IP Counsel you will check (and influence) the design of the most up to date technology to ensure freedom to practice. Your knowledge in IP, commitment to improvements and enthusiasm to new technology will inspire others to create new valuable inventions for the shaping of a world-class patent portfolio on onshore Wind Turbines. With increasing understanding of the own patents in the field of Service, Installation and Logistic of Wind Turbines, your assessment will be key to define strategies to further improve the value of the patent portfolio. Embedded in a team of IP Engineers you will act as IP Lead Engineer in this field and manage the freedom to operate according to program plans.

Job Description

About us:
GE’s Onshore Wind business has a total installed base of more than 50,000 Wind Turbines in more than 35 counties, with 100+ GW of global installed capacity. We harness increased onshore wind energy potential through a broad family of turbines that are uniquely suited for a variety of wind environments, including Cypress, GE’s most powerful onshore Wind Turbine, and GE’s 2MW platform, which has more than 20GW installed and in operation today. We arecommitted to our customers’ success in wind, offering a broad portfolio of products and services that make renewables the energy of choice for a cleaner future.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Contact person for engineering, management and IP counsel concerning various IP topics related to Wind Turbine Service, Installation and Logistic, coordinating all FTO activities in this field proactively
• Perform IP clearance programs on assigned technical developments (NPI / NTI / DTO / RCA) and ensure freedom to operate, in cooperation with a global team and IP counsel
• Lead all IP clearance activities in the team of IP Engineers related to service programs to enable freedom to operate in accordance with development plans
• Monitor industries’ patent applications with focus on Wind Turbine technology, especially on Service, Installation and Logistic. Classify and distribute the relevant publications to engineering teams, track patents of potential concern. Use patent search tools and databases, like DerwentInnovation, USPTO PAIR, Espacenet, Anaqua, IPRally, etc
• Identify patents for opposition filing and support with searches for relevant and published prior art, in close cooperation with technical experts and IP counsel (internal and external). Identification of most suitable strategy based on business interest for offensive and defensive cases.
• Train engineering teams on IP rights (patents) and support inventors on creation of new and valuable inventions (IDF), support and guide them during the patent preparation and filing process
• Be an active and influencing host of Patent Evaluation Board to assess new disclosed inventions and provide filing recommendations. Track and update metrics on IDF status for assigned cases until final decision is made
• Plan and execute IP landscaping, enable competitor IP awareness in technical teams and reveal white space” uncovered with IP for own IP generation
• Recognize, prioritize and support potential competitor infringements of GE patents
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvements of processes and apply LEAN concepts to enable changes where appropriate

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics or equivalent
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in an engineering organization on mechanical component design, development, project management or service or installation, preferably related to Wind Turbines
• Registered Patent Agent, or minimum 3 years work experience in an engineering organization or patent department as IP engineer, or equivalent, with proven experience in IP clearance, patent literature search, inventions

Desired Characteristics:

• Affinity to verbal explanation of technical matters. Very good text comprehension skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English language
• Ability to work in a cross-functional and global environment
• Conscientious and organized work style, motivating and tactful
• Knowledge about Wind Turbine design and its mechanical systems
• Successful work experience in a global team (India, China, USA, Germany, Spain, ...)
• Effective communication verbally and in writing, respect to different cultures.
• Commitment to timely deliverables without compromising quality, continuous improvement mindset