1X Technologies

Head of Intellectual Property

San Carlos, CA

Sponsorship not specified$270k-$330kDetected 14 days ago

Intellectual PropertyRobotics

About the role

Our Legal team protects and compounds the value of everything 1X invents - the robotics, AI, and hardware breakthroughs that make a safe home humanoid possible.
Establish a trade secret protection program and decide, invention by invention, what 1X protects through patents versus trade secrets
Deep technical fluency in hardware, AI, or robotics - able to sit with engineers, grasp novel inventions, and translate them into strong, enforceable claims

We're building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back.
NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people.
We're scaling, we're hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.

Hands-on patent expertise - drafting, prosecution strategy, and portfolio management - for complex technical inventions
Proven ability to run patent landscaping, freedom-to-operate analysis, and competitive assessments to inform offensive and defensive decisions
Experience setting trade secret protection strategy alongside patents in a technical organization
A technical degree (engineering, computer science, or a related field) with a working understanding of robotics, AI, mechatronics, or comparable systems
Experience partnering directly with engineering and product teams to capture inventions at the source

Experience with intellectual property in humanoid robotics, autonomous systems, or embodied AI
Registered to practice before the USPTO (patent bar), as a patent agent or patent attorney
Familiarity with trademark, brand, copyright, and open-source compliance strategy
Experience building an inventor disclosure and incentive program
Experience managing international filing strategy (PCT and priority markets)

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support

Own and execute a company-wide patent roadmap that prioritizes 1X's most defensible and commercially critical inventions across robotics, AI, and hardware
Drive invention capture by embedding directly with engineering, AI, and hardware teams to surface patentable technology early and convert it into high-quality filed patents
Build a portfolio that protects 1X's freedom to operate and creates leverage against competitors, measured by filing velocity, grant rate, and coverage of our core technology
Identify and recommend strategic patents to acquire - both offensively and defensively - through landscape and competitive analysis, and lead diligence on those acquisitions
Stand up the function hands-on, then build and grow the team as company and product milestones warrant - not on a fixed timeline
A hands-on operator who drafts and shapes patents directly and protects trade secrets, not only by delegating to outside counsel
A strategic portfolio builder who ties every intellectual property decision to a business outcome - freedom to operate, competitive moats, and acquisition strategy
A strong cross-functional partner who earns trust with engineers, executives, and external counsel alike
Comfort building from zero in ambiguity - setting prioritization and process where none exists, and scaling a team only when the work demands it
We've been at this since 2014 and we're at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.

1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

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This listing is sourced directly from 1X Technologies's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.