Intellectual Property Attorney Jobs in California

At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.

We are looking for a driven and collaborative IP attorney to join Snowflake's growing Intellectual Property team. Reporting to the Director, Assistant General Counsel – Intellectual Property, this role will be a core member of a lean, high-impact IP team where you will have direct ownership over meaningful work from day one. You will manage Snowflake's patent portfolio, lead patent prosecution strategy, and support pre-litigation and IP litigation matters. This is an exceptional opportunity for a patent attorney who brings both prosecution and litigation experience, thrives in a fast-moving technology environment, and is eager to grow their practice into adjacent areas such as open source.

This is a hybrid role based in Menlo Park, CA or Dublin, CA with a preference for Menlo Park where the majority of the IP team is based.

Responsibilities

• Manage Snowflake's global patent portfolio, including overseeing prosecution strategy, outside counsel relationships, and budget
• Lead and continuously improve Snowflake's internal patent program, including inventor education, invention submission, and evaluation processes
• Review and supervise outside patent counsel on the drafting of new patent applications and prosecution strategy across Snowflake's patent portfolio, working closely with engineers and product teams to identify and protect key innovations
• Manage third party intellectual property disputes and litigations in close collaboration with the Litigation team
• Provide practical IP counseling to internal clients across engineering, product, and business teams
• Identify opportunities to build scalable processes and tools to improve the efficiency and impact of the IP function
• Support other IP team responsibilities as needed, with opportunity to develop expertise in open source and trademark matters

QUALIFICATIONS

• JD from an accredited U.S. law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. state
• 6+ years of relevant IP experience, with a meaningful mix of patent prosecution and IP litigation, including in-house experience
• Registered to practice before the USPTO
• Experience managing patent portfolios, overseeing outside patent counsel, and driving prosecution strategy
• Familiarity with patent litigation proceedings, including experience supporting pre-litigation and litigation matters
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use and implement AI tools to improve legal workflows
• Strong ability to understand and articulate complex technical concepts and translate them into sound IP strategy
• Excellent judgment, written and verbal communication skills, and ability to deliver practical, business-oriented advice
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and take ownership in a fast-paced environment
• A growth mindset — you're not just here to execute; you want to learn, contribute broadly, and help shape the IP function as the company scales
• Experience in or exposure to open source legal matters or trademark is a plus but not required

Every Snowflake employee is expected to follow the company’s confidentiality and security standards for handling sensitive data. Snowflake employees must abide by the company’s data security plan as an essential part of their duties. It is every employee's duty to keep customer information secure and confidential.

Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.

How do you want to make your impact?

For jobs located in the United States, please visit the job posting on the Snowflake Careers Site for salary and benefits information: careers.snowflake.com

The following represents the expected range of compensation for this role:

• The estimated base salary range for this role is $177,000 - $232,000.
• Additionally, this role is eligible to participate in Snowflake’s bonus and equity plan.

The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location. This role is also eligible for a competitive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending & health savings account; at least 12 paid holidays; paid time off; parental leave; employee assistance program; and other company benefits.

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