Patent Engineer Microsoft
Redmond, WA

Job Description

Patents are a key element of Microsoft's strategy - from establishing the value of Microsoft's longstanding R&D investments through our patent licensing programs to creating and maintaining industry differentiating intellectual property to augmenting Microsoft's patent position through targeted licenses, acquisitions, and alliances with industry players. The Intellectual Property Group's (IPG) Patent Engineering group is a collection of interdisciplinary teams at the center of these activities.

We are looking for a unique individual who combines a deep knowledge of multimedia technologies, a curiosity to understand technology markets, compete ecosystems, product implementations and the underlying trends driving them, and a passion for creative, strategic thinking about the future of Microsoft with an interest in learning about patents and intellectual property.

Desired qualifications:

* Ideal candidates will have prior experience with signal processing algorithms, developing multimedia standards, competitor investigations and/or analysis, black box testing, reverse engineering, hardware and software debugging.
* Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex situations to diverse audiences
* Demonstrated outstanding written and verbal communication
* Demonstrated advanced knowledge of Excel, proficiency in PowerPoint and ability to ramp quickly on a variety of analytical patent tools
* Demonstrated ability to partner on projects with others, working across the IP organization
* Experience in patent analysis and/or supporting patent licensing activities is desirable but not required

Required:

* A B.S. degree (M.S. or Ph.D preferred) in electrical engineering, computer science or similar area, or significant work experience in software development and/or technical program management.
* 5+ years' work and/or research experience in one or more of the following multimedia related technologies and applications:
* Computer Graphics Technologies including applications such Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Gaming
* Camera Technologies and applications including depth camera processing

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

In this role you will work closely with licensing executives, engineers in Microsoft's various businesses, and patent prosecution and litigation attorneys in support of Microsoft's patent development, licensing programs, litigation efforts and acquisition efforts. Exemplary responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:

* Contributing to IPG's strategy development process by applying your technical proficiency and creative problem solving skills to recognize market trends, opportunities and threats
* Researching emerging technology areas, including working with Microsoft engineering teams, to identify critical areas of technology that will be important to Microsoft in the near future
* Identifying and analyzing patents in Microsoft's portfolio that may be relevant to technologies that are being deployed and/or used widely in industry
* Maintaining your technical skill set and hands-on subject matter expertise in the technologies that are being deployed and/or used widely in industry
* Performing analysis, reverse engineering, testing and investigations on technologies that are being deployed and or used widely in industry
* Analyzing 3rd party patent portfolios for acquisition, and in support of licensing negotiations or litigation
* Reviewing 3rd party patents, when necessary,
* Reviewing patent applications during key points during the patent lifecycle and providing detailed guidance on prosecution, international filing decisions, continuations, abandonments, etc.
* Reviewing potential ideas coming from inventors all over Microsoft and providing input on which ones should be patented
* Assisting with managing and reviewing work product of external vendors that provide portfolio analysis and patent mapping services