Intellectual Property Engineer

Senior Intellectual Property Engineer

Location: Dallas Fort Worth Metro Area / In Person

Employment Type: Full-Time

ABOUT US

We are a stealth defense technology startup operating at the intersection of advanced hardware, modern manufacturing, and next-generation AI-enabled manufacturing software. Our mission is to design, build, and deliver real systems that address urgent strategic and industrial capability needs today.

The company is fully funded and has confirmed customer demand with orders exceeding projected manufacturing capacity through 2028.

Our team combines deep technical expertise across multiple disciplines with the operational rigor required to design, manufacture, deploy, and support systems in demanding real-world environments.

Our culture values execution, builders, doers, and ownership. We move quickly, solve hard problems, and take pride in turning ideas into working systems that deliver meaningful results for our customers and mission partners. If you enjoy building real systems and solving hard problems, we would like to learn more about you.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for an Intellectual Property Engineer to join our growing team in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Metro Area, TX.

This role is to help build and scale the company’s IP capability from the ground up. This person will work closely with technical teams to identify inventions, evaluate patentability, support patent drafting and prosecution, coordinate prior-art and competitive analysis, and help shape an IP strategy that supports product development, customer deployment, and long-term enterprise value.

The right candidate can move fluidly between engineering detail and strategic judgment. They should be comfortable sitting with technical teams to understand how a system actually works, then converting that into clear invention disclosures, claim-supporting technical narratives, and practical recommendations on what is worth protecting, what should remain trade secret, and where potential IP risk exists. Current IP-engineer and patent-agent roles commonly emphasize this bridge between engineers, outside counsel, product, and leadership.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Partner with mechanical, electrical, software, controls, robotics, manufacturing, and systems engineers to identify patentable innovations early in the development cycle.

• Lead invention intake and disclosure workflows, including inventor interviews, technical writeups, and documentation of key differentiators.

• Conduct and coordinate prior-art searches, patentability assessments, and technical landscape reviews.

• Work with outside patent counsel and internal stakeholders to support patent drafting, filing, prosecution, continuations, and international filing strategy.

• Help develop practical freedom-to-operate assessments for new products, subsystems, manufacturing methods, and design changes.

• Monitor competitor filings, adjacent technology trends, and emerging patent activity relevant to the company’s roadmap.

• Support technical analysis related to infringement risk, design-arounds, licensing discussions, and due diligence efforts.

• Build internal processes, templates, and operating mechanisms for invention harvesting, portfolio review, docket visibility, and patent committee decisions.

• Advise engineering and leadership on when to pursue patent protection versus trade secret treatment.

• Maintain strong alignment between IP activity and the company’s commercial priorities, product roadmap, and long-term strategic positioning.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.

• Strong ability to understand and discuss complex technical systems across hardware and software domains.

• Experience working with patents, invention disclosures, prior-art review, or technical IP matters in an engineering, R&D, legal, or patent-support environment.

• Strong technical writing skills with the ability to convert engineering work into clear, defensible written documentation.

• Working knowledge of patent concepts, including patentability, novelty, non-obviousness, prosecution, and freedom to operate.

• Ability to manage multiple technical matters simultaneously in a fast-paced product environment.

• Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to handle confidential technical information.

• Excellent cross-functional communication skills and comfort working directly with engineers, executives, and external counsel.

• Ability to operate effectively in fast-moving environments with high operational urgency

• Willingness to spend time on factory floors, test facilities, and deployment environments

• Local to or willingness to relocate to the Dallas / Ft. Worth metro area

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in a relevant engineering or technical field.

• Prior experience at a hardware, robotics, aerospace, defense, automotive, semiconductor, energy, or advanced manufacturing company.

• Experience supporting patent prosecution, claim charting, invalidity analysis, FTO reviews, or competitive patent landscaping.

• Familiarity with U.S. and international filing processes, including PCT workflows.

• Experience working with outside patent counsel, docketing tools, or internal IP portfolio processes.

• USPTO examiner, patent agent, or closely related IP experience is a plus.

• Familiarity with trade secret strategy, export-controlled environments, or classified / sensitive technical development environments is a plus.

BENEFITS

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

• Paid Time Off (PTO)

• 401(k) Plan

• Relocation Assistance: depending on role eligibility.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.