Corporate Counsel, IP

Okta is the World’s Identity Company. As a cloud-first SaaS provider, our mission is to enable any organization to use any technology by providing world-class security and identity solutions. The Okta Legal team is a high-impact group of professionals dedicated to navigating the complex landscape of technology law while fueling innovation. We are looking for a sharp, collaborative IP lawyer with a software engineering, computer science, or electrical engineering background to help protect our innovations and brand, and continuously shape and refine our global IP strategy.

More specifically, we seek to hire a Patent Attorney with a software and patent prosecution background and relevant technical degree (CS, EE, or ECE) to work with Okta’s legal and business teams to further develop Okta’s global patent portfolio and corresponding strategy. The scope of the role includes identifying patentable inventions and securing corresponding patent assets, providing expert technical and legal analysis, handling patent challenges, providing guidance on patent transactions and licensing matters, and supporting M&A and litigation. 

The ideal candidate will also have experience with or a strong interest in handling and/or supporting all other aspects of Okta’s intellectual property work, including trademark, copyright, and trade secrets and will support other legal projects as required.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Portfolio Management & Strategic Advice

• Oversee the lifecycle of Okta’s IP assets, ensuring alignment with corporate development and business goals.
• Refine and execute offensive and defensive IP strategies to maintain Okta’s competitive edge in the identity market.
• Serve as an advisor on IP-related business risks and emerging legal trends.
• Translate complex IP concepts into business-oriented advice for non-legal stakeholders.
• Refine company-wide IP policies, including invention disclosure programs and patent incentive schemes.

Patent 

• Partner with engineering and product teams to identify patentable inventions and develop patent literacy among them.
• Collaborate with outside counsel on the drafting and prosecution of high-quality patent applications.
• Develop knowledge of industry’s patent landscape to guide patent strategy and approach to patent drafting.
• Refine Okta’s patent strategy to ensure broad protection of our core technologies and to put forward-looking systems in place to identify and protect our next-generation ideas.

Other IP Issues

• Advise on strategic trade secret issues and help implement related policies.
• Help provide guidance on software copyright protection and the use of OSS within Okta products, and manage copyright claims.
• Support the protection of the Okta and Auth0 brands through trademark registration and enforcement. 
• Advise on interesting legal issues related to API integrations, digital content, professional services and developer agreements, and more.
• Draft, review, and negotiate IP-specific provisions in MSAs, JDAs, vendor contracts, and licensing agreements.
• Conduct IP due diligence for potential acquisitions and draft IP-related closing documents and transition service agreements.

Compliance and Policy

• Assist with IP-related compliance issues and industry standards relevant to SaaS and cybersecurity.
• Deliver training to employees on IP best practices and confidentiality.

Litigation 

• Support all phases of IP litigation.

Qualifications

• Education & Credentials:
  • J.D. from an accredited law school and active Bar membership.
  • Undergraduate or graduate degree(s) in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or the like.
  • USPTO Registered Patent Attorney.

• Experience:
  • 5+ years of IP experience, including software patent prosecution.

• Technical Savvy:
  • Experience with SaaS, cloud-based softw...