What are the responsibilities and job description for the Intellectual Property Attorney position at Cantrell - Gainco?
Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney
We are seeking an experienced Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney to lead and advance our global IP strategy across a diverse portfolio of patented technologies, engineered products, and internationally recognized brands. In this newly created role, you will establish a central IP capability that works in collaboration with IP functions currently embedded within business units and engineering teams around the world.
The ideal candidate brings strategic IP leadership experience on a global scale, with a proven ability to protect innovation, lead enforcement actions, and translate complex legal frameworks into clear commercial strategy.
The successful candidate will reside in any of the following preferred metropolitan locations: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, or Houston.
What You’ll Do in This Role:
Drive Global IP Strategy
- Lead the development and execution of a forward-looking global IP strategy aligned with company growth plans.
- Build a centralized IP framework covering patent filings, portfolio management, freedom-to-operate evaluation, and enforcement.
Protect Innovation & Strengthen Market Position
- Partner with R&D to identify innovation early and protect core technologies and product configurations.
- Conduct proactive landscape monitoring to identify risks and enforcement opportunities.
- Lead defensive and offensive IP enforcement actions, including litigation and dispute resolution.
M&A and Global Market Expansion Support
- Lead IP due diligence efforts for mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships in a high-acquisition environment.
- Integrate acquired IP portfolios and ensure alignment with broader strategic objectives.
- Advise leadership on IP implications tied to global expansion and commercial agreements.
Collaborate & Influence
- Act as a strategic legal advisor to product, engineering, marketing, and commercial teams.
- Manage global outside IP counsel with a strong focus on efficiency, value, and strategic alignment.
- Foster a culture of IP awareness and innovation protection across the organization.
Contribute to Broader Legal Initiatives
- As capacity allows, support general corporate legal work including commercial contracts, governance processes, and policy development.
What You Bring:
Required
- JD and active license to practice law.
- Minimum 4 years of experience in international IP management and strategy.
- Proven experience managing patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret portfolios.
- Demonstrated experience in IP litigation and enforcement across jurisdictions.
- Experience supporting M&A IP due diligence.
- Ability to work closely with engineering/R&D in technology-driven environments.
Preferred
- Experience in manufacturing, capital equipment, or engineered products sectors.
- Strong commercial intuition and ability to evaluate IP from a value-creation and risk perspective.
- Experience working within global organizations across multiple regulatory jurisdictions.
- Demonstrated intercultural competence and ability to collaborate across borders.
Who You Are:
You thrive in fast-paced, growth-focused environments, and you bring a balanced approach of strategic thinking and hands-on execution. You are collaborative, business-oriented, and comfortable influencing stakeholders at all levels. You bring strong communication skills, economic thinking, sound legal judgment, and the ability to operate confidently across international markets and legal frameworks.
Why Join the Fortifi Team:
- Opportunity to build and shape a global IP function from the ground up.
- High-impact role in a company with strong growth and acquisition strategy.
- Collaborative culture working alongside General Counsel, European General Counsel, and Compliance leadership.
- Possibility of expanding scope of knowledge into commercial law.
- Global exposure.
Fortifi Food Processing Solutions, and its subsidiary companies, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.