Manager, Intellectual Property at MTN Nigeria

Employment Status: Permanent
Department: Corporate Services Management

Job Description

• Lead strategic initiatives concerning intellectual property (IP) and develop IP strategies that align with the company’s overall business strategy.
• Develop internal IP policies for the company, with a view to ensuring that IP created within the organization are harnessed and secured
• Manage the company’s copyrights, trademarks, patents, and design portfolio in line with best practice and international standards.
• Ensure that the company’s IP/Technology assets are strongly protected in all trading countries and other key markets.
• Support the shareholder return strategy by developing and implementing processes that are aligned to achieving all elements on the business scorecard. (i.e. net promoter score (NPS), grow market share, grow ICT & data revenue, increase ebitda margins, assure revenue, capex returns management and net subscriber additions).
• Manage the company’s copyrights, trademarks, patents, and designs portfolio in line with best practice and international standards.
• Conduct periodic IP audits of divisions within the company in order to identify and protect otherwise unidentified intellectual property.
• Develop strategies to ensure that the company’s intellectual property assets are converted into commercial and/or strategic value;
• Serve all internal customers and provide solutions to improve the customer experience.
• Manage external counsel and service providers effectively and efficiently within budget.
• Protect the organization's assets in the area of intellectual property and provide risk or legal counseling to all business units companywide.
• Advice the company on cross-border patent and trademark filing strategies.
• Participate in think tank sessions influencing ip policies in the telecommunications industry.
• Advise on, negotiate and draft various IP-related and technology contracts including software license agreements, technology license agreements, cloud services agreements, software/technology development agreements, etc.;
• Advise the company on managing risk relating to data protection and privacy, technology and software development, branding and marketing, etc.
• Providing ongoing legal opinions and advice to business divisions within the company on legal issues relating to innovation and technology.
• Minimize the exposure of the company to legal liabilities as it relates to ip and provide legal opinions on third party ip claims, including litigation and trade opposition proceedings.
• Manage IP enforcement, including litigation, anti-counterfeiting, cease & desist letters, competitor monitoring etc.
• Ensure compliance of the company with all applicable laws, and provide advice on legal obligations and implications on the company’s transactions and policies as it relates to ip and technology
• Ensure company ip is strongly protected in all trading countries and other key markets.
• Ensure IP clearance for safe use of all new product names and designs, and trademark and design protection as appropriate.
• Drive knowledge management and best practice sharing within own unit/department/division/enterprise-wide as required.
• Continuously seek self-professional development to sharpen skills and capabilities in a versatile and evolving digital landscape.
• Coach and mentor team members to ensure understanding of the objectives and goals of the team/unit, awareness of all related job requirements and accountabilities and leverage human resources career development programs for staff career development.
• Review the performance of individual team members and complete appraisals in accordance with enterprise-wide time schedule.
• Direct and monitor work of subordinates
• Advise the organization on possible financial impacts of legislation and regulations.
• Guide the organization in regards to telecom regulations, legislations and license conditions.
• Assess performance of teams and staff members
• Manage complexities and interaction between MTN initiatives and MTNN licensing agreement.

Job Condition

• Normal MTNN working conditions.

Requirements, Experience & Training
Education:

• LLB, BL
• Licensed to practice law in Nigeria (Nigerian law school certificate)
• Relevant IP law certifications.

Experience:

• 6 -13 years’ experience which includes:
  • Experience in an area of specialization; with experience in supervising/managing others
• Experience working in a medium to large organization
• Experience in IP/Technology law and practice
• In depth experience and understanding of the Nigerian framework.

Training:

• IP portfolio management
• Telecommunications regulatory master class
• Arbitration and alternative dispute resolution initiatives
• Labour and pension laws and regulations
• Effective drafting and negotiation skills for lawyers in corporate entities
• Management of external solicitors and litigation
• Effective debt recovery and debt management strategies
• Finance for lawyers
• Copyright laws and intellectual property rights
• Effective due diligence and legal investigations.

Minimum Qualification

• LLB