Senior Manager, Patent Operations

About Gowling Wlg

At Gowling WLG, our commitment to excellence begins with our people. As an international law firm with offices in Canada, the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, we’re proud to recruit and retain top talent who bring energy, insight, and a singular focus on delivering exceptional experiences – for our clients and each other.

We’re intentional about building a workplace that’s both high-performing and supportive, ensuring that everyone is empowered to do their best work and reach their full potential. Our culture is grounded in our shared values: Raise the Bar, Embrace Differences, and Thrive Together. These values shape how we collaborate, lead, and succeed – across teams, time zones, and career paths.

Whether you’re pursuing a role in law or business services, explore what’s possible and make your mark with Gowling WLG.

PROFILE

Gowling WLG is seeking a Senior Manager, Patent Operations to join our Intellectual Property team. Reporting to the Director, Intellectual Property Operations, this national leadership role is responsible for overseeing the delivery of patent prosecution support services across the firm's Canadian and international offices.

The successful candidate will be an experienced people leader with extensive knowledge of Canadian and foreign patent prosecution practices. They will play a key role in driving operational excellence, standardizing processes, supporting strategic initiatives, and leading a high-performing team dedicated to exceptional client service.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to the patent prosecution support team, ensuring the effective delivery of patent prosecution support services across the firm.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a national team of patent prosecution support staff fostering a high-performing and client-focused culture.
• Drive consistency and operational excellence by establishing and enhancing patent prosecution processes, workflows, and best practices.
• Partner with Intellectual Property professionals and business leaders to ensure exceptional client service and efficient support of patent matters.
• Lead workforce planning initiatives, including recruitment, performance management, and employee development.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, service delivery, and team effectiveness through continuous process improvement.
• Manage key operational and administrative functions, including oversight of Intellectual Property deposit accounts and related compliance requirements.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal stakeholders, clients, and external organizations, including CIPO, USPTO, and WIPO.
• Other duties as required.
  
  

Qualifications

• University degree or college diploma in a related discipline.
• Minimum 12 years of Intellectual Property support experience with a focus on patent prosecution.
• Minimum 8 years of leadership experience managing and developing teams.
• Thorough knowledge of Canadian and foreign patent prosecution practices.
• Strong verbal and written communication.
• Detail oriented with strong time and project management skills.
• Ability to lead an effective, results-oriented team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; Inprotech experience is an asset.
• Bilingualism (English/French) would be considered an asset.
  
  

Benefits/Perks

Gowling WLG’s total rewards program is designed to foster a culture where high performance and personal well-being go hand-in-hand. We support your career and life with:

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and mental health coverage, plus an annual lifestyle spending allowance
• Benefits coverage for Firm members and their dependents from day one!
• 15+ vacation days and hybrid work flexibility
• Parental leave top-up for 26 weeks (after 12 months of full-time employment)
• Group Retirement Savings Plan with employer match
• Financial protection through short & long-term disability, life, accident & critical illness insurance
• Employee & Family Assistance Program, guided CBT, and an internal network of 120+ trained Mental Health First Aid responders
• Recognition awards, appreciation events, and a supportive, collaborative work culture
• Perks and preferred pricing programs, referral bonuses and more
  
  

The target base compensation for this role is $150,000 – 170,000. Starting salary will be determined based on an applicant’s individual skills, competencies and unique qualifications. Gowling WLG employees have the potential to exceed this range based on tenure and performance.

This position is currently vacant and is open to both internal and external candidates. Gowling WLG is recruiting for this role to support ongoing firm needs and team operations.

This employer may use tools within our applicant tracking system that include artificial intelligence–supported features, such as automated candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all screening, assessments, and selections are reviewed and completed by human recruiters and hiring managers.

Gowling WLG is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are in need of accommodation or support at any time during the recruitment process, please let us know.