Senior Trade Mark Counsel

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.
Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.
Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

The Senior Trade mark Counsel is a global role within the Oral Health Legal team, reporting to the Legal Head of Category.

The position will serve as a trusted business partner to the Category and cross-functional stakeholders, providing pragmatic, strategic legal counsel and intellectual property guidance across trademarks, copyright, domain names, and related rights for Haleon's Oral Health Category

It will also be responsible for shaping and executing the global trademark strategy for Oral Health across the full brand lifecycle from clearance and protection to enforcement, transactions, and litigation.

We are seeking an individual with a practical, solutions-oriented mindset who combines strong legal and commercial expertise, demonstrates continuous improvement mindset which proactively anticipates risk, accelerates decision making.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted business partner by proactively embedding with cross functional teams to provide pragmatic, strategic legal counsel that anticipates risk, accelerates decision making, and enables the company’s long term commercial objectives.

• Counsels, advises and guides global teams and regional Operating Units on trademark issues for the Oral Health Category.

• Implements trademarks strategies with all relevant stakeholders.

• Directs the entire lifecycle of brand portfolio globally: clearance, protection, prosecution, enforcement, transactions.

• Advises Category on risks that new launches infringe 3rd party rights via clearance.

• Sets strategy for protecting key launches.

• Advises on and protects other IP rights such as copyright, domains and designs.

• Sets strategic direction on all trademark enforcement and litigation matters, to ensure that competitors are not unfairly taking advantage of Haleon’s rights.

• Advises Category and local markets on trademark issues and risks affecting their brands/products.

• Instructs external counsel on key actions and directs paralegals.

• Assists Category Legal team in heading improvements and simplification of processes, ways of working, and trademarks systems

• Keeps up with relevant legal, regulatory or policy developments that may impact the Company’s brands and intellectual property rights, advises on potential legal risks, and assists with the set up and implementation of intellectual property policies and processes to manage such risks.

• Manages the negotiation and drafting of significant trademarks agreements. Provides intellectual property support in relation to M&A activities, divestment, licensing, joint ventures, and corporate restructuring.

• Manages spend and forecasting for his or her portfolio of brands and cases.

• Delivers enterprise-wide intellectual property training tailored to Category needs.

• Prepares and updates resources to facilitate enterprise-wide empowerment and accountability of stakeholders in the management of trademarks and intellectual property generally.

• Interacts with all types of Haleon stakeholders in matters related to global and enterprise-wide legal matters, fostering a cross-functional community of practice needed on behalf of the entire company.

Qualifications and skills

• UK Qualified Solicitor or other European or US jurisdiction, or equivalent degree from an accredited law school with bar qualification

• Demonstrated experience practicing intellectual property law (law firm experience highly desirable)

• Deep knowledge of trademark and copyright law

• Experience in design, domain name, digital, contract, licensing, right of publicity and privacy law is a plus

• Collaborative and team orientated mindset promoting innovation and motivation throughout the team

• Excellent written, oral, listening, and organisational skills with proven ability to interact effectively with varied audiences

• Ability to work under pressure, prioritise and manage workload, manage simultaneous tasks, and meet deadlines in a changing, fast paced environment

• Strong interpersonal skills, intercultural competence, and emotional intelligence

This role will be based at London Bankside with occasional travel to the Weybridge Site (once every 2 weeks to once a month).

 Job Posting End Date

Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.
During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees. 
The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.

If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence. 

The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.