Overview

We9re hiring a Program Manager to run the operational core of our business development and licensing efforts. The primary focus of this role is coordinating our partnership pipeline and licensing program - tracking deals, researching prospects, supporting negotiations, and keeping leadership informed. As a secondary responsibility, you9ll also help coordinate the activities of our strong, growing patent portfolio (invention disclosures, prosecution tracking) so that what we protect and what we license or partner around stay connected.

This is an execution and coordination role, not a strategy-setting or senior-negotiator role. Because you9ll be evaluating technical fit with potential partners and licensees, and occasionally reading patent claims against hardware designs, a solid technical background in our domain is required, not just a nice-to-have.

In your application, please 1) include a cover letter and resume, 2) highlight any part of your background (job responsibilities, accomplishments, degrees, grades) that persuasively describes your preparation for the role, 3) list any coursework in engineering and law, and 4) share any languages in which you can hold a business-level conversation.

This is a full-time position and it is expected to be in-office 4 days per week with 1 day flexible for in-office or remote work. Our office is located in Berkeley, CA.

What you9ll do

Business Development & Licensing (primary focus)

• Coordinate the partnership and licensing deal pipeline - tracking active conversations, deal status, next steps, and deadlines across business development efforts
• Research potential customers, partners, licensees, and licensors; prepare briefing materials and target lists for leadership
• Support negotiations by preparing materials, tracking deal terms, and coordinating redlines with outside counsel
• Manage deal logistics (NDAs, meeting coordination, data room management) across business development activity
• Maintain licensing program tracking: royalty payments and license compliance
• Coordinate with Finance on royalty invoicing, revenue recognition, and forecasting
• Track and report on program-wide metrics (pipeline health, deal velocity, revenue) for leadership visibility

Patents (secondary focus)

• Support invention harvesting by coordinating with engineering teams and helping capture invention disclosures
• Track patent applications through prosecution - deadlines, office actions, and continuation/divisional opportunities - in coordination with outside patent counsel
• Maintain the internal portfolio map (what9s filed, issued, pending) and how it connects to active or prospective deals
• Help prepare claim charts and technical summaries used in licensing or partnership discussions

Cross-cutting

• Build and maintain shared tracking systems and dashboards across business development workstreams and patent portfolio activities so leadership has one clear view of program status
• Manage relationships and follow-ups with external partners as needed
• Identify and implement process improvements as these functions grow and formalize
• Prepare research, analysis, and materials that support senior leadership in strategy discussions and negotiations

What you9ll bring

Technical expertise

• 3-5+ years of experience in some combination of licensing, partnerships, &/or IP/patent operations, ideally in a hardware or electronics environment
• Fluency and experience with a range of licensing structures
• Experience preparing pitch materials for potential business partners
• Comfortable working with technical and legal material (partnership/license agreements, patent claims); able to translate between engineers and legal/business counterparts fluently
• Bachelor9s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, or a related technical field

Technical expertise (nice-to-have)

• Legal training in patent law and/or licensing
• Advanced engineering degree

Communication and cross-functional collaboration

• Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills
• Ease in working cross-functionally with all departments and all levels of the company
• Strong organization and coordination skills
• Track record managing multiple concurrent workstreams and deadlines across different stakeholders
• Ability to communicate in multiple languages (nice-to-have)

Joy and passion for work

• Comfort in an always-changing start-up environment
• Willing to step into whatever project or situation needs your assistance
• Calm under pressure. You bring clarity when things get chaotic.
• Comfortable operating in a program that spans multiple functions and isn9t fully standardized yet
• Low ego, high accountability. You collaborate cross-functionally with openness.
• Mission-driven. You care about electrification and building products that truly serve customers.

Location

This is an in-office role that is on site four days with 1 day flexible for in-office or remote work. Our office is located in Berkeley, CA.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this role is $160,000-$190,000. We are committed to equitable compensation and we offer a generous benefits package to make sure you have the support you need.