Job Description:Senior Legal Specialist (Paralegal) - Marketing & InnovationIn this highly collaborative and influential role, you will act as a proactive partner and strategic safeguard for Mars's intellectual property. Working closely with attorneys, marketing leaders, R&D innovators, and external counsel, you will drive the day-to-day administrative and portfolio management support for our trademarks, patents, design rights, and copyrights. By maintaining impeccable data quality, monitoring critical dockets, and coordinating seamlessly with the Mars Center of Legal Excellence (CoLE), you will ensure our global IP assets are shielded and positioned for growth. If you thrive in a fast-paced, highly confidential environment and possess a passion for legal operations and brand stewardship, this is your opportunity to drive excellence on a truly global scale.
What are we looking for?- Extensive Paralegal Experience: 12+ years of paralegal experience in-house or within a major law firm, with demonstrated success supporting a global intellectual property practice across multiple business units.
- Educational Foundation: GED or High School diploma is required; a Bachelor's degree and a Paralegal Certificate (or equivalent experience) are highly preferred.
- IP & Legal Operations Expertise: Robust experience in IP portfolio management, docketing, and legal operations, with a strong focus on trademark and patent administration, prosecution formalities, and external counsel coordination.
- Confidentiality & Discretion: Proven ability to handle highly confidential business information, trade secrets, and sensitive assets with the utmost care, discretion, and administrative discipline.
- Tech & Tool Savviness: Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and patent/trademark systems (e.g., Symphony, Questel, Patbase, EPO/USPTO websites), along with the ability to quickly master new digital programs.
- Responsible AI Integration: Proficiency in utilizing AI tools (like CoPilot, NEO/Gemini) efficiently and responsibly in accordance with the Mars Responsible AI Policy [source: 1].
- Agility & Autonomy: Strong initiative and ability to work independently on complex projects, with a proven knack for prioritizing conflicting demands from multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
- Global Collaboration & Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the organizational savviness and cultural sensitivity required to collaborate effectively with diverse global Associates.
Nice-to-Haves:- Prior experience within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) or consumer product industry.
- Familiarity with financial workflows, including invoice processing, budget tracking, and cost allocation.
- A proactive commitment to job-related continuing education.
What will be your key responsibilities?With oversight from the Assistant General Counsels or Senior Counsel - Marketing & Innovation, you will be responsible for:
- Portfolio & Docket Management: Support the day-to-day management of global trademark and patent portfolios, including deadline tracking, docket monitoring, formalities coordination, and facilitating regular docketing reviews with attorneys.
- Filing & Prosecution Coordination: Assist with filing, prosecution, extension, validation, renewal, and maintenance activities by coordinating with external counsel, the Mars Center of Legal Excellence (CoLE), and global patent/trademark offices.
- Document Preparation & Signature Execution: Prepare, review, and organize essential legal documents (e.g., powers of attorney, assignments, declarations, Information Disclosure Statements/IDS) and coordinate global signature and execution processes.
- Data Integrity & Record Keeping: Maintain highly accurate, complete, and up-to-date IP records, including bibliographic data, legal status, and cost histories, enabling data-driven decisions and reporting.
- Clearance & Dispute Support: Assist with freedom-to-operate clearances, brand enforcement, online marketplace actions, disputes, litigation, and due diligence by collecting evidence, interviewing associates, and organizing materials.
- Financial & Administrative Support: Track external counsel invoices, assist with budget monitoring, and support cost allocation/reporting across the portfolios.
- Steering Committees & Reporting: Prepare performance dashboards, statistics (e.g., Boston square analyses, patent-to-product mapping), and reporting extracts to facilitate IP Steering Committee reviews and team decision-making.
- Process Standardization & AI Adoption: Ensure consistent application of internal IP processes, templates, confidentiality standards, and compliance policies, utilizing tools like Gemini/NEO efficiently to optimize workflows.
What can you expect from Mars?- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose-driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
