About the position
Our Marine organization is a trusted provider of innovative solutions for the worldwide boating and boat building industry, and we recently expanded our scope to lead the boating industry into an electrified future. Dometic has won numerous NMMA Innovation Awards over the years, and we are always striving for new ways to make boating easier, safer, and more enjoyable.
We are on a journey of continuous growth – now looking for our next star – a passionate Patent Specialist. This position reports to the Director of Engineering and will work in Vancouver, BC.
Vancouver:
Dometic Marine’s headquarters are in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. The facility develops and manufactures hydraulic, electronic, and combustion-based products.
As a Patent Specialist of the Vancouver Team, you will protect Dometic’s innovations by turning concepts into strong strategic IP. The role serves as the link between engineering and external counsel in identifying, evaluating, and prosecuting patentable ideas.
General Responsibilities:
Invention Disclosure Management
o Extract and assess inventions from engineering teams and convert concepts into clear, actionable disclosures.
o Act as the primary bridge between engineering, external patent counsel, and Global IP team to clarify technical details and lead execution.
Patentability Assessment
o Conduct or coordinate prior art searches
o Evaluate novelty, commercial value, competitive space, and potential claim scope; provide filing recommendations.
o Standardize search methodology and prior art reporting to ensure consistency and quality.
Prepare Filings
o Prepare supporting documentation including technical explanations, drawings direction, and embodiments.
o Collaborate with external counsel on drafting and filing to maximize claim breadth and coverage quality.
o Ensure all filing deadlines are met through proactive coordination with Global IP team, inventors, engineering leaders, program managers, and counsel.
FTO & Infringement Avoidance
o Conduct or coordinate Freedom to Operate (FTO) searches and assess infringement risk during product development.
o Partner with Global IP department to classify risk levels; work with engineering to propose and validate design around options.
o Lead FTO clearance opinions and invalidation efforts when necessary.
o Monitor competitor patents and proactively identify emerging infringement risks.
Portfolio Management
o Maintain and update the database of all Dometic Marine patents and applications.
o Manage granted patents for continuation decisions, abandonment strategy, or potential licensing opportunities.
o Manage costs related to applications, searches, maintenance, clearance activities, annuities, and litigation.
Process & Training
o Support updates to product development process related to IP and integrate IP checkpoints into engineering workflows.
o Educate engineering teams through in person sessions and ongoing reinforcement of invention awareness.
Technology Watch
o Curate and share relevant technology trends, inventive concepts, and competitive signals with engineering teams.
What do we offer?
You are offered an interesting role in a dynamic, fast paced and global environment with great opportunities to grow, evolve with the company and take on new challenges.
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Disability insurance (STD/LTD)
- Retirement Programs (RSP and Company Pension Plan)
- Paid Vacation
- Statutory Holidays
- Free on-site parking
- Tuition and Professional Designation dues assistance
- Employee discounts on our incredible products
- Company events
- Opportunities to make an impact
Skills & Requirements
We believe ideal candidates are either:
1. IP Practitioners: Individuals with a formal or informal background in intellectual property who are eager to apply their expertise to Dometic’s products and technologies.
OR
2. Engineers Transitioning into IP: Engineers interested in developing specialized skills in intellectual property. Dometic will support this growth through structured skills development opportunities, including potential external training, as well as collaboration and mentorship from experienced IP practitioners.
- Undergraduate or graduate degree in Engineering or related technical field or equivalent IP experience
Desirable experience:
- Experience with patents, invention disclosures, or prior-art research
- Engineering experience in product design or development
- Experience with freedom to operate analyses
- Experience with IP management systems / software (e.g.: Patricia or similar)
- Experience with searching IP databases or using search tools
- Patent Agent qualification or relevant IP coursework is an asset but not required
- US IP law qualification and 5+ years experience in clearance and prosecution work
To be successful in this role, we believe that you possess the following skills, competencies & characteristics:
- Passion for product development, with the ability to understand engineering concepts, identify inventions, and apply IP knowledge pragmatically.
- Strong learning agility, quickly absorbing new technologies and concepts.
- Clear communication skills, capable of translating technical details and legal guidance between engineering teams, Global IP, and counsel.
- Influence and relationship building, earning trust across engineering, leadership, Global IP team, and external partners.
- Curiosity and genuine interest in innovative technologies and IP strategy.
- High reliability and discipline, managing strict deadlines, multiple stakeholders, and complex workflows with consistency.
- Strong organizational rigor, bringing structure to searches, documentation, pipeline tracking, and portfolio processes.
Dometic’s Core Values
To thrive and succeed in this role, you understand the importance of our core values – Together We build our future, We play to win, We embrace change and We walk the talk; these values reflect the heart and soul of Dometic and they define what it takes to work here and how we do things.
Are you our next star? Then we would love to see your application.
Dometic is passionate about building together an inclusive and equitable working environment, that respects individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that diversity enables us to thrive across our differences. Be yourself and join us!
Dometic is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Dometic evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Pay Range : $90,000- $170,000 CAD
