Director, Intellectual Property (Palo Alto)

Match Group is seeking a strategic and experienced Director of Intellectual Property to lead the development, protection, and enforcement of our global IP portfolio across a world-class collection of brands, including Tinder, Hinge, Azar, Match, and OkCupid. This individual will oversee all facets of trademark, copyright, and patent strategy—ranging from prosecution and enforcement to litigation and counseling—and will play a key leadership role in shaping our approach to innovation and brand protection.

The Director will manage two IP professionals and work closely with brand counsel, product, marketing, and engineering stakeholders to deliver clear, collaborative, and business-oriented IP guidance. This role will report to the Vice President, Associate General Counsel – Litigation & IP and is a hybrid position, where you will work in our Dallas, LA, Palo Alto, or New York City office three days a week.

How you'll make an impact:

• Set and lead the strategic vision for Match Group’s global trademark, copyright, and patent portfolios across all brands.
• Develop and oversee all facets of IP strategy including clearance, prosecution, enforcement, oppositions, litigation, licensing, and domain name disputes.
• Serve as a thought leader on IP issues, advising legal and business leadership on protection strategy, risk, and innovation.
• Provide day-to-day IP counseling on issues such as trademark usage, copyright clearance, AI-generated content, open-source use, and feature launches.
• Drive enforcement of the company’s IP rights by investigating infringement, sending cease-and-desist letters, negotiating settlements and coexistence agreements, and managing board proceedings and litigation.
• Partner with internal clients and outside counsel to file and prosecute patents globally, documenting and protecting new innovations.
• Lead IP strategy in connection with new feature development, brand expansion, and potential acquisitions.
• Track, evaluate, and refine IP strategy using metrics tied to enforcement success, innovation capture, portfolio efficiency, and brand equity.
• Draft and refine internal IP policies and playbooks, and deliver practical training to business teams.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with brand attorneys, product teams, and marketing to support IP aspects of commercial and product agreements.
• Supervise and mentor two direct reports, manage external counsel relationships, and oversee the IP team’s budget and resource planning.
• Oversee IP operations, including tools, systems, and vendor relationships supporting global prosecution, maintenance, and enforcement.

We could be a match if:

• You have a J.D. degree and membership in good standing in at least one state bar (Texas preferred).
• You have at least 10 years of experience in intellectual-property law with a top law firm and/or in-house legal department experience, including significant experience leading a team and developing and executing an IP portfolio strategy.
• You have experience with domestic and international patent prosecution and enforcement.
• You have experience enforcing trademarks, copyrights, and patents in litigation and pre-litigation, including researching infringement and infringers, drafting cease & desist letters, negotiating settlements, filing UDRP petitions, and handling inter-partes and ex-parte board proceedings.
• You have excellent writing and editing skills, and are comfortable drafting and revising letters, briefs, and discovery.
• You are an effective communicator, with the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with clients, coworkers, and colleagues.
• You have the ability to work autonomously, issue spot, and provide incisive and pragmatic advice. You are an outside-the-box, strategic thinker.
• You have excellent problem-solving skills and can manage a project from beginning to end.
• You exercise good judgment and a high level of professional integrity.
• You have significant leadership experience and possess the leadership acumen and credibility to inspire confidence among business clients in a high growth business.

What's the team like?

• Our team is highly collaborative, and you will work with cross-functional teams to inspire confidence among business clients in a high-growth business with an approachable, friendly, and patient demeanor.
• Successful individuals on this team have impeccable attention to detail, strong sense of ownership & accountability, and can manage competing expectations, prioritize effectively, and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.

$220,000 - $250,000 a year Factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, job-related skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and business considerations may influence base pay offered. This salary range is reflective of New York, NY and Palo Alto, CA. The salary range for Los Angeles, CA is $210,000-$240,000. The salary range for Dallas, TX is $200,000-$230,000.For all other locations, this salary may be subject to a geographic adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

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