Senior Patent Specialist

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Patent Specialist / In-House Patent Agent. Location: Burnaby, Canada (Remote within Canada)

Responsibilities:

• Draft and prosecute patents across multiple technical disciplines, using judgment in strategy and execution
• Understand the company’s quantum technology and identify valuable, protectable innovations in collaboration with inventors
• Build strong relationships with the IP team, technical teams, and other stakeholders to support cross-functional collaboration
• Manage a portion of the company’s IP portfolio, identifying risks, opportunities, and areas for improvement
• Educate and advise colleagues on IP best practices, processes, and considerations;
• Handle a substantial and varied workload, ensuring timely and high-quality execution aligned with business priorities
• Identify process improvements within IP workflows and contribute ideas to enhance efficiency

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in software, physics, math, computer science, electrical engineering, or related field
• 4+ years of experience drafting and prosecuting patent applications before a patent office;
• Registration as a Canadian patent agent or equivalent qualifications is an asset
• International patent prosecution experience is an asset
• Effective written and verbal communication skills to explain IP concepts to technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to build and maintain productive cross-departmental relationships;
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and ability to manage priorities and deadlines
• Curiosity, growth mindset, and genuine interest in innovative technology and IP strategy

Preferred:

• Canadian patent agent registration (if not already held)
• International patent prosecution experience

Benefits and Compensation:

• Competitive salary: 88,000 - 132,000 CAD per year
• Company ownership opportunities, equity, bonus, and meaningful perks;
• Range of benefits designed to support career growth, wellbeing, and work-life balance
• Remote work available within Canada

Other Information:

• D-Wave is committed to inclusion and equal employment opportunity
• No 3rd party candidates accepted;
• The final offer will be determined by the candidate’s proficiency and alignment with the role’s level

Since this is a legal/IP-focused role, there are no technical hardware or software skills required, but the candidate should understand quantum technology broadly to advise on patents.