IP Counsel

Ankar

The way companies innovate is broken. The systems built to create and protect ideas can’t keep up with the pace of change. Today, 90% of S&P 500 company value is intangible (e.g., in intellectual property) - yet R&D and IP teams spend half their time buried in manual work, sifting through patents and paperwork instead of pushing the frontier forward. The tools of creating and protecting are stuck in the past. We’re here to fix that. Ankar is building the R&D tools for the AI era and defining what applied research will look like in the next 20 years. We’re building infrastructure and product experiences our customers rely on every day. You’ll translate messy, ambiguous problems into clean, dependable software—and you’ll do it at the cutting-edge of AI. We’re at an inflection point: * We’ve raised >$24M to date from Tier-1 VCs like Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni, and angels like the Founder of Hugging Face, CEO from Datadog, and Leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI. * We’re already working with the world’s most innovative companies including Fortune 500 company L’Oréal and global law firm Vorys * Expanding our world-class team with alumni from Palantir, Amazon, and BCG to tackle the $1T+ innovation market. We’re just getting started. US Expansion Current US Footprint The US will be our largest market; we already have revenue, customers, and pipeline - now we’re building the team to scale it. * Active customers across US corporate IP teams and leading law firms * Mid-five to mid-six figure ARR already coming from US accounts * Ongoing enterprise conversations with larger US-based organizations The US is generating meaningful revenue today without a local team. We’ve validated demand and built pipeline from the UK. Now we’re formalizing our US go-to-market. Next 12 Months Over the next year, our ambition is to : * Build our first US enterprise sales pod (AEs, patent attorneys, GTM support) * Close multiple six-figure enterprise accounts * Establish Ankar as a category leader in AI for patent workflows in the US * Lay the foundations for long-term US infrastructure and leadership This role is not about territory management - it’s a market building role. What you’ll be doing As our Founding US Sales Leader, you’ll build and lead Ankar’s US go-to-market from the ground up. This is a player–coach role. You will personally own and close complex enterprise deals while setting the standard for how we sell in the US. You will: * Own a new-business quota and run full-cycle enterprise deals end-to-end — from sourcing and deep discovery through pilot design, negotiation, and close. * Aggressively land pilots and convert them into long-term, six-figure enterprise accounts. * Spend significant time on the road with customers — building relationships, driving momentum, and developing real conviction in-market. * Establish and enforce high standards across: * Sales process and methodology * Deal qualification and quality * Pipeline discipline and forecasting rigor * Translate complex AI and patent/IP workflows into clear business value for senior stakeholders. * Iterate messaging, positioning, and pricing based on live market feedback. * Hire, coach, and develop future US AEs — raising the bar on execution and culture from day one. * Partner closely with the London team to: * Avoid territory conflicts * Leverage existing relationships and references * Feed US learnings back into the global sales playbook You will report directly to the founders and work closely with the London sales team from day one. This is a true build-from-scratch mandate — with significant ownership, visibility, and long-term upside. What we are looking for You likely: * Have 7+ years of experience in enterprise B2B SaaS sales, with a track record of closing complex, six-figure deals. * Have experience opening new markets, territories, or building sales functions from an early stage. * Are comfortable in a true player–coach role — carrying quota while developing others. * Thrive in ambiguity and can create structure where none exists. * Are confident selling to senior decision-makers in enterprise environments. * Are highly disciplined with pipeline management and forecasting. * Are energized by being in front of customers — and willing to travel heavily in the early days. * [Bonus points] Have experience selling AI, technical platforms, or workflow software into enterprise teams. * [Bonus points] Have sold into law firms, patent attorneys, or in-house IP / R&D functions. * [Bonus points] Have built or scaled a US sales team at an early-stage (Series A/B) company. Culture at Ankar: Culture at Ankar is how we think, build, and operate. We’re building a generational company that redefines how the world’s best R&D teams create and protect ideas. * Contrarian - we think from first principles: We think deeply, question assumptions, and build from first principles. The best ideas come from clarity and rigour. * Creative - we build with taste: We’re building the R&D tools for the AI era and shaping what applied research looks like over the next 20 years. We care about precision, quality, and systems that last. * Competitiveness - we play to win: We move with urgency and set a very high bar for ourselves and each other. Every win raises the bar. Every challenge sharpens us. This role is not for you if... * You need a highly structured environment, a predefined playbook, regular working hours, or a schedule that never requires travel. We operate with high autonomy and ownership, expect our team to go above and beyond, be obsessed with our mission and thrive in ambiguity rather than wait for direction. * You prefer long planning cycles and certainty before acting. We move quickly, ship often, and adapt based on customer feedback and new information. * You want to manage the work rather than do the work. We're builders first, and everyone is expected to contribute directly to creating exceptional products. * You take it personally when ideas are challenged, priorities shift, or work gets redirected. We care more about finding the right answer than defending a particular one.

Ankar

The way companies innovate is broken. The systems built to create and protect ideas can’t keep up with the pace of change. Today, 90% of S&P 500 company value is intangible (e.g., in intellectual property) - yet R&D and IP teams spend half their time buried in manual work, sifting through patents and paperwork instead of pushing the frontier forward. The tools of creating and protecting are stuck in the past. We’re here to fix that.Ankar is building the AI operating system for innovation, reinventing how companies generate and protect their inventions. Our platform orchestrates how ideas become defensible IP with a suite of AI modules such as patent drafting, office action response, and infringement detection.We’re at an inflection point: * We’ve raised >$24M to date from Tier-1 VCs like Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni, and angels like the Founder of Hugging Face, CEO from Datadog, and Leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI. * We’re already working with the world’s most innovative companies including Fortune 500 companies such as L’Oréal and global law firms such as Vorys * Expanding our world-class team with alumni from Palantir, Amazon, and BCG to tackle the $1T+ innovation market. We’re just getting started. We are growing our team and looking for people who take ownership of ambitious projects, solve complex & high-impact problems, and want to play a defining role in building our US presence - bringing a new generation of AI-driven capabilities to market from the ground up. US Revenue Focus The US will be our largest market; we already have early customers, pipeline and revenue in the US and are seeking the person to turn this into a robust pipeline, portfolio and ultimately - scaled operation. Today we have: * Active customers across US corporate IP teams, innovation teams and leading law firms * Mid-five to mid-six figure ARR from US accounts * Ongoing enterprise conversations with larger US-based organizations The US is generating meaningful revenue already, without a local team. We’ve validated demand and built pipeline from the UK. Now we’re formalizing our US go-to-market. Over the next year, our ambition is to: * Close multiple six-figure US enterprise accounts * Lay the foundations for long-term US infrastructure and leadership * Build our first US enterprise sales pod (AEs, patent engineers, GTM support) * Establish Ankar as a category leader in AI for innovation creation and protection in the US What you’ll be doing As one of our Founding AEs, you’ll work closely with our co-founders, SDRs, Patent Engineers and GTM team to drive new business and expand our customer base. You’ll be the spearhead in the US - strategising, operating - opening doors and closing deals, managing your pipeline and the full sales cycle with enterprise and mid-market accounts, helping the world’s most innovative organizations adopt our AI platform to accelerate their IP and R&D work. You will: * Flesh out and develop the US revenue playbook - work with founders to develop the consistent, predictable and scalable motions, proving by way of doing - action and delivery. * Own and drive the end-to-end US sales process: prospecting, discovery, demos, solution positioning, negotiation, and closing (deals ranging $100K-1M ACV) * Build and manage a strong pipeline via outbound, inbound, and industry events. * Develop trusted, long-term relationships with prospects and customers, supporting Ankar’s client base and market position. * Develop and execute our GTM strategy by bringing messaging, ICPs, and sales methodologies to life with rigour and disciplined processes. * Develop and deliver compelling presentations, proposals, and reports tailored to customer needs. * Partner with the founders and the broader sales team to refine our sales processes, share market insights, and contribute to a culture of learning and improvement. * Collaborate with marketing, product, and engineering to provide feedback and influence our roadmap and go-to-market initiatives. This role is for an energetic, curious, and ambitious operator - with exceptional communication and problem-solving skills - who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment. We see this role as a continuous escalator towards taking more responsibility at Ankar. What we are looking for This is a founding AE role. We are not hiring traditional enterprise reps; we are hiring high-agency, revenue-obsessed hunters who can build and close from zero. * Proven 0→1 closer: Demonstrated track record of independently generating pipeline, running an enterprise sales motion and closing multiple 6-figure entreprise deals. You don’t wait for leads; you create and convert them. * End-to-end ownership: Able to run the full sales cycle autonomously, from first touch to close, while leveraging founders for strategic moments (exec alignment, complex negotiations). * Pipeline builder, not pipeline manager: Comfortable operating without brand pull or established playbooks. You know how to break into accounts, multi-thread, and create momentum from scratch. * Executive presence: Credible with C-level stakeholders. You can navigate complex organizations, build trust quickly, and drive decisions across multiple stakeholders. * Thrives in ambiguity: Operates effectively in an unstructured, fast-moving environment. You don’t need a playbook; you help build it. * High slope, low ego: Curious, coachable, and intellectually honest. You actively seek feedback and iterate fast. * Intensity and drive: High energy, high urgency, and deeply motivated by revenue and impact. You show up, push deals forward, and don’t let them stall. * Bonus points if you: * Have sold into patent, legal, or R&D teams (IP, innovation, engineering orgs) this will help reduce ramp, but not required * Have closed deals in ambiguous products / early-stage startups (no clear category, evolving positioning). This is a strong proxy for success at Ankar * Have experience selling technical or AI-driven product, especially where you had to translate complexity into business value * Have built pipeline in new markets or geographies from scratch, this is directly relevant to our US expansion * Have worked closely with founders on deals. This signals your ability to leverage (not depend on) exec involvement. * Have consistently outperformed quota in a high-scrutiny environment e.g. early-stage startup, new segment, or competitive category Culture at Ankar: Culture at Ankar is how we think, build, and operate. We’re building a generational company that redefines how the world’s best R&D teams create and protect ideas. * Contrarian - we think from first principles: We think deeply, question assumptions, and build from first principles. The best ideas come from clarity and rigour. * Creative - we build with taste: We’re building the R&D tools for the AI era and shaping what applied research looks like over the next 20 years. We care about precision, quality, and systems that last. * Competitiveness - we play to win: We move with urgency and set a very high bar for ourselves and each other. Every win raises the bar. Every challenge sharpens us. This role is not for you if... * You need a highly structured environment, a predefined playbook, regular working hours, or a schedule that never requires travel. We operate with high autonomy and ownership, expect our team to go above and beyond, be obsessed with our mission and thrive in ambiguity rather than wait for direction. * You prefer long planning cycles and certainty before acting. We move quickly, ship often, and adapt based on customer feedback and new information. * You want to manage the work rather than do the work. We're builders first, and everyone is expected to contribute directly to creating exceptional products. * You take it personally when ideas are challenged, priorities shift, or work gets redirected. We care more about finding the right answer than defending a particular one.

Jellyfish

About Jellyfish Jellyfish is a full service global digital agency, combining strategy, creative, data and media buying and planning expertise with technology under one integrated roof. With almost 2,000 Jellies across 38 offices worldwide, we are the unconventional global marketing partner of the future. We understand both brand and activation. We ensure our clients reach, influence and connect with the right audiences and fans based on data that reveals the insights to deliver exceptional creative solutions across any platform. In short, we create and deliver culturally relevant creativity that cuts through the clutter and sets hearts (and feeds) on fire. As part of the Brandtech Group we’re at the forefront of the deployment of GenAI tools across every aspect of what we do and in PencilPro we have the world’s No 1 generative AI platform, revolutionizing the process of creative production, distribution and performance prediction. Job Description As an Account Director at Jellyfish, you will be responsible for driving client success, ensuring profitability, and fostering a high-performance team culture. You will serve as a strategic advisor to clients, aligning Jellyfish’s solutions with their business objectives while proactively identifying opportunities for growth and innovation. Additionally, you will mentor and support the client operations team while also identifying opportunities and challenges with the VP or Client Partner ensuring operational excellence and cross-functional collaboration. This position is based out of our NYC office 2 days per week. The salary range for this role is between $135,000-165,000 USD and is dependent on experience. Responsibilities: * Ensure best-in-class delivery to clients: be obsessed with their business, demand excellence and ensure work is accurate, bespoke to client and impactful to clients * A comprehensive understanding of the service your client is using: robust media knowledge, a thorough understanding of the production/creative process etc. * Budget management: oversee billing sheets, media budgets, and accruals. * Drive cross-team collaboration to deliver integrated, client-centric solutions * Lead all cross functional responses, define outline/outputs from capability teams and responsible to review prior to ensure high client satisfaction * Lead QBRs with the cross functional teams and support the execution of client growth plans * Implement foundational best practices such as conference reports, timeline management w/PM/IP, roles & responsibilities to deliver client responses, proper internal check-ins, etc * Optimize team resources to enhance client (and internal) team satisfaction and profitability: identify process improvements, flag issues to VP/Client Partner and Capability teams and work to resolve * Drive client growth by achieving set targets and identifying expansion opportunities * Stay ahead of industry trends and contribute to marketing and innovation efforts * Mentor and support client operations to foster a high-performing team * Implement best-in-class Client Management practices and financial reporting such as client forecasts, invoicing, budget reconciliation * Strengthen client relationships through engagement in events, webinars, Thought Leadership and case studies * Provide strategic guidance and develop high-quality briefs aligned with client objectives * Anticipate client needs, proactively address problems: offer innovative solutions, and drive strong NPS scores and retention * Identify and implement operational improvements * Delegate effectively to build confidence and capabilities * Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement * Support onboarding and development of new hires with structured training plans Skills and Competencies: * Paid Media Expertise: Experience in leading paid media accounts while also collaborating with capability teams to align paid media strategy with creative, content, and earned media for client outcomes. * Good Commercial knowledge: Ability to build teams and scopes fit for client purpose, and know how to optimize to improve profitability and outputs * New Business Experience: Experience in participating in new business. Have a POV on pitch narrative, support / partner with Growth team on end-end process * Effective Communication and Presentation: Consistently delivers clear, persuasive, and actionable recommendations to internal teams and clients * Technical Expertise, plus breadth of knowledge: Client Management Directors should be technically excellent in paid media with a comprehension of the breath of JF offerings to be able to identify potential growth opportunities * Strategic Use of Data and Tools: Regularly uses platforms like Google Analytics to analyse performance data, generate insights, and guide decision-making that optimizes client outcomes and maximizes ROI * Strategic Thinking: Ability to anticipate client needs, proactively identify opportunities, and drive results * Proactive Problem-Solving: Tackles challenges with a calm, solutions-oriented mindset, resolving conflicts and identifying opportunities to strengthen processes, improve outcomes, and enhance client relationships * Collaboration and Team Leadership: Actively contribute to a collaborative, high-performing work environment by leading cross-functional teams effectively, fostering open communication, and ensuring the timely delivery of complex projects. * Commitment to Excellence: Demonstrates exceptional attention to detail by producing high-quality work that consistently meets or exceeds expectations, setting a standard of excellence for the team, and ensuring positive client satisfaction scores * Business Acumen: Ability to align Jellyfish’s solutions with client business objectives and drive account growth * CRM & Data Management: Experience managing client data in Salesforce or similar systems, ensuring accuracy and integrity * Leadership & Mentorship: Proven ability to guide and support junior team members, fostering professional growth and development Behaviors: * Client-Centric Mindset: Anticipates client needs and proactively provides solutions or recommendations * Ownership and Accountability: Owns mistakes, identifies lessons learned, and implements improvements to avoid repeating errors * Problem-Solving: Identifies potential obstacles early; develops actionable solutions to mitigate risks * Commitment to Growth and Learning: Proactively seeks feedback from colleagues, and clients to identify areas for improvement Additional Information Join Jellyfish and experience a workplace where we prioritize your growth, celebrate your contributions, and empower you to tailor your work environment to suit your needs 🏥 Healthcare plans: Have peace of mind with our healthcare, vision and dental insurance, plus short and long-term disability and life cover. 💫 Custom Work Environment: Work remotely for up to 60% of your days and shape your day between 8am. and 6:30pm with flexible working hours. 👪 Family Support: Enjoy 14 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers and 4 weeks of paid leave for secondary caregivers. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in fake recruiters impersonating Jellyfish and unlawfully using our brand name. If you are unsure if an email with a job offer you have received is genuinely from Jellyfish, or if you suspect any fraudulent activity, please report it to talentacquisition@jellyfish.com.