IP & Grants Specialist
1. About Us
NanoFrontier is a research-driven startup built around a proprietary nanoparticle generation technology developed over many years at Tohoku University. We provide end-to-end, in-house capabilities—from material design to mass production and quality assurance—for materials used in energy, environmental, pharmaceutical, and other fields. We also offer contract manufacturing of nanoparticles and technology licensing, and are rapidly advancing joint research and PoC projects with manufacturers and academic institutions from Sendai (main base) and Tokyo (collaboration base).
2. Role & Responsibilities
We need to establish early on where to draw the line between what to file and what not to file, and how rights are structured in joint research. In this position, you will run the full cycle from invention harvesting to filing, prior art searches, contract review, and monitoring. We are looking for someone who can build our IP foundation with the right balance of offense and defense.
What You’ll Gain
- Develop products and technologies that customers need, with commercialization in mind
- Directly support the speed of research and business on the patent side
- Because we are small, what you design goes straight into operation
- Be involved in automating drafts and logs in collaboration with our LLM / data platform
3. Key Responsibilities
- Collect invention disclosure forms (IDFs), coordinate filings with patent firms, and conduct prior art searches
- Manage the publication order of papers and exhibitions, and check how confidential information is expressed
- Collect research and manufacturing performance data and prepare results reports
- Negotiate and coordinate schedules with external parties (program secretariats, patent attorneys, joint research partners)
4. Requirements, Skills & Experience
Required
- Alignment with NanoFrontier’s business and mission
- Practical experience in corporate IP or at a patent firm
- Experience with prior art searches / FTO, and managing the progress from provisional filing through regular filing to office action responses
- Basic review of NDAs and joint research agreements, and organizing the key points of clauses
- Document preparation (Japanese) / reading comprehension in English (patents, grant guidelines)
Preferred
- Patent attorney (benrishi) (including those who have passed the short-answer / essay exams) or patent drafting experience
- Background in chemistry or materials, with basic knowledge of colloids / crystallization
- Experience designing ledgers in Notion / spreadsheets
- Experience implementing draft automation using LLMs / RAG
What We’re Looking For
- Someone who can design sequence and deadlines and keep moving forward even under uncertainty
- Someone who records and shares changes so nothing falls through the cracks
- Someone who can reduce risk through coordination without slowing down the pace of research and business
5. Location & Work Style
- Location: Tokyo or Sendai (with visits to universities and patent firms)
- Work style: Hybrid (approx. 2–3 days in office per week)
- Work hours: Full flex (core hours 10:00–16:00)
6. Benefits & Welfare
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Holidays & Leave | ・Complete 5-day workweek ・Annual paid leave ・Year-end and New Year holidays |
| Insurance | Complete social insurance coverage |
| Housing | Company-leased housing system available |
| PC & IT Tools | PC provided. ChatGPT usage covered by the company. Other necessary IT tools available through consultation and application |
| Career Development | Support for qualifications, technical books, exam costs, etc. |
| Grant Incentives | Incentive design for grant acquisition |
| Relocation Support | For relocation from Tokyo to Sendai: Up to 1 million yen relocation bonus through the Sendai City relocation support program For relocation from other regions: Under consideration |
7. Selection Process
- Casual interview: 30–60 minutes
- Technical interview & discussion: 60+ minutes
- Offer interview & final decision
※ Results for each step of the selection process will be provided within 3 business days as a rule. Steps may be omitted depending on the candidate’s circumstances.
8. Company Information
- Company Name: NanoFrontier Inc. (Headquarters: Room 215, Material Solutions Center (MaSC), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Corporate Philosophy: “Toward a society where all resources circulate smoothly and are utilized in optimal forms”
- Business Areas:
- (1) Research, development, manufacturing, and sales of reagents and functional materials using organic nanoparticle technology
- (2) Contract manufacturing of organic nanoparticles and provision of related technologies
- (3) Technology licensing and technical consulting in the field of organic nanoparticle technology
- (4) All businesses incidental to the above
- https://nanofrontier.jp/
9. How to Apply
Please apply through the application form below.