Sr. Patent Prosecution Attorney/ Engineer

Established in 1987 and headquartered in Taiwan, TSMC pioneered the pure-play foundry business model with an exclusive focus on manufacturing its customers’ products. As of 2024, TSMC serves more than 500 customers and manufactures over 11,000 products for high-performance computing, smartphones, the Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, and digital consumer electronics. It is the world’s largest provider of logic ICs, with an annual capacity of over 17 million 12-inch equivalent wafers in 2025. TSMC operates fabs in Taiwan as well as manufacturing subsidiaries in Washington State, Japan and China, and the Company began construction on a specialty technology fab in Dresden, Germany, in 2024. In Arizona, TSMC is building three fabs, with the first starting 4nm production in 2025, the second by 2028, and the third by the end of the decade.

Job Responsibilities

Position Overview:

Sr. Patent Prosecution Attorney/ Engineer will play a leading role in building a robust global patent portfolio to protect the company’s R&D investments/innovations. This position requires a blend of technical and patent expertise to oversee invention mining and patent prosecution, provide strategic legal advice, and support patent disputes/litigation.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Invention Mining/Workshop: Drive patent mining and lead workshop with cross-functional teams to preempt exploratory technology innovations.

2. Patent Prosecution Management: Supervise patent prosecution work product from outside counsel and provide strategies for Continuation efforts.

3. Special Prosecution Project: Initiate/lead special projects to continuously enhance prosecution quality/efficiency/cost-effectiveness. Lead patent landscape analysis on various advanced technologies.

4. Disputes/litigation: Assist in patent disputes/litigation on providing invalidity and non-use analysis.

Job Qualifications

1. Master’s or higher in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or related field; PhD preferred.

2. Minimum of 12 years of patent prosecution or engineering experience; semiconductor industry background preferred.

3. Expertise in U.S. and global patent matters, including filing, prosecution, and portfolio management.

4. Strong English communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical and legal concepts.

5. Proven leadership in mentoring teams and driving innovation with a strategic mindset.

6. Preferred: Registered patent engineer certification or advanced IP training.

7. Self-motivated, detail-oriented leader with excellent interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills.

TSMC Core Values

At TSMC, we invite talented individuals who share our vision and values to contribute to our continued success. Our core values are the foundation of our culture, guiding every decision and action. We seek applicants who deeply resonate with these principles and embody them in their work: 

• Integrity: Tell the truth. We do not brag. We do not make commitments lightly. Once we make a commitment, we devote ourselves completely to meeting that commitment.
• Commitment: Employees are dedicated to the company, view the company’s success as their own and work diligently to make their best contributions. As commitment is mutual, the Company strives to serve the best interests of its employees. 
• Innovation: Innovation is the wellspring of the Company's growth. It means more than new ideas; it means putting ideas into practice. 
• Customer Trust: We strive to build deep and enduring relationships with our customers, who trust and rely on us to be part of their success over the long term.

 (For more details on TSMC’s Core Values, please visit：https://www.tsmc.com/english/aboutTSMC/values)Fostering a global inclusive workplace reflects TSMC’s core values and business philosophy and is essential for our future success. Our commitment to global inclusive workplace allows us to create an environment where every employee, regardless of gender, age, disability, religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, political affiliation, or sexual orientation, can bring their unique perspective and experiences to work, enabling us to drive profitability, increase productivity, and unleash innovation. We strive to create a workplace that is equitable and accessible to all employees. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture where every employee feels valued and empowered to contribute to our mission and provide excellent service to our global customers.