Program Manager, Technology Partnership Development
Copper is hiring a Program Manager to run the operational core of its business development and licensing efforts — tracking the partnership/deal pipeline, supporting negotiations, managing royalty and license compliance, and coordinating the patent portfolio. Requires a technical background in the company's domain; based in-office in Berkeley, CA.
- Compensation
- $160K–$190K / yr
- Location
- Berkeley, California, United States
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Project management
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 3–5+ years of experience in licensing, partnerships, and/or IP/patent operations, ideally in a hardware or electronics environment
- Fluency and experience with a range of licensing structures
- Experience preparing pitch materials for potential business partners
- Comfortable working with technical and legal material (partnership/license agreements, patent claims); able to translate between engineers and legal/business counterparts
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, or a related technical field
- Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills
- Ease in working cross-functionally with all departments and all levels of the company
- Strong organization and coordination skills
- Track record managing multiple concurrent workstreams and deadlines across different stakeholders
- Comfort in an always-changing start-up environment and comfortable operating in a program that isn't fully standardized yet
- Calm under pressure; low ego, high accountability
- Mission-driven — cares about electrification and building products that serve customers
Nice to have
- Legal training in patent law and/or licensing
- Advanced engineering degree
- Ability to communicate in multiple languages
Full description
Overview
At Copper, we're reinventing home appliances for an electrified future. Our products come equipped with batteries, accelerating electrification and turning every customer home into a source of grid flexibility.
We're hiring a Program Manager to run the operational core of our business development and licensing efforts. The primary focus of this role is coordinating our partnership pipeline and licensing program — tracking deals, researching prospects, supporting negotiations, and keeping leadership informed. As a secondary responsibility, you'll also help coordinate the activities of our strong, growing patent portfolio (invention disclosures, prosecution tracking) so that what we protect and what we license or partner around stay connected.
This is an execution and coordination role, not a strategy-setting or senior-negotiator role. Because you'll be evaluating technical fit with potential partners and licensees, and occasionally reading patent claims against hardware designs, a solid technical background in our domain is required, not just a nice-to-have.
In your application, please 1) include a cover letter and resume, 2) highlight any part of your background (job responsibilities, accomplishments, degrees, grades) that persuasively describes your preparation for the role, 3) list any coursework in engineering and law, and 4) share any languages in which you can hold a business-level conversation.
We value diversity and are committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We’re especially focused on fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone can contribute to our shared mission.
This is a full-time position and it is expected to be in-office 4 days per week with 1 day flexible for in-office or remote work. Our office is located in Berkeley, CA.
What you'll do
Business Development & Licensing (primary focus)
- Coordinate the partnership and licensing deal pipeline — tracking active conversations, deal status, next steps, and deadlines across business development efforts
- Research potential customers, partners, licensees, and licensors; prepare briefing materials and target lists for leadership
- Support negotiations by preparing materials, tracking deal terms, and coordinating redlines with outside counsel
- Manage deal logistics (NDAs, meeting coordination, data room management) across business development activity
- Maintain licensing program tracking: royalty payments and license compliance
- Coordinate with Finance on royalty invoicing, revenue recognition, and forecasting
- Track and report on program-wide metrics (pipeline health, deal velocity, revenue) for leadership visibility