Director, WiFi & Multimedia SEP

Nokia’s SEP Licensing & Litigation, Technical team is responsible for technical, patent, and portfolio matters in SEP licensing and litigation activities. The Multimedia & Wi-Fi SEP team combines these capabilities for multimedia and Wi-Fi technologies and supports projects across jurisdictions.

As a Director, Multimedia & Wi-Fi SEP, you will lead a team of world-class patent professionals working at the intersection of technology, patents, licensing, and dispute resolution in the area of Multimedia and Wi-Fi SEPs. You will be accountable for the team’s direction, priorities, capability development, and delivery, while contributing hands-on expertise to complex and strategically important matters. 

You will work closely with licensing and litigation programs, as well as numerous internal and external stakeholders. The role requires the ability to combine technical and legal understanding with sound commercial judgment and to translate patent insights into effective licensing and litigation strategies.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Multimedia & Wi-Fi SEP licensing and litigation technical team, setting clear priorities and enabling high-quality delivery across projects. 
• Drive the preparation and deployment of multimedia and Wi-Fi patent assets in licensing, assertion, litigation, and defensive matters worldwide. 
• Oversee technical, patent, and portfolio work across projects, including essentiality, infringement, validity, implementation, and competitive-position analyses, as well as the preparation of technical positions and rebuttals.
• Manage relevant patent families for licensing and litigation use, including asset selection, readiness, claim-charting priorities, and coordination with prosecution, SEP declaration, and portfolio development activities. 
• Shape and execute technical strategies for licensing negotiations, assertions, and multi-jurisdictional litigation in close collaboration with licensing, litigation management, dispute resolution, and other teams. 
• Coordinate, guide, and review work performed by internal specialists, external counsel, patent attorneys, and technical experts. 
• Assess Nokia and third-party portfolios for licensing relevance, strength, competitive position, and possible defensive exposure. 
• Provide technology steering and portfolio feedback so that future multimedia and Wi-Fi portfolio development reflects licensing and litigation needs. 
• Build effective ways of working across teams and disciplines, ensuring clear ownership, transparency, knowledge sharing, and timely decision-making throughout the project lifecycle. 
• Drive continuous improvement in tools, processes, analytics, and responsible use of AI-enabled solutions in patent analysis and project execution.

• Strong leadership capability with a team-player mindset. 
• At least 10 years of professional, hands-on experience in the patent field at a law firm and/or in-house, with substantial experience in SEP licensing, patent litigation, or both. 
• Degree in Engineering or Law, with a patent qualification. Strong understanding of multimedia and/or Wi-Fi technologies and the ability to analyze complex technical standards, implementations, and patent claims. 
• Solid understanding of FRAND matters, SEP licensing frameworks, and the role of technical evidence in licensing negotiations and litigation. 
• Hands-on experience in essentiality, infringement, and validity analysis, and in translating technical findings into clear positions for negotiations or legal proceedings.
• Experience in project management and coordinating complex, multi-jurisdictional matters involving internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and influencing skills, including the ability to explain complex technical and legal matters clearly to different audiences. 
• A proactive, results-oriented mindset and the ability to make sound decisions in high-pressure, high-stakes situations. 

It would be nice if you also had:

• Prior line-management or team-lead experience, with a track record of developing people, setting direction, and delivering through others.
• A strong interest in developing new and better ways of working, including the use of analytics and AI-enabled tools in patent analysis.
• Proven ability to navigate and organize work across multiple teams, disciplines, and stakeholders, and to build trusted relationships internally and externally.