The European Patent Office (EPO) is the second-largest European organisation, employing 6 500 staff from over 30 countries.
The EPO is the executive arm of the European Patent Organisation. It is headquartered in Munich, but also has a branch in The Hague, offices in Berlin and Vienna, and a liaison office in Brussels.
The EPO strives to support innovation and promote a knowledge-based society in Europe:
Patent protection enables inventors and companies to be rewarded for their innovation.
The EPO has built up the world's largest databases of technical information, which it makes available to the public free of charge.
It also offers a complete range of training on patenting and IP issues
The EPO's mission is to secure the highest quality standards in patenting:
The European Patent Convention (EPC) provides the legal backbone for its patenting practice.
The EPO offers a uniform application procedure leading to patent protection in up to 38 European countries.
Processes at the EPO are fair, transparent and closely monitored for quality at all times.
As an employer, the EPO provides a distinctly multinational work environment in an intellectually stimulating atmosphere:
We focus on building long-term relationships with our employees.
We empower our staff to take responsibility and make the right decisions.
Based on this foundation of mutual trust and respect, we at the EPO are ready to meet the future challenges in European intellectual property.
Figures:
Number of employees in Europe: 6500
Yearly average of newly hired engineers in Europe: 150
Number of countries where the company is present in Europe: 4
More details about the company's activities:
The European Patent Office (EPO) is the patent granting authority for Europe.
The EPO strives to support innovation and promote a knowledge-based society in Europe. Its mission is to secure the highest quality standards in patenting.
Profile of the engineers and professionals the company is looking for:
The job of European patent examiner demands a unique combination of scientific expertise, analytical thinking, language skills and an interest in intellectual property law, coupled with a well-developed sense of responsibility and the ability to work independently. A genuine passion for technology and a willingness to continue learning are essential, since examiners deal constantly with the latest developments in their technical fields.
Experience in industry is not essential, but is considered an advantage.
Candidates must have:
- citizenship of one of the member states of the European Patent Organisation. (see www.epo.org/member-states for the full list of countries).
- a full university degree in physics, chemistry, engineering or the natural sciences, relevant to the technical field in which you would like to work (see www.epo.org/examiners-fields for a list of technical fields with job openings).
- proficiency in one of the EPO's three official languages (English, French and German), and the ability to understand the other two (although applications from candidates who have an excellent knowledge of one official language but are able to understand only one of the other two may be considered if they are willing to learn the third).
Finally, successful candidates must be willing to relocate to Munich, The Hague or Berlin, the EPO sites at which patents are examined.
