Patent Engineer Visa Sponsorship UK

Job Description

Ankar is transforming how companies innovate and safeguard their ideas in a world where traditional systems are falling behind. With intangible assets like intellectual property now making up around 90% of the value in S&P 500 companies, R&D and IP teams are still bogged down by tedious manual tasks—reviewing patents, handling paperwork, and navigating outdated processes instead of focusing on breakthrough discoveries. We’re changing that.

At Ankar, we’re creating an AI-powered operating system specifically designed for innovation. Our platform streamlines the journey from raw ideas to robust, defensible intellectual property through specialized AI tools, including automated patent drafting, responses to office actions, infringement analysis, and more.

We are at a pivotal moment in our growth:

• We have secured over $24 million in funding from top-tier investors such as Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, and Daphni, along with notable angels including the founder of Hugging Face, the CEO of Datadog, and leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI.
• We are already partnering with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in the world, including Fortune 500 giant L’Oréal and leading global law firm Vorys.
• Our team features talented alumni from Palantir, Amazon, BCG, and beyond, and we’re just beginning to tackle the massive $1 trillion+ opportunity in the innovation space.

We are expanding our exceptional team and seeking individuals who embrace ownership, tackle tough, high-stakes challenges, and deliver their career-best work.

Role: Chemistry Patent Specialist (Small Molecules Focus)

What you will do

We are seeking a skilled patent professional with expert-level knowledge in small molecule chemistry to serve as a key bridge between our product/engineering teams, pharmaceutical and biotech clients, and the complexities of IP protection.

In this role, you’ll dive deep into building and refining AI-driven tools tailored to the unique demands of chemical patents. You’ll collaborate closely with customers to ensure our solutions truly understand and handle the intricacies of small molecule innovations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with product and engineering to create specialized AI features for small molecule patents, such as analyzing structure-activity relationships (SAR), generating formulation claims, conducting advanced prior art searches in chemical databases, and supporting Markush structure handling.
• Embedding directly with pharmaceutical and biotech clients—working side-by-side with in-house patent counsel and prosecution teams to identify pain points, prototype solutions, and roll out impactful proofs-of-concept for chemistry-focused workflows.
• Translating sophisticated chemistry and patent challenges (e.g., synthesis routes, chemical nomenclature, formulation science, and pharmaceutical claim strategies) into clear product requirements that guide our AI development.
• Leading technical workshops and sessions with patent professionals to demonstrate value, gather feedback, and drive measurable improvements in clients’ chemistry patent portfolios.
• Proactively identifying new opportunities in areas like medicinal chemistry, process chemistry, formulation patents, and regulatory IP strategies.

What we’re looking for

• At least 2+ years of hands-on experience in chemical patent prosecution, pharmaceutical IP, or related chemistry-focused patent work, with a strong understanding of the full small molecule patent lifecycle from invention disclosure and drafting through to grant, maintenance, and enforcement.
• Solid technical foundation in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, synthetic pathways, formulation development, and how these elements convert into patentable inventions.
• A true builder mentality: comfortable navigating ambiguity, rapidly iterating on ideas, and turning complex challenges into structured, actionable solutions. You can shift seamlessly between strategic IP thinking and granular claim drafting.
• Extreme ownership: You anticipate issues, take full accountability for results, and consistently push for excellence—this mindset fuels both your personal growth and our collective success.

Bonus if you bring

• Prior experience at a patent law firm serving pharmaceutical or biotech clients, in-house patent roles at pharma/biotech companies, or a Chemistry PhD paired with formal patent qualifications/training.

A few more details

• Location: Hoxton Square, London (office-first culture with flexibility)
  Type: Full-time
• Compensation: Competitive salary plus a generous equity package via our tax-efficient EMI scheme
• Visa sponsorship: Available

For official UK guidance on patenting chemical inventions (including small molecules and pharmaceuticals), see the UK Intellectual Property Office’s detailed manual: Examining patent applications relating to chemical inventions.

If you’re passionate about chemistry, patents, and AI and ready to help redefine innovation protection we’d love to hear from you.