Job Description

Job Advert Summary

Are you highly organized, detail-oriented, and ready to thrive in a fast-paced environment? Spoor & Fisher is looking for a dedicated Patent Chemical Secretary to support our patent team with critical administrative and filing tasks. If you have strong secretarial skills, a keen eye for accuracy, and a proactive attitude, this is your chance to work with one of the leading IP firms in South Africa

Minimum Requirements

Experience, Knowledge & Skills:

A secretarial/paralegal diploma will be advantageous At least a basic understanding of patent and design applications Proficiency in:

o MS Word, Outlook and Excel

o CIPC online

o WIPO online

o Experience with Inprotech/Inproweb will be advantageous


A sense of urgency to meet deadlines and to handle high-pressure/time sensitive tasks A high attention to detail and a focus on accuracy and quality of work output Analytical thinking and problem solving Must be proactive and take initiative The ability to work independently without close supervision A growth mindset - willingness/enthusiasm to receive constructive feedback, to learn from and
implement knowledge gained from feedback

+ Effective, clear and proficient communication and English language skills

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties & Responsibilities:

General Secretarial duties Checking daily reminders Checking monthly grant cases Pre-vetting checks and preparing vetting memo Preparing vetting reports Preparing and filing amendment applications Preparing checklists for applications to be lodged by Patent Agency and Patent Foreign Preparing Divisional applications for filing Preparing and filing extension of acceptance applications Preparing pre-allowance reminders Preparing reports to client on allowances Preparing reports, invoices and credit notes Preparing draft correspondence and acknowledgements to clients Preparing client reminder correspondence Maintaining and updating precedents Assisting with formal changes Uploading documents to client portals Preparing provisional applications and PCT applications for filing Preparing reports and invoices for foreign patent applications Updating IDS reports Preparing and updating schedules Adhering to Standing Instructions Updating Inproweb and DMS Keeping a strict record of diary Recording lodgings on the lodgement book and updating on Inproweb Downloading abstracts from eJournal Downloading documents from WIPO In office printing of paper lodgings as part of the printing roster * Assisting with basic patent/design searches and preparing reports