Job openings for patent examiners

Vacancies for engineers and scientists

The EPO is currently recruiting patent examiners to work in Munich, The Hague and Berlin.

Who can apply?

Engineers and scientists with sufficient language skills. Please see our required profile section for details.

The job involves searching in online databases, analysing documents, communicating orally and in writing with patent applicants and their attorneys, and then taking decisions on the grant of patents valid in up to 38 European countries.

Please see our role of an examiner section for details.

Technical fields

We currently have job opportunities in various technical fields and EPO locations. Just click on the links below for more detailed information about vacancies in each technical field. 

“I didn’t want to be in a laboratory any more. The EPO offers something new and exciting.”

Cécile Denis, examiner for polymers, The Hague

• Audio video media
• Civil engineering
• Computers
• Electricity and semi-conductor technology
• Industrial chemistry
• Measuring and testing
  
• Mechanical engineering
• Medical technology
• Optics and photography
  
• Printing
• Pure and applied organic chemistry
• Polymer chemistry
• Telecom

Important: Each EPO location advertises its own vacancies; incoming job applications too are processed locally.

Applications

If you are interested in joining the EPO, you might want to: 

• apply online
• read more about the application procedure
• meet a few EPO examiners to find out what the job is all about