Associate General Counsel, IP

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Legal team is responsible for providing legal and compliance guidance and support covering all aspects of Andurils rapidly growing business, ranging from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance and employment matters. You will represent the legal team in relationships with outside counsel, vendors, engineers, executives, customers, and regulators.

ABOUT THE JOB

Andurils Legal Team seeks in-house IP attorney Associate General Counsel, IP to help build our IP team supporting the future technology of defense. In this role, you will work across most aspects of Andurils business, from helping the business development team structure partnerships, to negotiating license and services agreements, working with engineers on patent development, and supporting our internal teams to manage Andurils licensed systems. This position reports to the VP of Compliance or the General Counsel, and will be based in Costa Mesa, CA.

Anduril is a fast-growing company at the early stages of growth. Consistent with this fast growth, members of Andurils Legal Team must be resourceful, creative, and eager to take ownership of complex matters. The Associate General Counsel, IP role will require creativity and resourcefulness to pair commercial intellectual property protections with defense technologies of interest to national security, with a singular focus on helping Anduril deploy its path-making technology into operational settings for the United States and its allies. This role is not exclusively focused on US patent and trademark. In addition to US IP protections, you will work on all other aspects of Andurils business, from US government contracts, to negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to supporting compliance and employment matters. Experience across all of these areas is not expected, but a willingness to learn and adapt is.

The Associate General Counsel, IP will be expected to take responsibility for significant, material projects, which will have a significant impact on the companys business. Our team is passionate about the law and policy of defense technology and you should have an independent interest in the key issues in this field. Anduril fosters a diverse, collaborative, culture with tremendous opportunities for ownership and professional growth.

WHAT YOULL DO

• Be a key member of Andurils dynamic Legal team.
• Drive development, management, and application of Andurils IP portfolio in coordination with business, financial, and compliance goals.
• Support customer growth by supporting Andurils supply chain and purchasing teams.
• Manage relationships with government and commercial customers and partners. High-trust professional relationships with Government officials are critical to Andurils continued success, and you will be called upon to develop and foster these relationships throughout your tenure.
• Provide legal counsel and day-to-day management of Andurils IP portfolio. Oversee and evaluate patent efforts, monitor for IP risks, lead or assist in key IP negotiations, resolve performance issues, and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.
• Manage outside counsel who advise on IP matters.
• Work on all legal aspects of Andurils business, from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance, and employment matters. You will represent the legal team in relationships with outside counsel, vendors, engineers, executives, customers, and regulators.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• JD degree from a top-tier accredited law school
• Experience with engineering, software, or other technology
• 12+ years of practice in US IP law, particularly patent prosecution
• A deep understanding patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets, as well as USG government data rights issues
• Experience negotiating contracts, particularly IP assignment
• The judgment and initiative required to own multiple projects from end-to-end, whether guiding an Engineering Team through the lifecycle of a patent or handling unexpected legal issues that may arise in defense or start-up companies
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience and ability to build and scale a team of IP lawyers and non-lawyers
• Quick learner and able to contribute to the broader start-up legal function, including topics that may be completely new to you: everything from IP and litigation to financing, securities, compliance, and employment law, depending on the needs of the day
• License to practice law in the United States, and Patent Bar License in good standing
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Significant international patent experience
• Combination of law-firm and in-house experience
• An interest in the law and policy of defense acquisitions with opinions about what is right or wrong in the field and how to fix it
• Preference given to candidates who have broad patent experience, including experience in a variety of venues and trial experience.
• Active Top Secret security clearance
• Experience in the military or working in defense or national security