Contracts Counsel

Department: Legal • Location: Redondo Beach

About the role

As part of Impulse’s legal team, the Contracts Counsel will support a fast-growing and dynamic company across a broad range of contracts, including customer-facing commercial agreements, launch-related agreements, vendor and supplier agreements, leases and other business arrangements. This role reports to the Assistant General Counsel and is intended to add experienced execution capacity to the legal team: independently handling day-to-day drafting, review and negotiation of assigned matters after alignment on strategy, while coordinating on material deviations, non-standard risk positions, novel issues and complex or high-stakes matters. The Contracts Counsel will work directly with internal stakeholders on assigned matters and may support additional practice areas as the company grows.

Responsibilities

• Support the team in drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of agreements, including customer-facing launch and mission services agreements, other commercial customer agreements, launch provider agreements, vendor and supplier agreements, leases, confidentiality agreements and other business arrangements
• Prepare initial drafts, reviews and redlines for assigned matters; identify key legal and business issues; and propose practical paths forward as appropriate
• Handle routine negotiations within established legal positions and agreed deal strategy, with appropriate escalation of material deviations, non-standard risk positions, novel issues, and complex or high-stakes matters
• Support customer contract work in coordination with the Assistant General Counsel, including working with Business Development, Finance, Mission Management and other stakeholders on deal structuring, negotiation preparation, contract execution and follow-up matters
• Support internal stakeholders on contract interpretation and performance issues, including amendments, change requests, claims, disputes, renewals and terminations
• Help create, maintain and improve contract templates, standard positions and playbooks, subject to alignment with legal leadership, and assist with key contract lifecycle tracking for assigned matters
• Contribute to scalable legal processes, training and other projects, and assist the legal team with additional practice areas as needed

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active U.S. bar membership
• 6+ years of contracts experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal department, including meaningful experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements
• Demonstrated ability to independently handle routine drafting and negotiations within established parameters, together with strong judgment about when to escalate legal or business risk
• Sound business judgment and the ability to identify and articulate legal and commercial risk clearly and propose practical, risk-based solutions
• Strong communicator with a highly collaborative working style and comfort working directly with internal stakeholders and external counterparties in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Skills

• In-house experience in a fast-paced startup or growth-stage environment, preferably in aerospace, defense, technology or engineering-driven company
• Demonstrated experience supporting customer-facing services agreements, launch or satellite contracting, or other complex commercial transactions
• Demonstrated experience helping develop or improve contract templates, playbooks, tracking and other contract operations processes

Benefits

• Long-term incentives in the form of stock options
• Medical, vision & dental coverage
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan

Pay

$175,000 - $215,000 per year