Head of Legal and Compliance

The Head of Legal & Compliance will own the entire legal function as a one-person operation, working closely with outsourced counsel for specialized matters. Key responsibilities include:

• IP Strategy & Protection (Primary Focus): Structure, draft, and negotiate IP-heavy commercial agreements, including technology licenses, joint development agreements, and complex partnership arrangements.

• Manage and grow the patent portfolio in partnership with outside patent counsel, including filing strategy, prosecution oversight, and freedom-to-operate analysis.

• Protect trade secrets and confidential information across commercial relationships, partnerships, and employee agreements.

• Advisory on IP strategy as a core input to business and product decisions.

Compliance Lead:

• Mature the company's compliance program, right-sized for a startup.

• Own export control compliance (EAR, and ITAR where applicable) for a company operating in advanced semiconductor technology.

• Own and evolve company policies on data protection, anti-corruption, and other applicable regulatory requirements, while driving training across the organization.

• Prepare the company for customer and partner compliance diligence, including regulated industries.

Commercial Contracts:

• Review, draft, and negotiate day-to-to-day business contracts, including MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, customer agreements, vendor and supplier contracts, partnership agreements, and employment-related documents.

• Build scalable templates, playbooks, and processes that allow the business to move quickly without creating legal bottlenecks.

• Determine which matters should be handled internally versus outsourced, while managing external counsel relationships and budgets.

General Corporate:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive team on legal risk across the business.

• Support corporate matters, including financings, board support, and equity administration, in partnership with outside counsel.

What You'll Bring

• JD and active bar membership in good standing.

• 5+ years of legal experience spanning commercial, IP, and compliance matters.

• Direct experience structuring and negotiating technology licensing agreements, including familiarity with royalty models, field-of-use restrictions, and IP indemnification.

• Experience building or leading compliance programs, including export controls (EAR/ITAR).

• Strong commercial contracts background with sound judgment on market standards, negotiation priorities, and dealbreakers.

• Comfortable operating independently—you can prioritize effectively, make decisions with imperfect information, and know when to engage outside counsel.

• Startup mindset: pragmatic, low ego, and focused on helping the business find a path forward rather than simply saying no.

Why This Role

• You'll build the legal function from the ground up at a company where the technology is everything.

• You'll have real ownership, direct access to leadership, and a seat at the table for the company's most important decisions.

• We offer a competitive salary for this role, generally ranging from $210,000 to $290,000, along with meaningful equity and comprehensive benefits.