Overview

You will be one of the first lawyers at Amca and report directly to the General Counsel. You will take real ownership of a meaningful share of work from the very start - acquisitions, commercial contracts, export controls, employment questions, intellectual property matters, equity and debt financings - and can grow into an even larger role. This is a generalist role but is perfect forsomeone with IP experience that wants to broaden their practice.

Responsibilities
• Draft, review, and negotiate the various agreements that run the business, including customer and supplier contracts, nondisclosure agreements, consulting and advisory agreements, and services agreements across the parent and our operating factories.
• Own Amca's intellectual property, including our trade secret program, confidentiality and protective agreements, invention and disclosure intake, trademark and copyright strategy, and management of outside counsel on any filings.
• Handle intellectual property transactions, including inbound and outbound licensing, joint development and collaboration agreements, IP allocation in customer and supplier terms, and intercompany ownership structure across our entities.
• Support Amca's acquisitions from diligence through closing and integration, including disclosure schedules, ancillary agreements, and post-closing entity and contract cleanup.
• Support corporate governance and entity management across the corporate structure, including board and stockholder consents, entity maintenance, and equity administration.
• Partner with our government contracting function on technical data and IP rights, flow-downs, and the commercial terms that sit alongside federal requirements.
• Assist in building a legal department from scratch: contract management, templates, playbooks, intake processes, and a disciplined approach to selecting and managing outside counsel.

Basic Qualifications
• JD from an accredited law school.
• 3+ years of legal experience at a law firm or in-house.
• Substantive intellectual property experience.
• Active membership in good standing with the bar of at least one U.S. state, with the ability to become authorized to practice in California, whether through California Bar membership or Registered In-House Counsel status.
• Demonstrated ability to own matters and reach a decision with limited supervision.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to explain a legal position to engineers and executives without translating it into a memo first.
• Builder who is comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment, where processes and procedures are still being developed.
• Onsite five days a week in El Segundo, CA.

Preferred Skills and Experience
• Aerospace, defense, or hardware manufacturing background.
• Experience building or administering a trade secret protection program.
• Familiarity with U.S. government technical data and IP rights frameworks.
• Mergers and acquisitions experience, particularly intellectual property diligence.
• Experience as an early legal hire at a growing company.
• Technical or engineering background sufficient to engage substantively with our engineering teams.

Annual Salary Range $180,000 - $250,000 USD + Equity