About the TeamAntares is looking for its first General Counsel - a seasoned legal leader who will build and own the legal and compliance foundation required to take our nuclear microreactors from prototyping through full-rate production and commercial deployment. This is a defining leadership role at a pivotal moment in the company's growth.
As GC, you will serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the CEO and executive team. You will lead legal and compliance functions across the company, and you will partner closely with engineering, operations, finance, supply chain, business development, and people teams to enable rapid execution while ensuring Antares operates within an appropriate legal and regulatory framework.
The ideal candidate has deep experience at the intersection of government contracting, nuclear or regulated environments, and export controls, and thrives in the ambiguity and pace of an early-stage, mission-driven company. You are not just a legal advisor; you are a builder, a business partner, and a key member of the leadership team.
Roles and Responsibilities:- Serve as Antares' first in-house legal hire and primary legal partner to leadership, engineering, operations, finance, supply chain, business development, and people teams.
- Support government contracts and government-funded programs, including proposal review, flow-down analysis, contract negotiation, compliance obligations, data rights, deliverables, reporting requirements, and program execution risk.
- Serve as the primary legal point of contact for DOE, DoD, and other federal agency relationships and contractual obligations
- Draft, review, negotiate, and maintain a broad range of commercial agreements, including NDAs, vendor agreements, services agreements, consulting agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, software/SaaS agreements, testing agreements, teaming agreements, and strategic partnership agreements.
- Provide legal counsel on nuclear regulatory matters, including NRC licensing, DOE regulatory frameworks, nuclear materials handling, and compliance with applicable federal and state nuclear safety requirements.
- Build, own, and continuously improve Antares' export controls compliance program, including ITAR, EAR, and other applicable regimes, including policies, procedures, training, technology-control plans, visitor controls, deemed export processes, data handling practices, and escalation workflows.
- Manage and scope external counsel across specialized areas including export controls, contracts, nuclear regulatory, corporate, employment, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and financing matters.
- Define the company's legal infrastructure and procedures, including document retention, signature authority, contract lifecycle management, legal intake, entity management, board support, and corporate governance processes.
- Create scalable contract templates, negotiation playbooks, approval workflows, fallback positions, and internal guidance to reduce legal bottlenecks as Antares grows.
- Own day-to-day legal support across the company, providing practical, business-oriented advice that enables rapid execution while appropriately managing legal, regulatory, and reputational risk
Basic Qualifications:- JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership
- 12 + years of legal experience
- Experience in 2 out of the 3 areas of expertise
- Demonstrated experience managing government contracts (FAR/DFARS) and government-funded programs
- Hands-on experience building or leading an export controls compliance program (ITAR and/or EAR)
- Experience with commercial contracts and regulatory matters
Preferred Skills & Experience:- Experience as General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel at a high-growth technology or deep tech company
- Deep familiarity with NRC licensing processes, DOE contracting vehicles (e.g. CRADA, WFO), and nuclear materials regulations
- Experience supporting board governance, venture financings, and M&A transactions
- Broad experience in a range of legal domains across contracts, intellectual property, export compliance, and others
- Proven success in a start-up environment or similar, with the ability to manage ambiguity and wear many different hats
Additional Requirements:- Ability to work long hours and weekends as necessary to support critical milestones
- Ability to travel to regulatory locations as needed
Location- We are located in Torrance, CA in a 322,000 square foot, brand new facility featuring large open spaces for team collaboration, R&D, and production, as well as easy access to the 405, 105, and 110 freeways. Our facility is in the heart of Los Angeles' vibrant emerging tech ecosystem alongside many other high growth startups and enterprises.
