The RoleWe're looking for a General Counsel to be our first in-house legal hire. You'll own the full contract lifecycle across sales, partnerships, and procurement, build the playbooks and processes that help deals close faster, and serve as the trusted first call for anything legal at Standard Bots - from employment matters to entity structuring as we expand internationally.
Most of your time will be spent on commercial contracts, but you'll also spot issues across privacy, product liability, employment, and corporate matters - and know when and how to engage outside counsel efficiently.
What You'll Do- Own drafting, review, and negotiation of customer agreements, NDAs, supply agreements, reseller agreements, and supplier documents - negotiating directly with counterparties from Fortune 500 enterprises and defense primes to universities and startups
- Standardize our terms & conditions and build a contract clause playbook: standard positions, acceptable fallbacks, and escalation triggers for our most-negotiated terms
- Structure liability, indemnification, insurance, and warranty terms appropriate for an industrial hardware company, with awareness of robotics safety standards (e.g., OSHA, ANSI/RIA R15.06)
- Negotiate data processing agreements, privacy terms, and AI-use provisions; support defense customer compliance requirements (DFARS, CMMC, NIST SP 800-171)
- Support international expansion - subsidiary formation, cross-border contracting, and coordination of local counsel in new markets
- Handle employment matters, including agreement templates, multi-state restrictive covenant issues, and management of any employment disputes or litigation alongside outside counsel
- Support strategic transactions (LOIs, investments, partnerships), including diligence and IP-related deal terms
- Serve as the single point of contact for legal questions across the company, and manage outside counsel scope and spend
What We're Looking For- J.D. and admission to practice in New York (with experience addressing legal matters in other states as well)
- 6-10 years of experience with a substantial focus on commercial contracts and technology transactions, ideally combining law firm training and in-house experience
- Experience with hardware, industrial technology, robotics, or manufacturing companies - you understand physical products, supply chains, and product liability
- Proven ability to negotiate directly with sophisticated counterparties, including large enterprise legal teams
- Comfort as a department of one: strong judgment on risk, pragmatism to keep deals moving, and a business-first mindset
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain legal risk plainly to non-lawyers
- Reliable availability to work on-site in Manhattan or Glen Cove three days per week
Nice to Have- Government contracting experience (DFARS flowdowns, CMMC, NIST SP 800-171)
- Employment law or employment litigation management experience
- International experience - entity formation, cross-border agreements, or expansion into new markets
- Data privacy expertise (DPA negotiation, GDPR/state privacy laws)
- Corporate/M&A or venture transaction experience
- Experience building a legal function from scratch at a high-growth startup
Compensation and BenefitsThe salary range for this role is $205,800 to $265,000, based on experience. We are open to a variety of seniority levels for this role and will build compensation packages that are commensurate with seniority and skill level. Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at Standard Bots. All Full-Time Employees are eligible for Employee Stock Options. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees.
