The role You will be our first lawyer and the number-one legal seat, with an active acquisition pipeline from day one and a legal playbook that is yours to write. You will report to the CEO, a repeat founder and former CIA Intelligence Officer. As the portfolio grows, you will have the opportunity to build your team to grow with it. You get intent and an end state; how you deliver is yours.
What you'll do- Takeover the legal function and act as a force multiplier for the CEO.
- Build the repeatable legal infrastructure - playbooks, templates, approval workflows, and recordkeeping - that lets the platform scale without adding complexity.
- Run every acquisition end to end, partnering with expert A&D M&A outside counsel - LOI through close through integration.
- Partner with top-tier outside counsel, alongside the CEO, on all corporate matters: financings, governance, board materials and resolutions, cap table, holdco structure.
- Serve as fractional general counsel to our portfolio companies - the first call when a portfolio-company president has a contract in hand. Over time, build playbooks to remove yourself from the loop as we scale.
- Own regulatory and compliance work end to end across the portfolio: ITAR/EAR, FAR/DFARS flowdowns, FAA, environmental.
- Own commercial risk and our proprietary software IP - trade-secret protection, license structure, and assignment hygiene for the operating system at the center of the model.
- Own insurance programs, HR and labor matters, entity management, internal policies and the other functions that keep a holding company clean and compliant.
What you have- 5+ years of legal experience, ideally at a lower-middle-market private equity firm, in-house at an industrial business in regulated A&D industries, or at a hands-on boutique firm serving PE clients - ready to own the top legal seat.
- Substantial buy-side M&A execution: sponsor dynamics, holdco structures and operations, credit agreements, management incentive equity.
- JD and active bar admission in good standing; NY or CA preferred.
- Direct experience in aerospace, defense, or adjacent industries, and comfort with the legal texture of physical operations - certifications, customer flowdowns, shop floors.
- True generalist across commercial, corporate, regulatory, employment, and IP.
- Sharp judgment on outside counsel - what stays in, what goes out, and spend managed like your own money.
- You personally draft, negotiate, and close.
- Pragmatic and commercial - you know when "good enough to sign" beats another week of redlines.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication.
- U.S. person within the meaning of ITAR; may require security clearance in the future.
What we have- Medical, Dental, Vision benefits
- Unlimited PTO Policy
- $180-$250k + equity
Nice to have- Direct government contracting experience, prime or subcontract.
- Deal or counsel experience at a serial acquirer, holdco, or buy-and-build platform.
- Experience standing up a legal function as a company's first legal hire.
The seat. We hold companies permanently, and we staff this role the same way. Compensation is cash plus meaningful equity, standard four-year vesting. Benefits include full health/vision/dental and commuter benefits.
