The Senior Corporate Counsel, Licensing & Business Contracts is a senior member of the Legal & Intellectual Property team and leads the company's licensing and business contracts function. The role provides practical, commercially focused legal support across the organization, with primary responsibility for the negotiation, drafting, administration, and governance of licensing and other commercial agreements.
This position works closely with commercial, finance, operations, research and development, intellectual property, and executive teams across multiple jurisdictions. The Senior Corporate Counsel also manages and develops the team within the unit, establishes consistent contracting practices, and helps ensure that contractual arrangements protect the company's intellectual property, support its business strategy, and can be implemented effectively.
Key Responsibilities:
Licensing and Business Contracts
• Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, amendment, renewal, and termination of licensing and other commercial agreements, including grower, nursery, marketer, distributor, trial, evaluation, research, services, procurement, confidentiality, technology, consulting, and strategic partnership agreements.
• Advise on the structure of complex and cross-border licensing arrangements involving plant variety rights, patents, trademarks, proprietary plant material, know-how, royalties, territory, exclusivity, quality requirements, production, distribution, and enforcement rights.
• Translate business objectives into clear, practical, and enforceable contractual terms, while identifying material legal and commercial risks and proposing workable solutions.
• Support business teams throughout the contract lifecycle, from initial term sheets and approvals through execution, implementation, amendment, renewal, and exit.
• Ensure that contractual rights and obligations are consistent across related agreements and aligned with the company's intellectual property strategy, commercial model, and operational capabilities.
• Manage contractual disputes, defaults, and performance issues in coordination with internal stakeholders and, when appropriate, outside counsel.
Business Partnership and Legal Advice
• Serve as a trusted legal partner to senior leaders and business teams, providing timely, clear, and solutions-oriented advice on commercial transactions and day-to-day business matters.
• Advise on contract interpretation, authority and approval requirements, competition and antitrust considerations, data protection, compliance, and other legal issues arising from commercial arrangements.
• Participate in strategic projects, new market initiatives, acquisitions, collaborations, and business-model development, particularly where licensing or intellectual property is central to the transaction.
• Coordinate with local counsel in relevant jurisdictions and manage outside counsel efficiently, including scope, budget, quality, and delivery of advice.
Team Leadership and Unit Management
• Lead, supervise, and develop the lawyers, contract professionals, paralegals, and administrative team members assigned to the Licensing & Business Contracts unit.
• Set priorities, allocate work, monitor workload and performance, and ensure that matters are handled efficiently and at the appropriate level.
• Provide substantive guidance, quality control, coaching, and professional development to team members, while promoting accountability, sound judgment, and a strong service mindset.
• Establish clear service standards, workflows, and escalation protocols for the unit, and report on workload, priorities, risks, and performance to the Vice President, Legal & Intellectual Property.
• Build effective working relationships across the Legal & IP department and ensure smooth coordination with the intellectual property administration, enforcement, compliance, and legal operations functions.
Contract Governance and Legal Operations
• Develop, maintain, and improve contract templates, clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, approval matrices, policies, and guidance materials.
• Promote consistent use of the company's contract management processes and systems, including intake, review, approval, signature, storage, obligation tracking, renewal, and reporting.
• Identify recurring contractual and operational risks, recommend process improvements, and help implement scalable solutions that improve quality and turnaround time.
• Support training for business teams on contracting practices, delegated authority, licensing requirements, intellectual property protection, and other relevant legal topics.
• Maintain appropriate records and contribute to reporting on contract activity, key obligations, risk areas, and departmental performance.
Requirements:
• Juris Doctor or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution and active membership in good standing with an applicable bar or law society.
• At least eight years of relevant legal experience, including substantial responsibility for commercial contracting and licensing matters; a combination of in-house and law-firm experience is preferred. Of note: For those with in-house experience, the successful candidate will be required to have experience working for a global organization.
• A minimum of 3 years of demonstrated experience leading, supervising, or developing legal and contract professionals, with the ability to manage competing priorities across a busy global portfolio.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with experience handling complex, high-value, and cross-border agreements.
Willingness to travel up to 20% of the time.
Preferences:
• Experience advising a global agricultural, life sciences, food, biotechnology, consumer-products, or intellectual-property-driven business is preferred.
• Experience with intellectual property licensing-particularly plant variety rights, patents, trademarks, proprietary materials, or technology-is highly desirable.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English is required. Professional proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred, including the ability to review and negotiate agreements and communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking stakeholders.
Work schedule: 100% remote - any location within US. Of note: If the successful candidate lives within a commutable distance to Bakersfield, CA, then the work schedule will be hybrid.
Compensation: Base salary range of $165,000 - $190,000 (depending upon experience) plus bonus. Full benefit package including insurance coverages, a 401(K) with company match and flexible vacation time.
