Associate General Counsel, IP

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Team

The Legal team is responsible for providing legal and compliance guidance and support covering all aspects of Anduril’s rapidly growing business, ranging from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance and employment matters. You will represent the legal team in relationships with outside counsel, vendors, engineers, executives, customers, and regulators.

About The Job

Anduril’s Legal Team seeks in-house IP attorney — Associate General Counsel, IP — to help build our IP team supporting the future technology of defense. In this role, you will work across most aspects of Anduril’s business, from helping the business development team structure partnerships, to negotiating license and services agreements, working with engineers on patent development, and supporting our internal teams to manage Anduril’s licensed systems. This position reports to the VP of Compliance or the General Counsel, and will be based in Costa Mesa, CA.

Anduril is a fast-growing company at the early stages of growth. Consistent with this fast growth, members of Anduril’s Legal Team must be resourceful, creative, and eager to take ownership of complex matters. The Associate General Counsel, IP role will require creativity and resourcefulness to pair commercial intellectual property protections with defense technologies of interest to national security, with a singular focus on helping Anduril deploy its path-making technology into operational settings for the United States and its allies. This role is not exclusively focused on US patent and trademark. In addition to US IP protections, you will work on all other aspects of Anduril’s business, from US government contracts, to negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to supporting compliance and employment matters. Experience across all of these areas is not expected, but a willingness to learn and adapt is.

The Associate General Counsel, IP will be expected to take responsibility for significant, material projects, which will have a significant impact on the company’s business. Our team is passionate about the law and policy of defense technology and you should have an independent interest in the key issues in this field. Anduril fosters a diverse, collaborative, culture with tremendous opportunities for ownership and professional growth.

What You’Ll Do

• Be a key member of Anduril’s dynamic Legal team.
• Drive development, management, and application of Anduril’s IP portfolio in coordination with business, financial, and compliance goals.
• Support customer growth by supporting Anduril’s supply chain and purchasing teams.
• Manage relationships with government and commercial customers and partners. High-trust professional relationships with Government officials are critical to Anduril’s continued success, and you will be called upon to develop and foster these relationships throughout your tenure.
• Provide legal counsel and day-to-day management of Anduril’s IP portfolio. Oversee and evaluate patent efforts, monitor for IP risks, lead or assist in key IP negotiations, resolve performance issues, and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.
• Manage outside counsel who advise on IP matters.
• Work on all legal aspects of Anduril’s business, from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance, and employment matters. You will represent the legal team in relationships with outside counsel, vendors, engineers, executives, customers, and regulators.

Required Qualifications

• JD degree from a top-tier accredited law school
• Experience with engineering, software, or other technology
• 12+ years of practice in US IP law, particularly patent prosecution
• A deep understanding patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets, as well as USG government data rights issues
• Experience negotiating contracts, particularly IP assignment
• The judgment and initiative required to own multiple projects from end-to-end, whether guiding an Engineering Team through the lifecycle of a patent or handling unexpected legal issues that may arise in defense or start-up companies
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience and ability to build and scale a team of IP lawyers and non-lawyers
• Quick learner and able to contribute to the broader start-up legal function, including topics that may be completely new to you: everything from IP and litigation to financing, securities, compliance, and employment law, depending on the needs of the day
• License to practice law in the United States, and Patent Bar License in good standing
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant international patent experience
• Combination of law-firm and in-house experience
• An interest in the law and policy of defense acquisitions with opinions about what is right or wrong in the field and how to fix it
• Preference given to candidates who have broad patent experience, including experience in a variety of venues and trial experience.
• Active Top Secret security clearance
• Experience in the military or working in defense or national security

US Salary Range$220,000—$292,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

• Platinum Healthcare Benefits: For U.S. roles, we offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you.
• Basic Life/AD&D and long-term disability insurance 100% covered by Anduril, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a holiday hiatus in December, and highly competitive PTO plans.
• 16 weeks of paid Caregiver & Wellness Leave to care for a family member, bond with your baby, or tend to your own medical condition.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Fertility (eg, IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carrier coverage with additional benefits and resources to provide support from planning to parenting.
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy, life coaching, and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, available to you as well.
• A professional development stipend is available to all Andurilians.
• Company-funded commuter benefits available based on your region.
• Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility).
• 401(k) retirement savings plan - both a traditional and Roth 401(k). (US roles only)
• For UK roles, Private Medical Insurance (PMI): Anduril will cover the full cost of the insurance premium for an employee and dependents.
• For AUS roles, Private health plan through Bupa: Coverage is fully subsidized by Anduril.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Anduril is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Anduril team is made up of incredibly talented and unique individuals, who together are disrupting industry norms by creating new paths towards the future of defense technology. All qualified applicants will be treated with respect and receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, uniform service, Veteran status, age, or any other protected characteristic per federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you are someone passionate about working on problems that have a real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you!

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.