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Salary: USD 140,000 - 205,000 / annual
True Anomaly is a defense and aerospace technology company building autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors to secure the space environment and counter threats. The Corporate Counsel, IP will serve as the company's primary in-house legal authority on intellectual property, owning the maturation and execution of the company's IP strategy.
This role reports to the Managing Counsel and is a key member of a small, collaborative legal department. You will lead the company's IP program, partnering closely with engineering, marketing, product, program management, business development, and mission teams to identify proprietary innovations and implement appropriate protections across the company's IP portfolios. Responsibilities include negotiating and managing licenses, establishing practical processes that turn day-to-day engineering into defensible IP, and serving as the go-to resource for stakeholders across the company on strategy, ownership, and risk.
Key responsibilities include: developing and owning True Anomaly's IP strategy for identifying, capturing, protecting, and leveraging inventions, patents, trade secrets, software, data, trademarks, and other proprietary technology; building and managing the practical infrastructure for IP including invention mining and disclosure processes, patent and trade secret decision-making, and trade secret protection practices; managing the full lifecycle of the company's patent and trademark portfolios; drafting, negotiating, and managing inbound and outbound technology, software, data, and other IP license agreements; maintaining systems for tracking license terms, obligations, renewals, and key requirements; managing IP terms for employees, contractors, consultants, and other personnel including proprietary information and invention assignment agreements; managing open-source and third-party software licensing compliance; advising engineering, product, and program teams on IP ownership, third-party rights, publication, and invention disclosures; advising on IP and data rights in government contracts including data rights assertions and Bayh-Dole obligations; partnering with export compliance on issues involving IP, technical data, and ITAR/EAR controls; and monitoring developments in IP law and policy.
Beyond IP, you will support general corporate legal functions including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide variety of agreements (customer, partnership, technology, vendor, supplier, program subcontracts, teaming agreements, NDAs, consulting agreements); advising internal stakeholders across program management, systems engineering, communications, IT, mission operations, facilities, security, finance, and supply chain on legal matters; coordinating with other legal department functions on matters of overlapping regulatory concern; and contributing to legal department process improvements, templates, and playbooks.
REQUIREMENTS
Required Qualifications:
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- 3–7 years of legal experience, preferably including both law firm and in-house experience
- Experience advising on patents, trade secrets, software, technology transactions, licensing, and IP ownership
- Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts and license agreements independently
- Experience advising on IP ownership, data rights, and licensing matters in a technology or product-development environment
- Ability to work effectively with technical teams and translate complex legal information and technical concepts into practical guidance
- Strong written communication skills, with the ability to produce precise, well-organized legal documents
- Strong presentation skills and ability to distill complex legal concepts into clear, accessible reports and briefings for internal audiences
- High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines simultaneously
- A generalist's range and instinct — comfort operating across multiple areas of law and picking up unfamiliar issues quickly
Preferred Skills and Experience:
- Experience in the commercial space, aerospace, defense, or other deep-technology industry
- Experience in-house at a technology or aerospace company, ideally a startup or high-growth environment
- Familiarity with government IP and data-rights frameworks (FAR/DFARS, Bayh-Dole, SBIR/STTR)
- Experience with open-source software compliance and software licensing
- Familiarity with export controls
Additional Requirements:
- Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State (ITAR compliance)
