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Etched is building custom hardware and software infrastructure for frontier AI inference workloads. The company co-designs chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to optimize throughput and latency. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for AI.
You will serve as Head of Legal / General Counsel, leading and scaling Etched's legal function as the company prepares for IPO and continued rapid growth. This is a hands-on leadership role combining team leadership with personal ownership of the company's most consequential legal work.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead and grow the legal team: hire exceptional talent, develop existing team members, establish clear ownership and performance expectations
- Build consistent legal practices across the company, including intake processes, contract templates, negotiation playbooks, approval thresholds, and escalation paths
- Establish and manage SLAs for contract reviews and legal requests; track turnaround times, backlog, and outside counsel spend
- Automate repeatable legal work using AI tools thoughtfully, with appropriate human review and confidentiality protections
- Lead legal preparation for IPO in partnership with Finance and the executive team, building corporate governance, board processes, disclosure practices, and public-company infrastructure
- Personally lead complex commercial negotiations including customer agreements, supplier and manufacturing agreements, IP licenses, and strategic partnerships
- Advise the executive team and board on financings, strategic transactions, equity compensation, corporate governance, and material legal risks
- Oversee employment, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, and disputes across U.S. and international operations
- Own the legal budget and outside counsel relationships; decide what to build in-house and ensure spending produces clear value
The company is fully in-person in San Jose (Santana Row) and values engineering skills across all functions.
REQUIREMENTS (Must-have):
- Substantial experience advising high-growth technology companies, in-house or at a leading law firm
- Track record of hiring, developing, and leading high-performing legal teams
- Deep expertise in commercial negotiations, corporate governance, and financings
- Experience building legal processes that improve speed and quality without adding bureaucracy
- Strong business judgment, concise communication, and willingness to personally own difficult work across broad scope
- JD and active bar admission; California preferred
NICE-TO-HAVE:
- Experience taking a technology company through IPO and supporting public-company operations
- Leading legal work for major financings, acquisitions, or strategic transactions at rapidly scaling company
- Working in AI, hardware, semiconductors, or advanced manufacturing, including negotiating agreements involving IP rights, supply commitments, hardware warranties, performance specifications, and technical acceptance criteria
- Building legal operations infrastructure, implementing contract lifecycle management systems, or deploying AI and automation in legal workflows
