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Salary: USD 250,000 - 300,000 / annual
CHAOS Industries, a defense technology company founded in 2022 and backed by $1B in funding from 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners, is seeking a Senior Counsel for Intellectual Property to build and lead its IP legal function. As the company's first dedicated IP counsel, you will own the strategy, protection, and management of the company's intellectual property portfolio, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
You will work closely with engineering, product, business leadership, and the broader Legal and Contracts teams to protect the technology behind CHAOS's products while supporting commercial growth and sales to the U.S. Government and allied international governments. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys getting close to the technology, making practical decisions, and building programs that engineers will actually use.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own the company's IP strategy and portfolio, aligning protection, investment, and enforcement decisions with product roadmaps and business priorities.
- Lead invention harvesting and evaluation with technical teams, including decisions about patent filings, trade secret protection, and publication.
- Manage outside counsel responsible for domestic and international patent and trademark prosecution, including filing priorities, deadlines, budgets, and quality.
- Oversee trademark clearance, registration, maintenance, and enforcement.
- Establish practical processes for invention disclosures, IP ownership and assignments, confidential information, trade secrets, and employee training.
- Partner with Legal and Contracts on IP ownership, licensing, development agreements, supplier arrangements, and customer contracts.
- Advise on government contract IP provisions, including technical data and software rights, assertions, restrictive markings, development funding records, and negotiated licenses.
- Coordinate IP disputes and enforcement matters with outside counsel.
- Advise on third-party technology and open-source software use, and support IP diligence for acquisitions, investments, and strategic partnerships.
- Travel occasionally to company locations and business meetings as needed.
Requirements:
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar, with eligibility to practice in the role's location.
- Substantial experience independently advising technology businesses on IP strategy and managing patent portfolios, including directing outside prosecution counsel.
- Demonstrated ability to work directly with engineers to identify inventions, assess commercial significance, and recommend appropriate protection.
- Experience managing trademark portfolios and advising on trade secrets, confidentiality, and IP ownership.
- Experience drafting and negotiating IP ownership and licensing provisions in commercial, development, or technology agreements.
- Working knowledge of FAR and DFARS intellectual property requirements, including rights in technical data and computer software, and experience applying those rules to contracts or internal processes.
- Ability to translate complex technical and legal issues into clear, practical recommendations and independently prioritize competing business needs.
- Experience establishing or improving IP processes and managing outside counsel budgets.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience as the first or lead IP attorney at a growing technology company.
- Experience in defense technology, aerospace, radar, robotics, autonomy, or related hardware and software businesses.
- An engineering or scientific degree.
- Experience negotiating government data rights licenses and advising on IP provisions in Other Transaction agreements.
- Experience with international IP portfolios, IP litigation, or acquisition-related IP diligence.
