Associate Counsel, IP & Open Source

Overview

A global legal team is seeking an Associate Counsel to join the Commercial & Technology Legal Team with a focus on intellectual property (IP) and open source matters. This role involves providing legal support to technology and business teams, advising on IP licensing and transactions, and supporting open source governance and compliance. The position requires a practical, business-oriented approach to legal issues related to technology products and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal advice on a wide range of IP issues related to product development, tooling, infrastructure, and external communications.
• Draft, review, and negotiate IP-related terms in commercial and intercompany agreements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify recurring IP issues and develop templates, guidance, and escalation procedures for consistent decision-making.
• Support the open source program by reviewing licensing, compliance, and contribution practices, including managing internal workflows and committee processes.
• Partner with Engineering, Security, Infrastructure, and Tech Brand teams to improve open source policies and workflows.
• Advise on open source governance topics such as usage, contributing, releasing, permissions, and access models.
• Review and provide legal guidance on external-facing Tech Brand materials including blog posts, technical articles, conference talks, developer programs, web content, and social media.
• Identify and manage legal risks related to IP, confidentiality, content claims, third-party rights, and open source considerations in Tech Brand initiatives.
• Work closely with Marketing, Communications, and Legal colleagues to ensure consistent guidance across brand, marketing, and technology narratives.
• Develop and maintain playbooks, templates, and training materials to help legal and business teams address common IP and open source issues efficiently.
• Coordinate with international colleagues to promote consistent legal guidance across regions and support global initiatives.

Requirements

• J.D. degree and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of three years of relevant legal experience in law firm, government, or in-house settings, with significant exposure to IP transactions, licensing, and advising technology teams.
• Working knowledge of intellectual property law including copyright, trademark, and patent fundamentals as applied to technology and product contexts.
• Experience drafting and negotiating IP provisions in various agreements, including technology-related and intercompany contracts.
• Familiarity with open source licensing concepts and compliance, with the ability to provide clear, practical guidance to technical teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and risk assessment skills with the ability to balance cost and benefit in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of translating complex legal issues into clear guidance for non-lawyers.
• Proven ability to manage multiple matters simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and take ownership to drive issues to resolution.
• Ability to work independently on day-to-day matters with sound judgment on when to escalate.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least five years of experience advising engineering, data science, infrastructure, or developer platform teams.
• Familiarity with common open source licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL/LGPL) and compliance workflows such as dependency review, notices, attribution, and policy approvals.
• Knowledge of marketing and advertising law concepts relevant to external messaging, including FTC considerations, endorsements, substantiation, and comparative claims.
• Experience with sponsored research agreements and contracting with private and public universities.
• Experience developing scalable legal enablement tools such as templates, intake processes, training, and playbooks for repeatable issues.
• Comfort collaborating cross-functionally with technical teams on external-facing communications.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range: $157,000 to $185,000 USD.
• Eligibility for bonus, equity, benefits, and employee travel credits.
• Actual compensation depends on factors such as training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, and market demands.

Location

• This position is remote eligible within the United States.
• Candidates must reside in a state where the employer has a registered entity.
• Occasional work at an office or attendance at offsite events may be required as agreed with management.

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

The organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities during the application and interview process.