Associate/Deputy General Counsel

Overview

Associate / Deputy General Counsel role for a permanent, full-time in-house position supporting a precision manufacturing organization serving the aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries.

This is a remote (WFH) role with meaningful flexibility and autonomy. The position is anticipated to begin in January 2027 and reports to the General Counsel and Compliance Officer.

Responsibilities

The attorney will serve as a principal legal advisor across corporate, commercial, labor and employment, regulatory, and operational matters, with real ownership of day-to-day legal affairs.

Primary focus:

• Own customer, vendor, and commercial disputes from intake through resolution, including demand response, settlement negotiation, litigation strategy, and direction of outside counsel
• Advise management and human resources on internal labor and employment matters across operating companies, including employee and labor disputes, employee relations, grievances, separations, accommodations, workplace policies, and compliance with applicable labor and employment laws
• Conduct and direct workplace and internal investigations, with appropriate escalation to the General Counsel
• Provide first-line legal intake across operating companies: triage incoming requests, resolve routine matters directly, and route matters requiring specialist or executive attention

Additional matters (as part of broader in-house ownership):

• Lead review, drafting, and negotiation of significant customer, supplier, and other commercial agreements, including complex or strategically important transactions
• Support mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, including legal due diligence, transaction document review, and post-closing integration support
• Manage intellectual property matters, including trademark and trade secret protection and IP terms in commercial and transactional agreements
• Handle real estate matters, including leases, purchases and sales, and facility-related agreements across multiple sites

Governance, compliance, and legal operations:

• Support corporate governance activities across multiple entities, including entity maintenance, board and shareholder materials, resolutions, and corporate records
• Partner with business and compliance leadership to identify and address regulatory requirements, operational risk, and emerging legal issues
• Develop and implement corporate policies and procedures
• Manage outside counsel relationships, engagement terms, billing guidelines, and legal spend; identify opportunities to bring appropriate work in-house and improve efficiency of legal service delivery
• Strengthen legal processes, contract management practices, and scalable legal workflows, including through legal technology and AI-enabled tools
• Independently handle significant legal responsibilities while appropriately escalating matters requiring executive-level attention

Requirements (Minimum)

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school with excellent academic credentials
• 10+ years of legal experience, including substantial experience across a broad range of corporate, commercial, labor and employment, and regulatory compliance matters
• Significant in-house corporate counsel experience, preferably within a manufacturing, industrial, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex operating environment
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage sophisticated legal matters and advise senior executives and business leaders on legal risk, strategic considerations, and practical solutions
• Extensive experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including customer, supplier, and other business-critical contracts
• Substantive labor and employment experience, including employee and labor disputes, workplace investigations, employee relations, separations, workplace policies, and compliance with applicable labor and employment laws
• Experience managing commercial disputes and litigation, including developing legal strategy, directing outside counsel, and managing legal spend
• Working knowledge of corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and enterprise legal risk management
• Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, including legal due diligence, transaction document review, and post-acquisition integration
• Strong business acumen, executive presence, and ability to operate autonomously in a fast-paced, decentralized business environment
• Demonstrated proficiency with modern legal technology, including practical familiarity with AI-enabled tools and their application to legal workflows
• Excellent analytical, written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, with eligibility to serve as in-house counsel
• Outstanding professional references

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior service as an Associate General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, or senior in-house corporate counsel with broad legal responsibilities
• Experience supporting a multi-entity or multinational organization, particularly one experiencing significant organic or acquisition-driven growth
• Background in manufacturing, aerospace, defense, government contracting, or another highly regulated industry
• Experience advising a multi-site industrial or manufacturing workforce on labor and employment matters, including union-represented facilities, collective bargaining agreement administration, grievances, and wage and hour compliance
• Experience managing legal matters across multiple U.S. jurisdictions and international operations, including Canada
• Experience with intellectual property portfolio management, including trademarks, trade secrets, and IP provisions in commercial and transactional agreements
• Experience with commercial real estate matters, including leases, acquisitions, and facility-related agreements
• Familiarity with export controls, trade compliance, government contracting regulations, or related regulatory frameworks
• Experience working within a lean legal department where attorneys are expected to exercise independent judgment, prioritize competing demands, and serve as strategic partners to business leadership
• Experience implementing legal technology, automation, or artificial intelligence to improve legal department efficiency and effectiveness

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation: $180,000–$230,000 annually, commensurate with experience, qualifications, credentials, and location
• Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance
• HSA and Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) with automatic enrollment and employer match with immediate vesting
• Paid holidays; PTO/vacation
• Tuition reimbursement after 90 days of full-time employment

Location

• Remote (WFH)