Convergent Research General Counsel

Overview

A partner organization is seeking a General Counsel based in the United States to support a rapidly scaling research ecosystem focused on accelerating breakthrough science. This senior legal leadership role combines law, strategy, and scientific innovation within a dynamic environment that blends nonprofit governance with venture-style operational speed and international structures. The General Counsel will shape legal, intellectual property, compliance, and risk frameworks across a complex network of research entities.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead enterprise-wide legal strategy across the organization and its portfolio of research entities, aligning innovation goals with legal risk management.
• Oversee intellectual property strategy, including patent governance, licensing structures, disclosure frameworks, and spinout transactions across multiple research programs.
• Manage and develop the legal function, including internal counsel and contracts teams, establishing clear roles, escalation paths, and operating models.
• Serve as primary advisor to executive leadership on complex legal, structural, and regulatory matters, providing clear and actionable guidance on high-stakes decisions.
• Own and optimize relationships with external counsel across corporate, nonprofit, employment, IP, and international legal domains, including negotiation of fees and scope of work.
• Ensure compliance with 501(c)(3) regulations across a complex portfolio of entities, overseeing exempt organization risk and governance standards.
• Navigate multi-jurisdictional legal and regulatory requirements, including international compliance areas such as GDPR, OFAC, and anti-bribery frameworks.
• Lead legal structuring for strategic transactions, including partnerships, licensing agreements, entity formation, and research organization transitions.
• Build scalable legal systems, playbooks, and templates to improve organizational efficiency and reduce legal bottlenecks.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree with active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 10 years of legal experience, ideally in corporate, commercial, or transactional law.
• Strong background in structuring complex deals, managing outside counsel, and handling high-volume legal operations.
• Experience or strong familiarity with nonprofit law, including 501(c)(3) compliance and exempt organization governance.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in complex, multi-entity environments involving intellectual property, licensing, and cross-border structures.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to anticipate legal risk and design proactive frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills to translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
• Proven leadership experience managing legal teams and external counsel relationships.
• Bonus: Exposure to research institutions, scientific organizations, or innovation-driven nonprofit environments.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary aligned with experience and geographic location.
• Up to 6% 401(k) employer match.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance with strong employer contributions.
• Life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• 19 paid holidays, including a year-end shutdown period.
• Paid time off with tenure-based increases, plus separate sick and parental leave.
• Fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement support.
• Wellness allowance for health and fitness activities.
• Education and professional development funding.
• Fully remote work flexibility with periodic in-person retreats and team gatherings.
• Additional benefits including family support programs and voluntary insurance options.

Location

• United States (remote work flexibility with periodic in-person gatherings).

Note: This position is managed by a partner organization that handles all applications and next steps.