Overview
This role is for an experienced IP/Product Counsel to manage and grow the intellectual property portfolio of a fast-moving technology organization specializing in secure, production-ready open source software. The position involves protecting, monetizing, and scaling the company's IP assets while working closely with product and engineering teams on licensing, product launches, and IP enforcement.
Responsibilities
- Own and expand the international IP portfolio.
- Lead enforcement efforts, including cease-and-desist actions against licensing violations.
- Serve as the primary legal resource for open source licensing questions from engineering teams.
- Advise product teams on licensing, IP, and terms of service for multiple concurrent product and feature launches.
- Draft and review product terms and terms of service for new product launches.
- Provide guidance on licensing considerations in partner and joint development agreements.
- Collaborate early with product and engineering teams to identify and address legal considerations before product launch.
- Develop scalable IP processes, templates, and resources to support growth of the legal function.
Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of legal experience with a strong foundation in intellectual property law, including trademark and copyright; patent experience is a plus.
- Deep knowledge of open source licensing, including standard permissive and copyleft licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD, GPL, LGPL, MPL) and non-standard licenses such as dual licensing.
- Experience advising on product launches, product roadmaps, product terms, or terms of service is a plus but not required.
- Ability to work proactively to build and protect IP as well as reactively to enforce IP rights.
- Comfortable working as an individual contributor initially, with potential to grow into a leadership role.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working closely with product and engineering teams in a technology-focused environment.
- Background in technology transactions.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary range: $200,000—$225,000 USD.
- Flexible, remote-first work culture with team meetups, bi-annual summits, and monthly stipends for coworking spaces, phone, and internet.
- Stock options granted upon hire and promotion, with participation in secondary offerings and a 10-year exercise window.
- 100% employer-covered health, vision, and dental insurance premiums for employees and dependents.
- Unlimited flexible time off.
- Paid parental leave: 18 weeks for birthing parents, 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, usable all at once or throughout the first year.
Location
Remote-first with flexible work arrangements and periodic in-person team events.
Equal Opportunity
The organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, political views, or other legally protected characteristics. Applicants with criminal histories are also considered in accordance with applicable laws.