In-House Counsel

About Us

At Saildrone, we sustainably explore, map, and monitor the oceans to understand, protect, and preserve our world. We provide real-time access to critical data from any ocean on earth, 24/7/365, and use proprietary software applications to transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence. Our fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, have a minimal carbon footprint and operate without the need for a crewed support vessel. Saildrone works with governments, civil agencies, foundations, universities, and private companies around the globe to drive better information about our oceans and seas—from sailing into the eye of a category 4 hurricane to obtain new data about how storms intensify, collecting new CO2 data in hard-to-reach areas, and counting fish biomass to inform sustainable fishery management, to mapping the ocean floor and reducing illegal fishing and drug trafficking. As a result of our work, Saildrone has been included on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, earned an Ocean Awards’ Innovation Award, won Best Tech For Good from the Timmy Awards, and was recognized by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism 50 list of the Top 50 Companies Kickstarting American Renewal. Our first-annual Atlantic hurricane mission with NOAA was included as one of The New York Times’ 21 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2021 and Popular Science's 100 Greatest Innovations of 2021.

We are based in Alameda, CA, with offices in Washington DC and St. Petersburg, FL, and operate our missions worldwide. Saildrone is backed by top-tier investors in the frontier tech and sustainability sectors, including Social Capital, Capricorn, Lux Capital, BOND Capital, and Emerson Collective.

This is an exciting opportunity with a fast-growing team at the cutting-edge intersection of big data services and autonomous hardware. You will be an integral part of a high-performing multi-disciplinary delivering high impact for humanity and future generations.

The Role

This role reports directly into the Company's CFO and will be responsible for providing primary legal support for general corporate and legal matters, advising on business transactions, regulations and compliance, and managing the company’s various external counsel resources. This role has a broad scope of responsibilities including:

• Contract Review and Negotiation. Draft and negotiate a wide range of contracts, including customer contracts, vendor contracts, and partnership agreements. Ensure contractual terms and conditions align with legal standards and protect the company's interests

• Collaboration with Saildrone’s BD Team. Since the significant majority of Saildrone’s customers to-date have been government-based, Saildrone has established in-house contracting expertise within its BD that is responsible for negotiation and administration of the company’s various US Government (“USG”) contracting vehicles (e.g., GSA contract, DIU Production OTA, NOAA BPA). Saildrone’s In-House Counsel will partner with the contracting office, ensuring that the legal terms contained within proposed contract vehicles are evaluated from a legal perspective

• Export/Import Review. Regularly review and evaluate Saildrone’s export/import status with respect to the company’s various drone types, sensor packages, and destinations. Manage Saildrone’s external export/import specialists, and advise the company’s leadership as to pro-active approaches to ensure the company remains compliant with all export/import rules and regulations. Update such guidance as export/import restrictions for specific countries or classes of technology are changed by the relevant agencies.

• Intellectual Property. Manage Saildrone’s intellectual property portfolio, using outside counsel resources to ensure that the company’s portfolio patent is regularly updated to match the company’s latest additions to its capabilities and products, ensure that the company’s code base is appropriately copyrighted, and protect the company’s trademarks, patents and copyrights in any cases of infringement

• Employee Stock Option Program Management. Manage Saildrone’s incentive stock option plan, including maintenance of the company’s stock option plan, grant administration and related external filing requirements (currently utilizing third party paralegal), as well as provide internal management Plan reporting (including available pool and overhang)

• Regulatory Guidance. Provide expert advice and guidance on regulatory matters related to Saildrone’s services, such as changing regulations for US-government contractors or contractors working with the Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security. Advise business leaders on compliant practices and help develop policies and procedures accordingly.

• Policy Development. Collaborate with cross-functional teams including HR, Finance, IT, Facilities, and others to develop, review, and update internal policies, procedures, and guidelines

• Manage Litigation. Manage and advise on litigation as the point of contact for external law firms. Serve as the internal point of contact for all litigation matters, including complaints, disputes, and regulatory inquiries. Conduct legal research, draft pleadings, manage discovery, and represent the company in negotiations, mediations, and court proceedings.

• International Entity Management. In collaboration with the Finance and HR teams, ensure that international subsidiaries are created, maintained, and closed in a timely manner and in compliance with all local-country rules and regulations. Ensure that all inter-company agreements are appropriately maintained and are updated as needed to reflect the changing relationship between Saildrone’s various entities

• Risk Assessment and Mitigation. Conduct comprehensive legal risk assessments and provide guidance to mitigate potential risks. Collaborate with Saildrone’s Risk Management team and other internal stakeholders to develop effective risk management strategies

• Legal Compliance. Stay up-to-date with relevant laws, regulations, and industry practices. Develop and implement compliance programs to ensure adherence to legal requirements across all aspects of our operations. Partner with Saildrone’s L&D Manager to develop and deliver training programs on legal and compliance matters to enhance employees' understanding and ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations

• Provide legal guidance and support to the company on a wide range of legal and regulatory issues.

Required Skills and Experience

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school
• CA State Bar - Active and in Good Standing
• 12+ years of experience in a law firm or in-house legal department
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills; 5+ years of experience preferred negotiating US Government contracts
• Strong knowledge of the licensing requirements, laws, regulations, and industry protocols related to export/import and dual-use technology; demonstrated knowledge of regulatory environment relating to supply chain (including ITAR requirements), autonomous hardware products, and global commerce at an organization with active government contracts
• Experience defining and implementing an IP & technology strategy, patent associated activities including assessment and evaluation of invention disclosures, preparation and prosecution of US and foreign patent applications, management of the global patent portfolio, and conflicts with third parties
• Experience with operating in multi-entity, international company, as well as creating, modifying, and maintaining cross-entity intercompany agreements
• Experience in managing external counsel resources
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders
• Adept at communicating complicated legal issues and requirements, utilizing business judgment to effectively develop and implement policies and protocols for compliance
• Experience analyzing complex regulations, providing legal counsel to business leaders, and developing actionable business policies and action items for implementation
• Detail-oriented and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to perform work on a computer that requires ability to operate a keyboard and other peripheral devices

Location: This position is in Alameda, CA. Our waterfront office offers beautiful views of San Francisco Bay in always sunny Alameda. Even our walls have good karma, our offices mix software development with a hardware production line in the former airplane hangar used to film 'The Matrix'.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents.
• Short and relaxing ferry ride from the Ferry Building for SF residents
• Enhanced Parental Leave Programs
• Competitive benefits including excellent medical, life insurance, 401k plan

Catch up on the latest news about us:

The Tiny Craft Mapping Superstorms at Sea – The New York Times

Saildrone Takes the Wraps Off its Voyager Autonomous Research Vehicle – TechCrunch

An Underwater Mountain was Newly Discovered off California Coast – San Francisco Chronicle

The Quest for CO2: You Can’t Capture What You Can’t Find – Inside Unmanned Systems

Hacking the Anthropocene with Survivalist Robots [VIDEO] – Freethink

Here’s What Hurricane Fiona’s Surf Looked Like, from Atop a 50-foot Wave – The Washington Post

An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane – EOS

Meet the sailing robots trying to solve climate change – The Hill

They Sailed Into a Hurricane, Now These Unmanned Saildrones are Seeking Data on Our Carbon Uptake – CNN

Saildrone Featured Videos Playlist

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Individual compensation packages are based on geographic location, scope of the role, relevant experience, and the ability to deal with complexity and problem solve within our organization, among other factors

Individuals who require employer sponsorship to remain employed in the United States now or in the future will not be considered for hire for certain positions.

Any unsolicited resumes/candidate profiles submitted through our website or to personal email accounts of employees of Saildrone are considered property of Saildrone and are not subject to payment of agency fees.

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