Senior Legal Counsel

By harnessing advanced fermentation and microbial engineering, they create tailored molecules that unlock innovation across food, nutrition, personal care, and related industries. Their commercial model centers on strategic partnerships and technology licensing with established ingredient and CPG companies, enabling global scale while remaining focused, agile, and science-driven.

The Opportunity

Our client is seeking a commercially minded, pragmatic, and highly collaborative Senior Legal Counsel to serve as a key legal partner across the organization.

This is a high-impact, hands-on role suited for someone who thrives in dynamic environments and understands how to balance risk with opportunity. The successful candidate will act as the primary legal advisor to a mission-driven startup scaling its partnerships, technology platform, and operations.

 The ideal candidate combines strong transactional expertise with sound startup judgment, able to identify material risks and distinguish them from theoretical ones.

This role will work cross-functionally with Business Development, Technology, Finance, Operations, and Leadership, helping the company move quickly and responsibly within a complex regulatory and commercial landscape.

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial & Transactional Leadership

• Serve as lead in-house counsel across all commercial legal matters, managing collaboration with external counsel where specialized expertise is required
• Draft, review, and negotiate:
• Strategic partnership agreements
• Licensing agreements
• Contract manufacturing agreements
• Services agreements
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
• Confidentiality agreements
• Provide practical guidance on structuring and executing complex commercial transactions
• Advise business leaders on contractual rights, obligations, and risk mitigation strategies

 Corporate & Strategic Matters

• Support corporate governance, board materials, and resolutions
• Assist with financings, investor materials, M&A transactions, and other strategic initiatives
• Provide legal analysis related to securities compliance and corporate structuring
• Advise on entity management and governance processes
• Advise on HR matters, including hiring, terminations, performance issues, investigations, wage and hour compliance, and relevant employment laws
• Support HR with policy updates, employee handbook reviews, and compliance training
• Maintain clear communication with the Board and oversee corporate recordkeeping
• Serve as Corporate Equity Plan administrator (experience with Carta preferred)

 Regulatory & Risk Advisory

• Provide business-oriented counsel on regulatory, trade compliance, and contractual risk
• Support data security, privacy, AI governance, and B2B marketing compliance
• Ensure alignment with applicable laws and company policies

 Intellectual Property (IP) Portfolio Management

• Oversee IP protection strategy in collaboration with external counsel and the technology team
• Manage patent portfolio strategy and trade secret protection
• Ensure safeguarding of proprietary technology critical to competitive advantage

Experience required: 

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent; active State Bar membership (California preferred)
• 6+ years of legal experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house roles
• Prior experience in a Series A–D startup strongly preferred
• Experience across several of the following areas:
• Commercial contracts and complex negotiations
• Corporate governance
• Financing transactions and investor materials
• Intellectual property strategy (with outside counsel)
• Data security and privacy
• AI governance
• Employment and HR matters
• B2B marketing compliance
• Regulatory and trade compliance

 Mindset & Capabilities: 

• Strong commercial acumen and business judgment
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and fast-moving environments
• Ability to prioritize material risks over theoretical perfection
• Resourceful, creative, and solutions-oriented
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal skills and cross-functional collaboration experience

Why Join?

• Work at the forefront of climate-positive biotechnology innovation
• Influence company strategy at a pivotal stage of growth
• Partner with mission-driven scientists, operators, and entrepreneurs
• Build legal infrastructure that enables scale