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Senior Legal Counsel

Elroy Air

Elroy Air

Legal
South San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Thursday, April 20, 2023
At Elroy Air, we build autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft systems to change the way the world moves goods. Transporting cargo by air is faster and more efficient than by land or sea, but before recent technological and regulatory developments, it was prohibitively expensive. Today, we’re able to expand middle-mile logistics possibilities across multiple sectors. The commercial express shipping industry spends $140B annually on the middle-mile and needs faster, better solutions - while the armed forces are increasingly prioritizing unmanned aerial cargo delivery systems.
These partners and customers are already responding enthusiastically to the technologies we are pioneering. As we develop and deploy these systems, we are looking for people like you: motivated collaborators, excited by our mission and by the rare opportunity to improve how logistics works around the world. You will play an important role in establishing Elroy Air as the industry standard in this massive market.
Diverse perspectives at all levels are critical to innovation and employee development. We encourage our team to bring their whole selves to Elroy. This includes but is not limited to gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, age, ability, parenthood status, veteran status, educational background, citizenship status, or any combination of these characteristics.
As our first in-house counsel you will play a vital role in leading the corporate, commercial, and transactional legal needs of Elroy Air. You will report to our CFO and will be responsible for our legal strategy, infrastructure, documentation, negotiations, contracts, approach to risk and risk management, and legal representation.
This is an onsite, full-time, salaried, exempt role based in South San Francisco with some travel to our flight test facility in Byron, CA and other locations as needed.

What you’ll own:

  • Develop our legal strategy to protect against legal risks and liabilities while providing leadership with practical and actionable advice
  • Oversee all corporate, commercial, and transactional legal needs of Elroy Air
  • Build and maintain the legal infrastructure and best practices needed to support Elroy Air’s business
  • Identify, assess and mitigate potential litigation and regulatory risks related to aerospace and defense customers, vendors and other related parties
  • Own and implement Elroy Air’s Intellectual Property strategy
  • Efficiently and effectively lead and oversee outside counsel on all relevant workstreams
  • Collaborate and build strong relationships across the organization to support compliance management and corporate governance in connection with anti-corruption / bribery as well anti-money laundering regulatory concerns
  • Assure the maintenance of records of all new and existing legal documents and proceedings
  • Ensure all aspects of Elroy Air’s legal representation are of the highest quality

Our ideal candidate:

  • 10+ years of legal experience, preferably both in-house and with a law firm
  • Active membership and good standing with the California bar
  • Ability to proactively identify issues and implement effective solutions quickly
  • Strong understanding of industry-relevant laws and regulations
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritize various risks and focus on what is necessary
  • Contract experience with international commercial partners/customers
  • Strong communication, writing, and organizational skills
  • A considered, flexible approach to acceptable risk in an entrepreneurial environment
  • Relentless persistence, coupled with a bias toward action

Bonus points for:

  • Experience at an aviation, aerospace or technology company within another highly-regulated industry
  • FAA / EASA or equivalent aviation certification experience
  • Strong working knowledge of US Government contracting and procurement regulations and export control regulation
  • Experience in government relations including congressional interactions and working with defense customers

What’s in it for you:

  • Competitive pay + equity package
  • Comprehensive insurance options for medical/dental/vision/long term disability/life + optional plans for commuter accounts, pet insurance, legal help, and more!
  • Retirement planning: 401(k) with company contribution
  • 3 months fully paid parental leave
  • Highly flexible vacation policy- that we actually want you to use!
  • Employee Assistance Program with 24/7 support
  • Developing Employee Resource Groups (Affinity Groups) for underrepresented groups
  • A kind, diverse, and highly skilled team
  • You'll help define a new category of aerospace / logistics / robotics, and you'll work on novel and never-before-built systems
  • As an early addition to a quickly growing team, you'll help shape and define company culture and values
  • Flexible work arrangements (we understand you have a personal life)
Elroy Air's compensation package includes market competitive salary, equity for all full time roles, and great benefits. If you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, our expected cash compensation for this role is $220,000 - $270,000. We are hiring for multiple levels and backgrounds so final offers may vary from the amounts listed based on experience, expertise, and other factors.
We encourage you to apply even if you aren't an exact match for our open role as many of our team members come from nontraditional backgrounds.
All employees will be screened through E-Verify.
This position will require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws and regulations, including Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Please note that any offer for employment will be conditioned on any required authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export control laws and regulations necessary to perform the responsibilities of the position.