Assistant General Counsel

Join Merlin, a pioneering company in the field of autonomous flight. As the Assistant General Counsel, you will be responsible for managing the legal aspects of government contracts, commercial agreements, and various other legal matters. You will work closely with multiple departments and have the opportunity to shape the contracting strategy for the business. This role requires a strong background in U.S. government contracts law, commercial contracting, and a willingness to learn and grow in other legal areas.

• Assurer la gestion légale des contrats gouvernementaux de Merlin, y compris la révision des propositions, la stratégie d'approvisionnement, les négociations et la conformité.
• Gérer les activités juridiques commerciales quotidiennes, en rédigeant et en négociant des accords de partenariat, des licences technologiques, des NDA, des contrats commerciaux.
• Contribuer à l'élaboration des modèles de contrat, des manuels et des infrastructures de processus nécessaires à la croissance de l'entreprise.

• You are a business-minded government contracts attorney who moves comfortably between FAR/DFARS and commercial contract negotiation, and who appreciates that both are vital to our mission to create the Operating System of Record for autonomous flight
• Partnering closely with Contracts Management, Program Management, Finance, Revenue and Supply Chain, you bring legal oversight to proposals and procurement, provide guidance to the teams executing existing agreements, and help shape the contracting strategy that lets the business grow with confidence
• You have real experience structuring and negotiating complex government contract vehicles, but you are just as capable running a commercial NDA or technology license to signature without hand-holding. This is expected to be your primary area of expertise and the core of the role
• A generalist mindset: you don't need prior experience in every area beyond your core strengths, but you should want it
• Eligibility for a U.S. government security clearance
• You are energized by building things that do not exist yet: playbooks, templates, and intake processes that enable a small legal team to operate like a much larger one
• Real depth in U.S. government contracts law (FAR/DFARS), from the prime, subcontractor, or government/agency side
• A resourceful, creative approach to legal problems, and genuine comfort with ambiguity and a fast pace
• An independent interest in the law and policy related to our technology, not just a willingness to work in the space
• 8+ years of substantive legal experience, ideally including significant time in an in-house corporate legal department
• You see gaps in your own experience as places to grow into, not reasons to say no, and you'd rather learn a new area on the job than sit it out until you master the theory
• You understand what it means to work inside a small and growing legal department: the range of matters is broad, headcount is lean, and you will be expected to jump in outside your lane when the business needs it
• You crave the opportunity to operate with autonomy in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment, and are comfortable being the primary point of contact for a growing volume of inbound legal requests from the business
• Real depth in commercial contracting, particularly supply chain, procurement, or vendor agreements
• J.D. and active bar membership in at least one U.S. state
• Experience with Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), or other international government contracting frameworks
• Experience negotiating strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or joint development agreements, including IP allocation between parties
• Familiarity with ITAR/EAR export controls
• Experience with lobbying disclosure, PAC administration, or political law compliance
• Background in IP licensing