Compliance Counsel (Hawthorne)

Chaos Inc; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the technology sector is seeking a Compliance professional to build a robust compliance framework. This role involves working alongside the VP of Legal and Operations to ensure adherence to compliance standards, particularly related to export and trade compliance laws. The ideal candidate will contribute significantly to shaping compliance strategies within a mission-oriented culture.

Benefits

100% paid health benefits

401k with company match

Free daily lunch

Unlimited PTO for exempt employees

Casual dress code

Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant legal experience in compliance roles.
• Comfortable learning technical compliance concepts.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal and regulatory guidance on product classification.
• Draft and implement export compliance policies and procedures.
• Administer full export compliance program and serve as main compliance administrator.

Skills

Legal guidance

Communication skills

Figuring out compliance needs

Education

J.D. or international equivalent

Job description

CHAOS Inc. is a global technology company delivering next-generation capabilities to the defense and critical industrial sectors. Founded in 2022 by a seasoned leadership team, CHAOS has quickly become the place where world-class multi-disciplinary engineers come to build mission-critical technologies. CHAOS has a mission-focused culture, dedicated to solving the toughest technical challenges. Its unique agile engineering approach enables rapid prototyping, while deep partnerships with defense and industry ensure real-world solutions.

Role Overview :

This role will be the first dedicated Compliance hire at CHAOS and set the foundation for a strong compliance organization as we grow. It is a unique opportunity to build and shape a robust compliance framework from the ground up, with significant impact on our operational strategy and risk management. This person will work closely with the VP of Legal and Operations on all areas of compliance, starting with a heavy focus on export and trade compliance. They will work with Engineering, Business Development, and Operations to advise on matters related to U.S. and international trade compliance laws, including ITAR and EAR, craft processes and systems that serve the business needs and ensure compliance at all times. In addition to trade compliance, this person will also help roll out other compliance programs as needed, such as anti-corruption and technology controls, and serve as a legal resource on all things compliance. For the right candidate, this will be an opportunity to grow in impact and scope as the business scales.

Responsibilities :

• Provide legal and regulatory guidance on product classification, licensing requirements, and technology transfers.
• Draft, implement, and enhance export compliance policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Administer full export compliance program, including helping with ITAR and EAR classifications and license applications, reviewing agreements, and identifying exemptions and exceptions.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate compliance considerations into product strategy / development, business development initiatives, and engineering / operational processes.
• Review and negotiate contracts for export compliance terms and flowdown clauses.
• Design and deliver training programs on trade compliance and other regulatory issues.
• Design, implement, and manage recordkeeping systems and prepare scheduled and ad hoc reports and information requests
• Oversee and maintain all company registrations related to compliance; serve as the primary administrator for government systems (e.g., DECCS, SNAP-R).
• Help design and implement new compliance-related policies as needed

Minimum Requirements :

• J.D. or international equivalent and bar admission in good standing
• You have 4+ years of relevant legal experience in compliance roles, including some experience with ITAR
• What we have to do next won’t always be obvious; you’re comfortable figuring out what is needed and then doing it
• You are comfortable learning technical concepts as they relate to ITAR / EAR rules, especially related to radar
• You understand that compliance can be done many different ways and that just because it’s done a way at one company doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it at CHAOS
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export-controlled data

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits : Your medical, dental and vision benefits will be 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits : life, FSA, HSA, 401k (+ Company match), and more
• Our Perks : free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO (for exempt employees), casual dress code
• Compensation Components : competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance + (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Company Size : 100 employees and counting!
• More About Us : We're building the next generation of aerospace, defense and critical industry technologies with a seasoned team of mission-focused individuals. We were founded in June 2022 and our goal is to become the platform where world-class engineers come to solve critical, real-world problems. We use agile engineering approaches which enable rapid prototyping, deep partnerships with the defense industry ensuring real-world application, and our newly-invented Coherence platform (through which we’ve made a fundamental breakthrough) improves sensor performance and decision-making in real-time. As of April 2025 we have raised $490M (including a $275M Series C at a $2B valuation) from some of the most prominent VC funds and investors including Accel, NEA, 8VC, and Valar. With a managing team that includes Epirus’ founding members (responsible for building a $1.5B company from scratch) + key drivers from Palantir (instrumental in Palantir’s growth to $1B in revenue), we are well-positioned to become one of the fastest growing companies to date!

Salary Range : $125,000-220,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and / or training, critical skills, and / or business considerations.

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