Corporate Counsel (Commercial and Intellectual Property)

Advanced Manufacturing Company of America (Amca); El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Advanced Manufacturing Company of America is seeking a first‑in‑class attorney to own a broad IP and commercial portfolio in a growing aerospace‑hardware ecosystem. You will handle acquisitions, licensing, trade secrets, and corporate governance while collaborating closely with engineers and executives.

The role requires an active U.S. bar and eligibility to practice in California; you will work onsite in El Segundo, CA, with a high‑ambition, hands‑on legal environment.

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• 3+ years of legal experience at a law firm or in-house.
• Substantive intellectual property experience.
• Active bar membership in at least one U.S. state; ability to become authorized to practice in California.
• Demonstrated ability to own matters with limited supervision.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills; explain legal positions to engineers and executives.
• Builder who is comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment with evolving processes.
• Onsite five days a week in El Segundo, CA.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate customer, supplier, NDA, consulting, and services agreements across the business and factories.
• Own Amca’s intellectual property, including trade secrets, confidentiality and protection, trademarks, and copyright strategy.
• Handle IP transactions including licensing, joint development, and intercompany ownership structures.

Skills

IP experience

Drafting

Negotiation

Independent decision-making

Clear communication with engineers/exe

Ambiguity handling

Onsite availability

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school

Job description

There was a time when all of America believed that the future of the physical world could be radically different. The engineers of the mid-1900s put a man on the moon in eight years, designed and built planes and submarines from scratch in under three, and conceived of building things we wouldn’t even be able to dream up today.

Today, the last of the engineers who imagined and built these systems are retiring. As they go, we lose not only the engineering knowledge gained from their decades of imagination and trial-and-error, but also the spirit that made that imagination possible.

Amca is working day-in and day-out to restore America’s ability to engineer anything that our critical systems depend on, and reinvigorate the cycle of creation that allows imagination to shape physical reality. We rapidly develop and manufacture new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. By restoring the capability of our antiquated supply chains, we increase the country’s capacity to imagine and realize new systems, and make a physical world that looks very different from today.

Overview

You will be one of the first lawyers at Amca and report directly to the General Counsel. You will take real ownership of a meaningful share of work from the very start – acquisitions, commercial contracts, export controls, employment questions, intellectual property matters, equity and debt financings – and can grow into an even larger role. This is a generalist role but is perfect for someone with IP experience that wants to broaden their practice.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate the various agreements that run the business, including customer and supplier contracts, nondisclosure agreements, consulting and advisory agreements, and services agreements across the parent and our operating factories.
• Own Amca’s intellectual property, including our trade secret program, confidentiality and protective agreements, invention and disclosure intake, trademark and copyright strategy, and management of outside counsel on any filings.
• Handle intellectual property transactions, including inbound and outbound licensing, joint development and collaboration agreements, IP allocation in customer and supplier terms, and intercompany ownership structure across our entities.
• Support Amca’s acquisitions from diligence through closing and integration, including disclosure schedules, ancillary agreements, and post-closing entity and contract cleanup.
• Support corporate governance and entity management across the corporate structure, including board and stockholder consents, entity maintenance, and equity administration.
• Partner with our government contracting function on technical data and IP rights, flow-downs, and the commercial terms that sit alongside federal requirements.
• Assist in building a legal department from scratch: contract management, templates, playbooks, intake processes, and a disciplined approach to selecting and managing outside counsel.

Basic Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school.
• 3+ years of legal experience at a law firm or in-house.
• Substantive intellectual property experience.
• Active membership in good standing with the bar of at least one U.S. state, with the ability to become authorized to practice in California, whether through California Bar membership or Registered In-House Counsel status.
• Demonstrated ability to own matters and reach a decision with limited supervision.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to explain a legal position to engineers and executives without translating it into a memo first.
• Builder who is comfortable operating in an ambiguous environment, where processes and procedures are still being developed.
• Onsite five days a week in El Segundo, CA.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Aerospace, defense, or hardware manufacturing background.
• Experience building or administering a trade secret protection program.
• Familiarity with U.S. government technical data and IP rights frameworks.
• Mergers and acquisitions experience, particularly intellectual property diligence.
• Experience as an early legal hire at a growing company.
• Technical or engineering background sufficient to engage substantively with our engineering teams.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $250,000 USD + Equity

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence (“Green Card” holder); or any individual who is granted status as a “protected person” under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.