Deputy General Counsel, National Security

Red Cell Partners, LLC.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 360,000 - 440,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage for you and family

Maternity/Paternity leave

Unlimited PTO

Professional development

401K & equity incentives

Mental health benefits

Job summary

Red Cell Partners, LLC. is seeking a mission-driven Deputy General Counsel: National Security to guide its national security portfolio through strategy, risk decisions, and board-level dialogue.

You will work across engineers, executives, and C-suite leaders, driving legal support for incubation and growth in defense and government contracting domains. The role requires a strong background in national security law, experience with government contracts, and a track record of building and leading

Qualifications

• J.D. and licensed to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction.
• 1–2+ years of legal experience, including at least 8 years with defense tech/government contractors or national security.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating government contracts (FAR/DFARS; SBIRs; OTAs).
• Familiarity with export controls (ITAR/EAR), CMMC, and CFIUS/FOCI.
• Team-oriented, high-energy, proactive; exercises independent judgment and sets direction.

Skills

Team-oriented

Independent judgment

High energy

Risk management

Communication skills

Education

J.D. or equivalent in the US

Job description

Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in three distinct practice areas: healthcare, cyber, and national security. United by a shared sense of duty and deep belief in the power of innovation, Red Cell is developing powerful tools and solutions to address our Nation’s most pressing problems.

Red Cell is hiring a mission-driven Deputy General Counsel: National Security to join a high-performing legal team building fast-growing early-stage companies at the center of national security innovation. At Red Cell, we build and invest in companies tackling some of the most challenging problems in healthcare, cyber, and national security. You’ll help make that possible by providing business-minded legal support and leadership that enables innovation and speed for our new and existing national security companies.

You’ll report directly to our General Counsel and focus on advising and helping build our national security companies, with broad exposure to almost everything we do. You might work through a facility clearance question one day, review an OCI mitigation plan the next, and help with a prime-subcontractor agreement the next. When we start new national security incubations, you’ll be there from day one, helping to form the entity, issue equity, and build from idea to actual company. You’ll own the national security portfolio end-to-end — setting strategy and risk posture, making the final call on most matters, and escalating only what truly belongs with the GC. You’ll work at every level, from engineers to C-suite leaders and boards, and serve as the senior legal voice for the companies you support . The companies you support are building capabilities the U.S. and its allies depend on — the legal work here is a path to impact.

We work hard and believe in what we’re building. And we take our work seriously, but not ourselves. We treat each other with respect (even when things get stressful—which they will!), and we have zero tolerance for arrogance or unkindness. Hard work, high standards, and good humor are the foundation of everything we do. You’ll also get access and exposure to the leading edge of AI: from our incubations creating new tools and functionality to our internal teams using the latest technology to learn better and more effective ways of working.

We’re most excited about candidates with both law firm and in-house experience touching national security, defense, or government contracting who have led a legal function or practice area and are comfortable owning risk decisions, advising boards and executives directly , and mentoring more junior lawyers .

If you’re the kind of lawyer who loves variety, thrives under pressure, and wants to run a portfolio and help lead a legal team —come build with us.

Qualifications

Required

• J.D. and currently licensed to practice and in good standing in your U.S. jurisdiction
• 1 2 + years of legal experience, including at least 8 years working with defense tech, government contractors, or other national security companies or in government, and eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a range of government contracts, including FAR and DFARS based contracts, SBIRs, and OTAs and other non-traditional government acquisition vehicles . Experience with these contract types for software or SaaS is preferred.
• Familiarity with defense technology regulatory regimes, including export controls (ITAR/EAR), CMMC, and CFIUS/FOCI .
• Team-oriented, high-energy, and proactive. You exercise sound independent judgment on ambiguous , high-stakes questions, set direction for others , get things done, and make the work better for everyone around them.

Preferred

• Experience supporting venture-backed or high-growth startups
• Active U.S. security clearance
• Experience using AI legal tech or other productivity tools.

Compensation

$360,000-$440,000 base . This represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience, skills, and other factors.

Our Red Cell Partners Benefits (may differ for each incubation)

For full-time roles

• Career track opportunity with potential for rapid advancement withstrong performanceas the firm grows
• 100% employer paid, comprehensive health care including medical, dental, and vision for you and your family.
• Paid maternity and paternity for 14 weeks at employees' normal pay.
• Unlimited PTO, with management approval.
• Opportunities for professional development and continued learning.
• Optional 401K, FSA, and equity incentives available.
• Mental health benefits are available through Tara Mind .
• Cost effective GLP-1 solutions available through Crux .

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer: You’ll receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.