Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, IP & Litigation

LE130 Unity Technologies SF; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 234,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Employee stock ownership

Retirement plans

Generous vacation

Job summary

Unity Technologies SF is seeking a senior leader to run the IP and Litigation function, partnering with the CLO and internal IP team to drive strategy for Unity’s IP portfolio and non-employment disputes.

You will oversee IP enforcement, patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright matters, open source compliance, and IP‑related M&A issues, while leading global litigation strategy across multiple dispute types.

Qualifications

• 10+ years leading IP strategy and complex litigation in global orgs or large firms.
• JD with admission to state bar; USPTO admission preferred.
• Experience managing IP and commercial disputes through all stages, incl. trial or appeal.
• Experience with IP enforcement and risk mitigation in software/advertising tech.

Responsibilities

• Lead Unity’s IP and Litigation function, advising CLO and internal IP team.
• Develop and execute enforcement and defense strategies across IP portfolios.
• Manage IP due diligence for M&A and IP-related agreements.
• Lead global litigation strategy across IP, commercial, securities, privacy, and regulatory matters.
• Oversee litigation docket, budgets, outside counsel, and discovery.

Skills

IP strategy

Litigation leadership

Patent enforcement

Trademark portfolio

Copyright strategy

Open source compliance

M&A IP due diligence

Discovery management

Budget management

Team leadership

Education

J.D. from a law school

Tools

Outside counsel management

Job description

The opportunity

In this role, you will lead Unity’s IP and Litigation function by partnering closely with Unity’s Chief Legal Officer and the internal IP team, developing and driving the legal strategy for Unity’s IP portfolio and serving as the company’s senior legal leader for all non-employment litigation and disputes. Your IP remit includes patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights, as well as IP enforcement and defense, open source, IP issues in M&A, and more. You will also lead the company’s litigation and dispute resolution across IP, commercial, securities, privacy, and regulatory matters, working with the legal department’s subject‑matter specialists.

What you’ll be doing

• IP strategy, enforcement, and defense
• Develop and execute enforcement and defense strategies across patents, trademarks, trade secret and copyrights, including demand letters, cease‑and‑desist actions, takedowns, and responses to infringement claims
• Partner with a team of IP professionals and outside counsel to build and implement Unity’s global IP strategy, including developing and growing its patent, trademark, trade secrets and copyright portfolios
• Engage in invention harvesting and patent prosecution, ensuring the portfolio is strategically aligned and defensible
• Develop our trade secret strategy, including training on identification and protection of trade secrets
• Align our global trademark portfolio with business needs, including enforcement as needed
• Guide our organization around copyright issues, including risk assessment and dispute avoidance
• Partner with the legal department’s product attorneys on open source compliance and licensing processes, including addressing license violations and compliance claims
• Support IP due diligence for M&A and IP‑related agreements, including settlement and license agreements arising from disputes, as needed

No-Employment Litigation and disputes (company-wide)

• Strategically lead IP disputes and litigation, from pre‑suit assessment through resolution, including managing outside counsel, case strategy, discovery, and settlement
• Lead and set strategy for all of Unity’s litigation, arbitration, and disputes worldwide, including commercial and contract, securities and shareholder, consumer and privacy, and regulatory matters
• Manage the litigation docket and outside counsel, including budgets, staffing, motion practice, trial and appellate exposure, and settlement
• Oversee company‑wide non‑employment litigation management practices, including litigation holds, e‑discovery and preservation, privilege protocols, case reporting, and early case assessment and reserve input to Finance and Legal leadership
• Coordinate with the CLO, Finance, and other legal team leads on disclosure considerations, insurance and D&O coverage, and communications with the Board and executive team on material matters
• Partner with the business and with legal’s commercial, privacy, and regulatory counsel to identify dispute risks early, avoid disputes, and resolve them practically
• Respond to and manage government inquiries, subpoenas, and investigations in coordination with the appropriate legal and compliance stakeholders

Leadership and operations

• Prepare and deliver training on IP, litigation readiness, document retention, and dispute avoidance
• Manage a budget, including total litigation spend, outside counsel, and settlements, with forecasting and regular reporting to the CLO
• Lead, and develop a team of legal professionals (adjust to match the actual org plan)

What we’re looking for

• 10+ years of experience, including leading IP strategy (patent, trademark, and/or copyright) and complex litigation in a global organization or law firm, and creatively and practically partnering with the business
• JD from an accredited law school, with admission to at least one state bar; admission to practice before the USPTO is preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing complex IP and commercial disputes through all stages, including trial or appellate exposure, and directing outside counsel
• Experience managing a broad litigation docket across multiple practice areas (e.g., commercial, securities, privacy/consumer, regulatory) is strongly preferred
• Experience with IP enforcement, defense, litigation management, and risk mitigation in a an advertising technology or software environment, as well as experience with IP strategies and issues relating to generative artificial intelligence
• Experience with a public company, including securities litigation and related disclosure and insurance considerations, is a plus
• Additional information

Reports to: SVP, Chief Legal Officer

Location: San Francisco or New York, in office 3 days per week strongly preferred.

Travel: Up to ~15%

Relocation support is not available for this position.

Work visa/immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Note: Certain locations require a good faith disclosure of the base salary range for the role. The actual salary for the successful candidate may differ based on location, experience, and other job‑related factors.

Base Salary Range

• Zone A: $233,600 - $350,400 USD gross
• Zone B: $264,000 - $396,000 USD gross
• Zone C: $311,400 - $467,200 USD gross

This range reflects the anticipated base salary for this position. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for equity awards and participation in our company incentive plans (such as annual discretionary bonuses or sales commissions). The final offer amount will depend on several factors, including geographic location and the candidate’s relevant experience, professional background, and skill set.

Benefits

At Unity, we want our team members to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support well‑being and work‑life balance. Please note: Benefits eligibility, specific offerings, and coverage vary based on the country and employment status. While specific benefits vary, here are some of the ways we strive to take care of our eligible team members globally:

• Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance
• Commute subsidy
• Employee stock ownership
• Competitive retirement/pension plans
• Generous vacation and personal days
• Support for new parents through leave and family‑care programs
• Office food snacks
• Mental Health and Wellbeing programs and support
• Employee Resource Groups
• Global Employee Assistance Program
• Training and development programs
• Volunteering and donation matching program

Life at Unity

Unity [NYSE: U] is the world’s leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D — closing the gap between ideas and reality.

For more information, please visit www.unity.com.

Unity [NYSE: U] is the world’s leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D — closing the gap between ideas and reality.

For more information, please visit www.unity.com.

Unity is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment and celebrate our employees across age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Our differences are strengths that enable us to support the growing and evolving needs of our customers, partners, and collaborators. If you have a disability that means there are preparations or accommodations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please fill out this form to let us know.

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