Senior Legal Counsel, Commercial

CesiumAstro; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision coverage

HSA

FSA

Retirement plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Job summary

CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to lead and scale its commercial legal operations. You will serve as a key partner to business, finance, and operations, shaping contract frameworks, risk management, and governance while remaining a hands-on contributor.

Reporting to the VP & General Counsel, you will enable growth through pragmatic legal guidance, scalable processes, and effective collaboration across product, procurement, and leadership teams.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active license to practice law in the United States.
• 10+ years of progressive legal experience supporting commercial transactions.
• Proven success leading contract negotiations on complex commercial transactions.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to support objectives and risk management.
• Strong business judgment and pragmatic approach to risk.

Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, negotiation, and execution of customer and revenue contracts, NDAs, and related agreements.
• Partner with product, business development, and procurement to enable efficient deal execution.
• Develop scalable contracting processes, templates, and playbooks to accelerate velocity.
• Provide risk-calibrated legal advice to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Support product launches, pricing models, and go‑to‑market strategies.
• Manage outside counsel and coordinate IP, governance, and regulatory matters.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Business judgment

Execution-focused

Risk assessment

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) degree

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro , we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to lead and scale our commercial legal operations and serve as a key partner to business, finance, and operations teams. This is a foundational role responsible for developing and enhancing our commercial legal capabilities, from contract frameworks to risk management, while operating as a hands-on contributor.

You will report to the Vice President & General Counsel and play a critical role in enabling the company’s growth through pragmatic, business-oriented legal guidance.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, negotiation, and execution of a wide range of agreements, including customer and revenue-generating contracts, non-disclosure agreements, vendor, supplier, and manufacturing agreements, strategic partnerships, and joint development agreements.
• Partner closely with product, business development, and procurement teams to enable efficient deal execution.
• Develop scalable contracting processes, templates, and playbooks to accelerate deal velocity.
• Provide practical, risk-calibrated legal advice to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Translate complex legal concepts into clear business guidance for business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Support new product launches, pricing models, and go-to-market strategies.
• Build and implement contracting workflows, approval processes, and legal systems.
• Establish and maintain standard templates, clause libraries, and fallback positions.
• Improve legal operations to increase efficiency and reduce bottlenecks.
• Support corporate governance and entity management.
• Assist with employment matters, M&A, and other strategic transactions as needed.
• Manage outside counsel effectively across specialty areas.
• Support management of the company’s intellectual property portfolio, including strategy, filings, and coordination with outside counsel.
• Support legal matters related to international operations, including cross-border compliance, corporate governance, employment matters, and coordination with local counsel.
• Identify and proactively manage legal and commercial risks across the business.
• Support development of internal policies and compliance programs.
• Partner with finance and operations on risk allocation and mitigation strategies.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active license to practice law in the United States.
• 10+ years of progressive legal experience supporting commercial transactions within aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or similarly regulated industries.
• Proven success leading contract negotiations on complex commercial transactions.
• Experience partnering with senior business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to support commercial objectives and risk management.
• Experience supporting complex commercial deals and cross-functional teams.
• Highly pragmatic with strong business judgment.
• Ability to balance speed and risk in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Hands-on and execution-oriented approach.

Preferred Experience

• Progressive law firm experience in in technology transactions and/or corporate securities.
• Exposure to government contracting.
• Experience scaling legal processes at an early-stage company.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.