Let's begin! Chief Counsel, IP, Trust & Cyber

Moody's•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Chief Counsel, IP, Trust & Cyber serves as Moody’s enterprise-level legal leader across intellectual property, data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI governance — the critical legal infrastructure underlying the company’s technology-driven strategy. This role also supports the firm’s strategic sourcing function, focused primarily on in-bound licensing of critical third party IP and data assets. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer of Moody’s Corporation, this senior executive sits on the Senior Leadership Team of the Legal and Compliance Organization and leads a global team of specialists across IP, privacy, cybersecurity, technology law and strategic sourcing. This role serves as a center of excellence for technology-related legal matters across Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s Analytics, partnering closely with the General Counsel of Moody’s Analytics, the Chief Procurement Officer and other business-aligned legal leaders to protect the firm’s significant IP and data assets, shape product strategy, and advance responsible and compliant deployment of AI and technology.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school; active bar membership in good standing
15+ years of relevant combined experience at a leading law firm and/or as in-house corporate counsel, with a substantial focus on intellectual property and technology law
Deep expertise in IP strategy and portfolio management — including patent prosecution and strategy, copyright, database rights, and trade secret protection — with experience in software, data, and/or analytics-driven businesses
Significant experience in privacy and data protection law, including practical application of GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and related frameworks in a global business context
Demonstrated experience advising on cybersecurity legal issues, including incident response, regulatory obligations, and data security governance
Meaningful experience with AI and technology governance, including advising on AI legal risk, responsible AI frameworks, and emerging regulatory requirements
Track record of leading enterprise-level legal programs and building and managing high-performing, globally distributed legal teams
Strong understanding of software, data, and analytics-driven business models, and the IP and data asset considerations that drive competitive advantage in these sectors

Nice To Haves

Technical undergraduate degree (computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a related field) or equivalent technical fluency
Demonstrated depth in patent strategy and prosecution oversight
Experience advising financial services, financial technology, or information services companies on IP, data, and AI matters
Prior in-house leadership experience at a company with significant proprietary data and analytics assets

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise-wide intellectual property strategy, including the development, protection, monetization, and enforcement of Moody’s IP estate across patents, trademarks, copyrights, database rights, and trade secrets
Advise on the governance, exploitation, and protection of Moody’s significant proprietary data assets — including financial data, credit analytics, AI datasets, and the company’s knowledge graph — as core enterprise value drivers
Oversee IP portfolio management, including prosecution strategy, portfolio maintenance, licensing, and cross-licensing arrangements
Lead the defense of third-party IP claims, including patent assertion entity matters, copyright infringement claims, and trade secret disputes — directing both in-house resources and external IP litigation counsel
Advise on IP aspects of product development, licensing structures, and M&A transactions, partnering with product counsel and transactional legal teams to identify, protect, and leverage IP value
Serve as senior legal advisor on privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity laws and regulations across all jurisdictions in which Moody’s operates — including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, EU AI Act, data localization requirements, and emerging global frameworks
Guide the development and maintenance of Moody’s global privacy program, including privacy-by-design principles, data subject rights frameworks, vendor data processing agreements, and regulatory compliance mechanisms
Partner with information security, technology, and risk teams on incident response planning, breach notification obligations, tabletop exercises, regulatory reporting, and the legal dimensions of Moody’s cybersecurity posture
Partner with the product counsel teams to provide strategic and actionable advice on privacy and data protection aspects of new products, data partnerships, and AI-enabled offerings, ensuring compliance with global requirements while enabling product innovation to occur with high velocity
Manage the global data privacy team and guide privacy compliance efforts across all jurisdictions where Moody’s operates
Lead Moody’s legal strategy for AI governance — interpreting and applying the EU AI Act, SEC guidance, emerging International, U.S. federal and state AI frameworks, and other relevant regulations to Moody’s AI development and deployment activities
Advise on AI-related legal risks, including training data rights and sourcing, model output liability, intellectual property infringement, data leakage, transparency, and explainability obligations
Work with Enterprise Risk and business leaders to build and maintain a comprehensive AI governance program, consistent with applicable laws, that thoughtfully balances risk management with Moody’s commitment to responsible AI-driven innovation
Support enterprise efforts to build and maintain customer trust and regulatory credibility through governance frameworks that position Moody’s as a global leader in responsible AI deployment
Lead Moody’s legal support for the enterprise-wide sourcing function, with an emphasis on strategic and IP and data related transactions
Partner with the Procurement office to provide counsel on sourcing-related legal issues, develop playbooks and workflows, and negotiation and drafting support on high-value, strategic transactions
Act as principal legal advisor to Moody’s engineering, data science, product, and information security teams on technology-related legal matters — providing clear, pragmatic guidance that enables teams to move quickly while managing risk
Provide IP subject matter expertise and support to commercial, product, and M&A legal teams across Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s Analytics
Advise on IP, data, and technology legal issues arising in the context of strategic investments, partnerships, and acquisitions
Represent Legal in enterprise governance forums, technology steering committees, and strategic initiatives
Monitor IP, AI, privacy, and cybersecurity regulatory developments globally, proactively advising leadership on legal and compliance implications and positioning Moody’s for effective and timely regulatory response
Establish and maintain legal standards, policies, and playbooks for IP, privacy, cybersecurity, and AI across the enterprise, ensuring consistent application and continuous improvement
Lead, develop, and inspire a global team of specialists across intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, and technology law
Build scalable frameworks, tools, and knowledge management systems to support consistent, high-quality legal advice across a geographically distributed team
Manage relationships with external IP litigation counsel, privacy advisors, and other specialized outside counsel — ensuring quality, efficiency, and strategic alignment
Champion a culture of excellence, curiosity, collaboration, and responsible innovation within the team and across the broader legal organization