Chief Legal Officer

STR•Arlington, VA

6d•$295,000 - $415,000

About The Position

The Chief Legal Officer (CLO) is a senior executive leader responsible for overseeing all legal, regulatory, and compliance matters at STR. The CLO reports to the CEO and is pivotal in safeguarding STR’s legal interests, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and providing strategic legal counsel to senior leadership and the Board of Directors. The CLO works as a strategic business partner integrating legal considerations into STR's overall strategic planning and decision-making processes. This role combines deep legal expertise with sound business judgment to enable innovation, growth, and mission success.

Requirements

Minimum of 15 years of progressive legal experience, including significant experience in a leadership role within a corporate legal department.
Prior experience with government contracts, including negotiation, compliance, and dispute resolution under FAR, DFARS, CAS, and related federal procurement statutes and regulations, is essential.
Experience as a Chief Legal Officer (CLO), General Counsel (GC) or Deputy GC is strongly preferred.
Experience with a business(es) similar to STR (US defense & IC national security contractor providing technical services, products and systems, subject to customer contracting and regulatory requirements).
Experience interacting with a corporate board of directors (BoD) and BoD committees, familiarity with corporate governance structures and processes, and corporate secretary duties.
Experience advising organizations through periods of significant growth, increased regulatory complexity, or major corporate transitions.
Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and membership in good standing with a state bar association.
Generalist in terms legal expertise.
Ability to obtain and maintain a TOP SECRET security clearance.
Demonstrated organizational and business leadership capability.
Motivated collaborator with effective communication skills.
Ability to operate both strategically and tactically as needed in a growing, fast-paced environment.
Ability to travel periodically for key business meetings.

Responsibilities

Serve as principal legal advisor to the CEO, executive leadership, and the Board of Directors on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, and major corporate transactions.
Ensure enterprise legal considerations are integrated into STR’s strategic planning and decision-making.
Lead legal support for IPO readiness and public-company compliance, including securities-law matters, S-1 registration statement preparation, SEC comment process, public-company disclosure controls, periodic and current reporting, Regulation FD, insider trading, Section 16, Rule 144, Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, lock-up arrangements, stockholder communications, annual meeting and proxy matters, and coordination with outside securities counsel, underwriters’ counsel, auditors, and other advisors.
Oversee legal aspects of all federal government contracting and related regulatory requirements (FAR, DFARS, CAS, other transactions, etc.).
Support the Contracts organization with legal oversight of proposal development, contract negotiation, administration, dispute resolution, investigations, claims, and bid protests.
Act as escalation point for significant, novel, or high-risk contract issues in accordance with STR’s Delegation of Authority.
Train internal stakeholders on legal risks and evolving requirements on government contract law.
Provide counsel on commercial transactions, UCC, risk management, and dispute resolution.
Lead legal support for the Board of Directors and its committees, including Board and committee governance processes, charters, corporate governance guidelines, Board and committee materials, minutes, and resolutions, director onboarding, Board evaluations, stockholder approvals, and public-company governance best practices.
Oversee legal processes related-person transactions, including D&O questionnaires, director and officer independence questionnaires, Regulation S-K Item 404 analysis, related-person transaction policy administration, and coordination with the Audit Committee and disclosure committee.
Oversee legal aspects of equity transactions, equity plan administration support, lock-up agreements, insider trading policy, 10b5-1 plans, Section 16 reporting, Rule 144 / Rule 701 matters, anti-hedging and anti-pledging policies, and stockholder-related legal matters.
Oversee and manage all litigation and major investigations involving STR.
Engage, coordinate, and manage outside legal counsel as needed to safeguard the company’s interests.
Lead responses to government inquiries and enforcement actions.
In collaboration with the CTO and business leadership, oversee the development, protection, enforcement, and strategic commercialization of the company’s intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and technology licensing.
Oversee creation and maintenance of intellectual property records.
Provide legal guidance and oversight to ensure compliance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
Advise senior leadership and the export compliance function on policy development, risk mitigation, and incident response.
Monitor and respond to changes in laws and regulations that affect STR’s operations.
Provide guidance on regulatory compliance and work with regulatory agencies as needed.
Support Chief Strategy Officer in activities, processes, and responsibilities involved in managing and fostering relationships between STR and legislative bodies, e.g., Congress or state legislatures.
Support Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer as needed to ensure STR complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
Develop and implement policies and procedures to manage legal and regulatory risk.
Refine policy on record and document retention and lead compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
Report on compliance to Board of Directors.
Support Chief Human Resources Officer as needed to advise on employment law matters, including hiring practices, employee relations, and terminations.
Ensure compliance with labor laws and regulations.
Support M&A, real estate, and environmental needs.
Lead and develop the legal team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
Ensure the legal department is equipped to meet the company’s needs and objectives.
Lead engagement with outside legal specialists, and act as STR conduit to their services.
Build and maintain relationships with external partners and internal stakeholders.
Advise on the legal and contractual aspects of agreements and support strategic decision-making.