Corporate Counsel

Stratolaunch • Mojave, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Stratolaunch is seeking an experienced Corporate Counsel to support the company’s legal, contractual, and compliance needs across a fast-moving aerospace and defense environment. This role will report to the Head of Contracts and Legal and will provide practical, business-oriented legal support with a primary focus on government contracting, aerospace/defense transactions, corporate governance, and strategic growth initiatives, including preparation for potential future capital markets activity. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in federal government contracts, experience supporting complex aerospace or defense programs, and familiarity with the legal and governance workstreams associated with IPO readiness, financing transactions, and public-company style compliance disciplines. This individual must be comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, partnering directly with executive leadership, supply chain, finance, HR, engineering, and program teams to identify risk, enable business objectives, and maintain compliance.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 7+ years of relevant legal experience, with meaningful in-house and/or law firm experience supporting government contracts and corporate matters.
• Demonstrated experience with U.S. government contracting, including FAR/DFARS, prime contracts, subcontracts, and proposal/solicitation review.
• Experience supporting clients or companies in the aerospace, defense, aviation, space, or other highly regulated technology sectors.
• Working knowledge of key government contracting risk areas, including changes, claims, terminations, data rights, IP allocation, compliance, and audit exposure.
• Experience advising senior business stakeholders and cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, issue-spotting, and risk assessment skills.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with operational realities.

Nice To Haves

• In-house legal experience at an aerospace, defense, government technology, or public/pre-IPO company.
• Experience with IPO readiness, securities law support, disclosure controls, corporate governance, and public-company preparation.
• Familiarity with OTAs and non-traditional defense contracting vehicles
• Familiarity with Export controls and trade compliance
• Familiarity with Cybersecurity and data protection compliance in government contracting environments
• Familiarity with Intellectual property and technical data rights in aerospace/defense programs
• Experience supporting strategic transactions, financings, or major corporate initiatives.
• Ability to operate with a high degree of independence and sound judgment in an evolving organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal support across commercial, corporate, compliance, and operational matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including: U.S. Government prime contracts and subcontracts, OTAs, BAAs, CRADAs, teaming agreements, NDAs, and MOUs, Commercial customer contracts, Vendor, consulting, services, and technology agreements.
• Advise internal stakeholders on FAR/DFARS compliance, public contract formation, flowdowns, changes, claims, disputes, intellectual property, and data rights.
• Support legal review of solicitations, proposals, terms and conditions, and contractual risk allocation for aerospace and defense programs.
• Partner with supply chain and contracts personnel on subcontracting strategy, supplier terms, risk mitigation, and compliance issues.
• Support export control, regulatory, and compliance matters, including coordination with internal stakeholders on ITAR, EAR, CUI, NIST 800-171, and related obligations.
• Assist with corporate governance matters, including board materials, resolutions, entity management, delegated authorities, and internal policy development.
• Help build and maintain scalable legal processes, templates, playbooks, and training materials for a growing company.
• Support legal diligence, disclosure preparation, governance enhancements, and other workstreams associated with IPO readiness, financing events, and strategic transactions.
• Advise on employment-related matters in coordination with HR and outside counsel, as needed.
• Manage outside counsel efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Identify legal and compliance risks early and provide practical, solutions-oriented guidance aligned with business objectives.

Benefits

• 9/80 schedule
• Healthcare (medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs)
• Paid Maternity and Parental Leave
• 50% company match per contributed dollar into 401(k) savings plan, up to $11,500
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree