Deputy General Counsel

Zeno Power•Washington, DC

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

Zeno Power is seeking an experienced Deputy General Counsel to serve as a key legal partner to the company as it scales its government and commercial business. Reporting to the Chief Regulatory & Legal Officer (CRLO), this role will provide broad legal counsel across government & commercial contracts, governance and fundraising, and compliance (such as export controls, trade secret management, and personnel matters). The role will have tremendous growth opportunities into additional areas such as regulatory and intellectual property as well. This individual will support Zeno’s growing portfolio of Pentagon, Department of Energy, NASA, and other federal government programs while also helping the company navigate the legal needs of a rapidly growing commercial enterprise. The ideal candidate is a pragmatic, business-minded attorney who can operate independently in a fast-paced startup environment, assess risk, and provide practical legal guidance that enables the business to move quickly and responsibly. The Deputy General Counsel will work closely with the CEO and Executive Team, Engineering, Finance, Business Development, Supply Chain, Radiological Operations, People & Culture, and Program Management. They will play an essential role on company-shaping agreements, advise on broad range of legal and regulatory matters, manage disputes and compliance obligations, and build the legal team and infrastructure needed to support Zeno’s continued growth and commercialization.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
10+ years of relevant legal experience, including:
Drafting and negotiating U.S. government and commercial contracts, including application of FAR and/or DFARS.
Managing corporate governance for a private sector company.
Developing scalable legal processes, including as to procurements, regulatory compliance, export controls, managing trade secrets and CUI.
Demonstrated ability to advise business leaders on legal risk while maintaining commercial objectives.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including ability to translate legal risks for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated success operating independently with limited supervision in a dynamic startup environment.
Strong judgment, attention to detail, and practical problem-solving abilities.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting defense technology, aerospace, energy, nuclear, space, maritime, or other highly technical and/or regulated industries.
Experience with Department of War (DoW), Department of Energy (DoE), National Aeronautic & Space Administration (NASA), National Nuclear Security Administration (NASA), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), or related federal agencies.
Familiarity with Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and non-traditional defense acquisition pathways.
Experience advising emerging technology companies transitioning from R&D into commercial deployment.
Experience supporting intellectual property strategy and technology commercialization, particularly trade secret management.
Active security clearance or ability to obtain one.
Experience in developing scaling procurement processes in the government contracts space.
Exposure to nuclear regulation at state or federal levels.
Science or engineering background or experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead counsel for federal government and commercial contracting matters across the company, including legal strategy development.
Draft, review, negotiate, and provide strategic counsel on a broad range of commercial and government agreements, including but not limited to prime & subcontractor government contracts, teaming agreements and partnerships, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), large procurement contracts, Cooperative Research & Development Agreements (CRADAs), technology transfer agreements, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) agreements.
Working with a paralegal and outside counsel, develop processes and playbooks for all common contract types that procurement and paralegal support can implement.
Design and maintain scalable government contracting policies, procedures, and compliance frameworks.
Play a key role supporting Zeno’s future fundraising activities, including investor negotiations, CFIUS considerations, and corporate governance documentation.
Lead on long-term governance improvements, including as to Board engagement, entity formation and management, and other legal matters associated with the company’s growth and capitalization.
Serve as Export Control Lead, including developing and maintaining International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) & Export Administration Regulations (EAR) compliance policies, training, licensing, cybersecurity, and internal controls.
Manage trade secret management, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) compliance, and related policies.
Assist the CRLO on driving forward Zeno’s intellectual property protection efforts, including developing and executing updated policies on trade secret management.
Advise on a range of ad-hoc personnel and employment matters, providing practical legal guidance to People & Culture and leadership as employee-related needs and the organization continue to grow.
Work with the CRLO on overall strategic development of the Legal function.