Convergent Research General Counsel

Convergent Research

72d•Remote

About The Position

Convergent Research is a non-profit science studio best known for pioneering the Focused Research Organization (FRO). We architect pivotal infrastructure that removes bottlenecks to breakthrough scientific research. FROs are a new operating model for science that ensures rapid iteration cycles and high-throughput learning. Convergent secures funding and provides an operational backbone for counterfactual R&D, creating space for scientists to do what they do best. FRO teams are agile, creative, and risk-tolerant as a result. They make fast progress because they start and stay focused. Convergent Research has grown significantly since its founding—from a scrappy early-stage org to a 200-person, $100M-spend nonprofit with 13 subsidiary FROs, entities in the UK, a growing IP portfolio, active licensing deals, and a portfolio of organizations approaching graduation into the world. We're not running on the same legal playbook we started with and we want to position ourselves and our legal department for the future. We're looking for a General Counsel who is a strategic partner to Convergent's leadership—someone who sees around corners, builds systems that make the whole organization more capable, and knows how to be a smart, creative enabler rather than a gatekeeper. You'll own the legal function at the enterprise level, set the IP and risk strategy, manage a growing team, and be a first call—not a last resort—for complex decisions. This role sits in the senior leadership team. You will manage a small but growing legal function that includes an FRO General Counsel and a part time contracts counsel handling day-to-day contract work across the portfolio. We have an idea of how the workload will be divided across these functions, but will be looking to you to help operationalize and refine the division of the duties and responsibilities of each role. You'll also own Convergent's relationships with a roster of specialized outside counsel.

Requirements

J.D. and active bar membership in at least one U.S. state, with 10+ years of practice.
Foundation in corporate or commercial law—knows how deals are structured, how to manage volume and complexity, and how to deploy outside counsel efficiently.
Comfortable with structural complexity: nonprofit fiscal sponsor with 13 single-member LLC subsidiaries, UK entities, government contracts, philanthropic funding, IP licensing, and spinout transactions.
Clear and decisive communication of legal advice in terms that non-lawyers can act on.
Ability to manage a small but growing legal team, work closely with FRO CEOs, and serve as a trusted partner to Convergent's leadership.

Nice To Haves

Nonprofit or research-sector experience.
Familiarity with 501(c)(3) compliance, disregarded entities, and exempt org law (or ability to get up to speed quickly).

Responsibilities

Own Convergent's legal strategy – Set the overall legal and risk framework for the organization and all FROs. Advise the President/CEO and leadership team on significant decisions, structural questions, and areas of legal or regulatory exposure—before they become problems.
Lead IP strategy and governance – Build and maintain Convergent's IP strategy across the FRO portfolio: when to file, what to protect, how to structure licensing and spinout transactions. Work with FRO CEOs to ensure IP decisions are made deliberately and early. Manage relationships with outside patent counsel and help develop simple playbooks that empower FRO teams to make good disclosure decisions without escalating everything.
Manage and develop the legal team – Provide strategic direction to the FRO General Counsel and Contracts Counsel. Set clear escalation norms, and ensure the function is operating as a cohesive unit—not a collection of individual contributors.
Own outside counsel relationships – Manage Convergent's roster of outside counsel across nonprofit law, patents, corporate transactions, employment, and international matters. Negotiate rates, evaluate performance, and make sure the right firm is working on the right matter at the right price point.
Ensure 501(c)(3) compliance across the portfolio – The disregarded LLC structure protects corporate liability, not tax-exempt status. You'll ensure that FRO activities are monitored for exempt-org compliance, flag risks before they become IRS issues, and maintain strong oversight relationships with specialized outside counsel.
Navigate international and regulatory complexity – Convergent has UK entities, government-funded FROs, and an evolving set of international relationships. You'll ensure the organization is on the right side of GDPR, OFAC, anti-bribery statutes, and other cross-border requirements.
Drive deal strategy on complex transactions – Be at the table early on spinout structures, licensing agreements, FRO graduations, and university partnerships—not just at the contract stage. Help shape the deal before the lawyers are handed a draft.
Build systems and playbooks – Develop the templates, process documentation, and institutional knowledge that let Convergent's legal function scale without scaling headcount linearly. The goal is a legal function that makes the rest of the organization faster, not slower.

Benefits

Competitive salary with up to a 6% 401k match, equitably benchmarked based on experience and adjusted for location)
Excellent medical insurance options: 10–20 plans to choose from across major national and local carriers. Employee and family premiums for most plans are fully covered by the Company contribution.
Excellent dental and vision insurance. Employee and family premiums for most plans are fully covered by the Company contribution.
Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, as well as voluntary supplemental insurance options
19 holidays (including the week off between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day)
3 weeks PTO with tenure increases, with separate allotments for sick and parental leave
Generous fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement
Education and professional development benefits
Wellness allowance for fitness and wellness activities
Quarterly offsite team retreats and additional opportunities to meet your teammates in person
Support for fully remote work