General Counsel

Plasmidsaurus • San Francisco, CA

6d • $275,000 - $300,000

About The Position

Plasmidsaurus is seeking its first full-time General Counsel to guide a rapidly growing global business through complex legal matters. The General Counsel will advise the founders and leadership team, help evaluate opportunities and material risks, and translate complex legal questions into practical options. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for building a lean, effective legal function that supports the company’s growth without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with a U.S. state bar.
• Experience working in life sciences, biotechnology, scientific services, or another technically complex or regulated industry, or demonstrated strong judgment navigating unfamiliar technical and regulatory environments.
• Meaningful experience advising a business on commercial and corporate legal matters, including complex agreements, corporate law, governance, international structures, and cross-border matters.
• Ability to exercise sound business judgment, communicate clearly, and provide practical recommendations.
• Ability to work hands-on, build effective systems, and identify when specialized expertise is needed.

Nice To Haves

• Experience as a senior in-house legal adviser in a fast-growing company navigating increased scale, complexity, and international expansion.
• Experience in life sciences, biotechnology, or another technically complex or regulated industry.

Responsibilities

• Advise the founders and leadership team on consequential business decisions, legal risks, opportunities, and practical paths forward.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate customer, supplier, technology, and strategic partnership agreements; lead high-stakes negotiations and establish efficient processes for routine agreements.
• Advise on international operations, entity structures, inter-company arrangements, business expansion, and significant corporate transactions.
• Work with scientific and technical leaders on intellectual property protection, ownership, licensing, and commercialization, using specialist counsel where appropriate.
• Help leadership anticipate and address legal implications of new products, markets, and business models, including laboratory and clinical regulation, data privacy, cross-border movement of biological materials, and export controls.
• Support the CEO and board on governance, corporate obligations, strategic transactions, and other significant legal matters.
• Build legal processes, resources, and outside counsel relationships to provide responsive and reliable support while prioritizing business impact and managing bureaucracy and costs.

What This Job Offers

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