Head of Legal

Shinkei•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

The General Counsel will own all legal strategy, risk management, and corporate governance for Shinkei Systems and its affiliated entities. This role is focused on protecting the business while enabling rapid execution across robotics, seafood operations, and CPG commercialization. The GC will act as both a strategic advisor and hands-on operator designing scalable legal systems, reducing outside counsel dependency, and ensuring compliant, efficient growth across complex operational and commercial activities. You will be a close strategic partner to the business – driving decisions in supply chain, product, and commercial strategy.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in corporate law, commercial contracts, and operational legal environments
JD from an accredited law school and an active California state bar membership in good standing (Washington and Alaska are a bonus)
Experience in food & beverage, manufacturing, seafood, maritime, or other regulated supply chains strongly preferred
Experience with equity and venture financing or M&A transactions and cross-border agreements
Comfort operating without a large legal team and willingness to straddle both strategic advisory and day-to-day execution

Nice To Haves

In-house experience at a high-growth technology or consumer goods startup

Responsibilities

Act as a true legal generalist – identify, triage, and correct risks to the business
Serve as an embedded legal partner to every vertical within the company, primarily Finance, Sales, Operations, Marine Resources, Quality Assurance, Government Affairs, and People
Manage commercial agreements and financing documentation – draft, negotiate, and close financing transactions and service and commercial agreements at all stages
Maintain legal backbone of the business – build and maintain basic legal templates and playbooks - non-disclosure agreements, leases, vendor / partnership contracts, etc.
Act as the point guard for specialized outside counsel – translating legalese into plain language and business opportunities into execution
Implement regulatory and compliance best practices, particularly in food safety and intellectual property regulations
Own corporate governance, entity management, investor rights, and board-related matters
Corporate governance structure across multiple entities (operating companies, shell entities, subsidiaries)
Board governance support, resolutions, approvals, and corporate recordkeeping
Management of corporate structure as company scales (including potential new entities)
Oversight of equity governance processes (working with Finance / People / Carta or equivalent systems)
Support financing activities (equity and debt)
Board approvals and investor-related legal coordination
Equity plan administration (option plans, grants, compliance)
Loan agreements and structured financing arrangements
Coordination with external counsel on financing rounds and investor documentation
Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements across: Supply chain and dock agreements, Vessel / fishing operations agreements (including IFQ-related structures), Manufacturing and processing contracts, Customer and distribution agreements (CPG / seafood sales)
Building scalable contract frameworks and templates
Structuring “protective provisions” in strategic partnerships (risk allocation, liability, exclusivity, termination)
FDA compliance, food safety, labeling, and regulatory oversight (seafood/CPG)
Compliance strategy for food production, processing, and distribution operations
Support for inspection readiness and regulatory engagement
Cross-functional partnership with Operations and QA teams
Intellectual property strategy and protection (hardware, robotics, software systems)
IP assignment agreements and contractor protections
Data protection and security considerations (as applicable to systems and partners)
Select, manage, and coordinate outside counsel relationships
Route legal work efficiently to minimize external legal spend
Build internal triage system for legal requests (what is handled in-house vs. outsourced)
Negotiate legal fees and engagement structures with firms
Manage engagement letters and consultant legal arrangements
Build scalable contracting workflows and systems
Standardize engagement letters for consultants, contractors, and vendors
Create internal legal playbooks and templates
Support procurement and vendor contracting processes
Identify and mitigate legal and operational risk across business units
Ensure legal structures support “value protection vs. value creation” balance
Advise leadership on risk exposure in operational expansion (boats, processing, distribution, robotics deployments)
Support structuring for vessels, fishing operations, and IFQ-related arrangements
Coordination of legal frameworks across jurisdictions and operational contexts